Two trail projects are trying to open more of Oakland Township to the trails around it. Neither is open yet. The new trailhead at Stony Creek Ravine Nature Park will lead into Stony Creek Metropark once it's done. On the Paint Creek Trail, the stretch just south of the township between Tienken and Dutton roads is fenced off for bridge repairs. For the rest of this fall, the trail system works best inside the township, at Bear Creek, Lost Lake, Cranberry Lake, Watershed Ridge and Fox Nature Preserve. The parks calendar there keeps going until the week of Thanksgiving.
Here is where each project stands as of this week, and where to go in the meantime.
Stony Creek Ravine: 268 acres, close to finished
For years, Stony Creek Ravine Nature Park was mostly reached by mowed paths. Its stream valley, oak forest and restored wetlands drew few visitors. Ben McLoskey, director of Oakland Township Parks & Recreation, wrote in the department's Fall 2026 newsletter that the 268 acres had been "visited mostly by wildlife and the few hikers willing to find their way through our mowed trails." The project will change that with three additions:
- A new parking lot and trailhead off Snell Road, with what the newsletter calls "essential amenities"
- A universally accessible crushed-limestone trail out to an overlook above the West Branch of Stony Creek
- A trail connection south into Stony Creek Metropark, joining the township park to the Metroparks system
That third item matters most. Today, Stony Creek Ravine is a stand-alone natural area. Once the connection opens, it becomes a northern way into one of the region's largest parks, starting from a lot on Snell Road.
The Alan Group has been working on site since early summer. According to the newsletter, crews are protecting mature trees along the construction corridor and phasing the work to avoid disturbing habitat. The department said completion was expected by November and asked residents to watch for a reopening announcement. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources lists a $340,100 Land and Water Conservation Fund award for the township's Stony Creek Ravine access improvements.
The township's Natural Areas Notebook bird-walk calendar lists the Oct. 28 Wednesday walk at Cranberry Lake Park. Next to that date it notes that the "new trailhead construction is NOT ready." Until the township announces a reopening, plan on Stony Creek Ravine being closed.
Paint Creek Trail: one new bridge open, three older ones under repair
The Paint Creek Trail is the township's other link to its neighbors. In late September it gained a new bridge. In mid-October it lost a stretch to repairs.
The Rochester Hills parks page notes that the trail is an 8.9-mile linear park, owned and managed by the Paint Creek Trailways Commission. It opened in 1983 as Michigan's first rail-trail. Many of its bridges date from the railroad era, and this fall's work is about replacing or repairing them.
The bridge that opened at mile marker 31.7
Downstream in Rochester, a new prefabricated steel bridge replaced a century-old timber railroad trestle over Paint Creek. The bridge sits just north of the Woodward and Ludlow crossing, near the trail entrance to Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve. C&G News reported on Oct. 6 that officials cut the ribbon on Sept. 24.
| Old timber trestle | New steel bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 12 feet | 14 feet |
| Length | 43 feet | 70 feet |
| Supports | Piers in the creek | Single span, nothing in the water |
The new bridge is ADA accessible, with a handrail along the railing, and is sturdy enough for emergency and maintenance vehicles. Getting the piers out of the creek is the biggest change. Paint Creek Trail Manager Ingrid Kliffel told C&G News that branches and logs coming downstream used to catch on the old supports. "We would have log jams, which were difficult and dangerous to remove," she said. She added that the single span lets water flow freely underneath and gives brown trout better conditions. The contractor also rebuilt the stairway on the north side of the creek, repaired the trail surface and added native plants along the shoulders.
The project drew on several funding sources. C&G News listed about $721,000 from a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Transportation Alternatives Program grant. It also listed $300,000 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, $50,000 in Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds, $25,000 from Oakland County and money from the city of Rochester.
The stretch that closed between Tienken and Dutton
Closer to home, the trail is closed between the Tienken Road and Dutton Road crossings. This section sits just south of the township line in Rochester Hills. The city is repairing three pedestrian bridges there, numbered P10, P11 and P12. According to the Paint Creek Trail's closure notice, contractors are replacing decking boards, repairing handrails and working on abutments. The notice is blunt: "DO NOT ACCESS THIS PORTION OF THE TRAIL."
The closure began Monday, Oct. 12, and the two official sources give different estimates. The Trailways Commission says "approximately one month." The City of Rochester Hills lists a "potential closure timeframe" of three weeks. Counting from Oct. 12, that means sometime between early and mid-November, with the commission promising progress reports on its website.
The commission's detour uses Livernois Road and is to be posted along the route. It warns that the road carries vehicle traffic and has no separate pedestrian or safety path. Cyclists and walkers used to riding south into Rochester Hills and Rochester can either take the road or stay on the trail north of Dutton for a few more weeks.
Where the season lives for now: the township's nature parks
Stony Creek Ravine is still closed, and the Paint Creek is cut south of Dutton. That leaves the township's own parks, and the parks department has programs scheduled through Nov. 24. Two locations come up again and again. Paint Creek Cider Mill hosts yoga, family science and volunteer meetups. Lost Lake Nature Park hosts preschool programs and an evening painting class.
Here is what's left on the calendar from the week of Oct. 22:
| Date | Program | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 22, 23, 29, 30 | Seed-collecting workdays, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Meet at Paint Creek Cider Mill |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Squirrels and Nuts, ages 3 to 5, 10 to 11:30 a.m. | Lost Lake Nature Park |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Zombie Shoot, 10 a.m. to noon | Marsh View Park Archery Range |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Spooky Science, ages 4 to 9, 1 to 4 p.m. | Paint Creek Cider Mill |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | Bird walk, 8:30 a.m. | Cranberry Lake Park |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Halloween ZenBeatz Glow Party, 7 to 8 p.m. | Paint Creek Trail, meeting at Paint Creek Cider Mill |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | Bird walk, 8:30 a.m. | Bear Creek Nature Park |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Woody Plant ID Hike, 10 a.m. to noon | Bear Creek Nature Park |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Meander the Milky Way and More!, 7 to 9 p.m. | Cranberry Lake Farmhouse |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Bird walk, 8:30 a.m. | Watershed Ridge Park |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Bird walk, 8:30 a.m. | Fox Nature Preserve |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Seed-cleaning workday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Watershed Ridge Park, 1720 W. Buell Road |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Paint Like Bob Ross, 6 to 9 p.m. | Lost Lake Nature Park |
The bird walks have a hard stop. After the Nov. 18 walk at Fox Nature Preserve, the schedule shows no walks for the rest of November or for December. They resume Jan. 6, 2027. That makes the four Wednesdays from Oct. 28 through Nov. 18 the last chance this year. The route also covers four different township properties in four weeks.
Archers have until the end of the month. Open Range Shoot sessions at Marsh View Park run Saturdays through Oct. 31 and Sundays through Oct. 25, both from noon to 4 p.m. Indoor sessions at Paint Creek Cider Mill continue as the weather turns. Meditation Mondays: Yin Yoga starts a new session Nov. 2 that runs through Dec. 7.
On North Rochester Road, the Rochester Cider Mill is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its site says activities generally run through early November, weather permitting, and the season's last day is Dec. 31.
The next trail project
The trail projects keep coming after these two. On Aug. 20, the governor's office announced a $400,000 state grant to Oakland Township for trails and public access at the 107-acre Blue Heron Environmental Area, including a picnic area and interpretive signs. The announcement did not include a construction timeline.
Before heading out, check paintcreektrail.org for the Tienken-to-Dutton reopening and oaklandtwpmi.gov for the Stony Creek Ravine announcement. Each will be posted by the agency running the project.
At Shafer Tomlan, we track the details that shape daily life in Oakland Township, from new trailheads off Snell Road to the bridges that link the township to Rochester. If you're thinking about a home near Bear Creek, Lost Lake or the Paint Creek corridor, or a quiet sale of the one you have, we're glad to talk through what you're looking for. Contact Us.
