The main trailhead is located just east of the Ski Center parking lot and from there several trails head west including Maltby Vista. You briefly skirt the golf course before swinging south (left) into the woods at a major junction that includes Coyote Run heading north and Meadow Lane continuing due west. From the junction you’re immediately greeted by steep hill, no doubt the reason Maltby Vista is rated as a black diamond, but it’s a straight downhill run that most people, even beginners, find not overly challenging.

You bottom out to cross a stream flowing into Maltby Lake and at Mile 0.4 reach a junction and a bench. To the west is Cedar Trace, a 1.7-mile loop that winds through the open meadows south of Dibrova Lake and a great way to add mileage to this outing. Maltby Vista continues south through a rolling terrain where there are views of the lake through the trees. You break out to a junction on the edge of an open meadow where you head right to leave Maltby Vista and continue south of Hammel Road, reached at Mile 1. For safety reasons, it’s important to remove skis before crossing the dirt road!

On the other side you quickly leave the park road to head east (left) along the Beech Alley loop. Another marked junction is reached at Mile 1.25 where you head east again (left) to continue on Oak Hills loop. This hilly loop eventually swings sharply south to parallel the Huron River. Along the way you can detour onto River Bluff Trail for a better view of the water or to warm up at the fire pit that the park staff maintains during the weekends.

At Mile 2 you return to Beech Alley loop and head left where another steep downhill leads to the junction with Pine Ridge loop (left again).  A more gentle descent follows while the scenery remains impressive as the forest gives way to a winter wetland when you bottom out. As far as you can tell, you could be someplace up north at this point. A long climb awaits you on the other side of the wetland and from there you break out in a meadow on the edge of the Cedar Ridge Picnic Area, reached at Mile 2.6. A spur leads to the trailhead and parking area where on the other side it’s possible to view the Huron River.

In the meadow Pine Ridge heads north as a hilly run that bottoms out near the park road, passes another scenic wetland and then makes a long climb to its junction with Beech Alley. Head west (left) twice and you’ll be back at the Hammel Road crossing at Mile 3.8. Returning to an earlier junction on the north side of Hammel Road, head right (east) to finish off Maltby Vista loop.  It a mile back to the Ski Center along the east side of the lake that includes descending around its south end and then climbing up the bluffs that form its east shore. Along the way you pass junctions for Trillium Loop, numerous views of the lake below and an observation deck in the Sunset Ridge Picnic Area where a massive stairway leads down to Maltby’s frozen surface. Eventually you return to the edge of the golf course where to the right is the trailhead and Ski Center, reached at Mile 4.9.