Lakeshore Loop
Distance: 2.4 miles
This 2.4-mile loop is rated Easy and is picked at the Ski Rental Office where you follow the tracks in a counter-clockwise direction. Lakeshore has only two short downhill slopes, one at the northeast corner and another at the southwest corner, and is rarely out of view of Crooked Lake. Along much of the east side you follow a low bluff above the lake, on the west side you are often skiing right along the lakeshore.

In less than a mile from the Ski Rental Office you reach post No. 5, marking the junction where Springlake Loop peels off and heads into the hilly interior of the park. At this point Lakeshore Loop is two-way travel for the next 0.8 mile until you reach post No. 11, where Springlake Loop merges back into the trail.

Springlake Loop and Ted Gray Trail
Distance: 3.2 or 3.6 miles
This is Independence Oak’s most challenging route and the reason it offers some of the best skiing in Southeast Michigan. The 3.2-mile Springlake Loop is rarted More Difficultand begins at the Ski Rental Office. It utilizes Lakeshore Loop until post No. 5 where it heads west (right), crosses the park road and then heads into the hilly backside of Independence Oak.

In the next 1.77 miles you enjoy four downhill runs, including a furious one down North Hill. The heart of the loop, however, is the long climb to the top of South Hill, the highest point in ther park, and the equally long descent down it where you end at post No. 11, the junction with the return to the Lakeshore Loop. If you find the first half of Springlake too challenging, you can depart the loop before climbing South Hill at post No. 15. Head east (left) on Old Field Trail, an easy and relatively level route, and within 0.38 mile you'll reach Lakeshore Trail at post No. 9.

To lengthen the loop and to make it even more challenging add Ted Gray Trail. The 0.7-mile side trail, rated Most Difficult, is picked up at the post No. 13, the top of South Hill. It includes three descents, the second a wicked dogleg that should be avoided during ice conditions or when the base is thin, exposing clumbs of dirt and leaves. More than one ski has been snapped on this hill. Ted Gray makes Springlake Loop a 3.6-mile ski. You can also begin in the nature center trailhead and return along the two-way track on the west side of Crooked Lake for a 3-mile outing.

Rockridge Loop
Distance: 1.6 miles
This loop begins at the nature center trailhead and is rated More Difficult. Rockride includes a long climb in the beginning followed by a descent of the ridge. Another climb to the wildlife viewing platform follows. You then descend to post No. 10 along the Lakeshore Loop. The descents can be fast at times but are not nearly as challenging as those on Ted Gray or the Springlake Loop.

At post No. 10 you can head north (left) on the two-trail to return directly to the nature center trailhead for a 1.6-mile ski. Or you can head south (right) and complete the rest of the Lakeshore Loop around Crooked Lake for a 3.5-mile ski.