The Orion Oaks' trail system was totally revamped in 1997 and then re-designated in 2009. Once a mishmash of old roads and two-tracks, the 10-mile system is now well posted and easy to follow, featuring a system of numbered junctions with locator maps benches, and boardwalks through wetlands.

The park has three trailheads with parking, map boxes and vault toilets. In 2009, the trail system was re-organized into six highlighted routes and then simplified with elimination of a handful of short spurs and crossover trails. Departing from the Clarkston Road trailhead are the longest routes; the 2.65-mile Bluebird Loop and the 3.26-mile Massasauga Loop. Departing from the Baldwin Road trailhead is the 2.64-mile Dragon Loop, the 2.34-mile Orion Thru-way a point-to-point trail that crosses the park from east to west, and the 1.59-mile Fossil Hill Trail that climbs to the Orion Oaks' 1,100-foot highpoint.

For many trail users Orion Oaks is not so much a designated route but a desire to be outdoors in a scenic setting, which might include the park’s highpoint, reaching the walk-in fishing docks on the west side of Lake Sixteen or viewing the tall pines between post No. 7 and No. 14. For this reason the unofficial  Orion Oaks Perimeter Loop has been included. The route, parts of several loops, is an 2 to 4-hour walk for most people and includes the park's best scenery.

In the winter Nordic skiers and snowshoers use the ungroomed trails, the rest of the year hikers and mountain bikers share them. The trails make for an interesting walk any time of the year but in November and December, after the leaves have fallen but before heavy snow arrives, the view from a scenic overlook on the park’s main ridge is especially nice.