From the Stover Road trailhead, the Mellon Trail begins in a red pine plantation but within a quarter mile enters a cedar swamp and crosses a footbridge over a sluggish stream. Shortly after that you arrive at the junction with Grade Trail, no doubt an old rail bed left over from when Bellaire was a major railroad center in Antrim County in the early 1900s. Head west (left).

Following the straight and level Grade Trail, you can hear the gurgle and occasionally see the Cedar River before reaching the junction with the Aspen Trail at Mile 0.75. Continue on the Aspen Trail (right) as it winds through a stand of northern white cedar. Segments can be wet in the spring and early summer though the trail was rerouted slightly in 2015 to avoid the deepest mud holes.  At Mile 1.3 the trail swings north to reach a bench on the banks of the Cedar River in what many think is the most scenic spot in the preserve. Less than a quarter mile beyond the bench you reach the junction with White Pine Trail.

Head west (right) and this loop will take you out of the cedar swamps and into a stand of hemlock. Within a 100 yards you arrive at a giant white pine more than 80 feet tall while next to it is a stump of a pine that at one time stood 120 feet in height. At Mile 1.7 you continue with the 4H Trail that skirts a large wetland before arriving at the Antrim County Fairground. Follow the entrance drive south to the well-posted Fairground Trailhead for the return journey.

You quickly return to White Pine Trail and at Mile 2 arrive at a bridge, bench and interpretive display overlooking a wetland. A nice place to take a break if the bugs aren’t out. The junction with Grade Trail is next and you continue east on it, returning to the start of Aspen Trail at Mile 2.7. Stay with the Grade Trail to the Burrel Trailhead, another half mile east. Even if you decided to backtrack Mellon Trail instead, take time to walk to Grade Trail’s footbridge over the Cedar River, a scenic spot that includes a weathered gray barn along the banks. From Burrel Trailhead, it’s a 0.4-mile walk along Burrel Road to Mellon Trailhead.