Hiking Notes: Monroe County Community College

Note: I wrote these trail notes in 1999. The information is basically still accurate. There is one exception. The second bridge described below is now chained closed. The best access to the bird sanctuary is from an access on Raisinville Road.

Monroe County Community College Hike

Location: Monroe Township

Name: Exercise Trail Trail

Distance: 2+ miles

Surface: Cut grass

Difficulty: Easy

Directions: From Downtown Monroe, Follow Monroe Street (M-125) south over the river and turn right on Front St. (M-50). FollowM-50 west to the traffic lights at Raisinville. Turn left. Follow Raisinville a mile or two. The community college is on the left. Park in their lot. Total distance from Downtown Monroe is 5 miles. The drive takes 5 or 10 minutes.

Facilities: There are restrooms, water and pop machines inside of the community college buildings.

Contact: Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, MI 48161; (734) 242-7300

Description:

I have to admit that my expectations were not high when I pulled into the parking lot. I remember walking this trail when I was a kid and I figured that a decade and a half of decay wouldn't have improved the trail. I was surprised.

The trailhead is just outside the entrance to the health education building - the first parking lot that you encounter driving south on Raisinville. Look for a large wooden signboard. To follow the trail, look for numbered exercise stations and occasional posts with arrows.

The trail initially heads north away from the left side of the building. It follows a long area of brush and trees. Birds and rabbits were numerous. At about. 4 miles, the trail makes a u-¬turn around the other side of the brush heads back towards the health center. The markers are not clear when you reach the center, but you can walk around the back of the building towards a station in the middle of a field. Walk along the east side of a ditch towards a bridge over which you cross.

From here, you should follow the grassy area between a parking lot and the west side of the ditch. The next station is in a rather secluded area of trees and mowed grass surrounded by brush. This would be a nice place to have a picnic.

Follow the edge of the woods around to a similar cleared area. You should see and cross a second walking bridge. Once you cross, you will see a large log to the left obviously placed there to direct you to the right. As you walk west, you will see a path lead into the woods to your left. Take this. In a few yards, you will be able to see a pond behind some brush. When I was here, I saw some people with fishing poles. Apparently there are fish in the pond. Walk around the pond and continue heading west.

When you almost reach Raisinville Rd., the trail will make another u-turn. Return across the bridge and follow the edge of the woods to the west. For a time, you will need to follow closely along the community college access road. The exercise trail continues very close to Raisinville Road, but I found it more interesting to cut across the front lawn of the college along a large landscaping pond with a fountain in its center.

As you leave the pond, you will see a hill ahead. Walk towards the historical marker at its summit. The sign describes the fact that the site of the community college used to be a debtors settlement. Those who died at this "potter's field" were buried underneath the hill- so don't walk too heavily. Apparently, people were buried at the site until the 1940's.

At this point, you need to cross two entrances and return to the entrance of the health education building and your car.

Recommendation: I enjoyed this trail. My recommendation would be to walk it early in the morning, at dusk, or when community college classes are not in session. Otherwise, I imagine that this could be a very busy place. The pond in the woods was a complete surprise and bears some further investigation. I also enjoyed the historical marker of the potter's field. This trail offers some variety from the otherwise paved trails along the River Raisin.