This loop begins at post No. 10 at the Clarkston Road trailhead where you will find a vault toilet. Head east (left) from the trailhead as the trail quickly swings south (left) passes through the wood chip storage area and at Mile 0.3 reaches post No. 11. Follow the route towards post No. 18 as it continues to skirt the woods and arrives at the spur from the Bark Park within a half mile from the start.

At post No. 18, this route swings south and skirts a marshy area, arriving at post No. 17 at Mile 1.2. The post marks a short spur to one of the fishing docks on Lake Sixteen. In less than a half mile you pass a second dock just beyond post No. 15. At either one you can soak up the scenery or spy on anglers in the lake trying to hook a trophy bluegill.

At this point the Perimeter Loop continues south until it reaches the border of the park where it swings west. You pass the roof tops and backsides of homes of Cedar Key Subdivision, not exactly what you want to see during a hike in the woods, but this is Southeast Michigan.

The trail quickly swings north and arrives at post No. 14, at Mile 2.3. Here you head west (left) and use a 120-foot boardwalk to cross through a marshy area past some huge pines that makes you feel like you’re somewhere in northern Michigan, not suburbia Oakland County. The boardwalk leads to Post No. 7 and here you head north (right) to quickly reach post No. 8. Follow the first trail to the left and get ready to climb. For the next quarter mile, you ascend 100 feet up the central ridge that dominates western half of the park until you reach 1,100 feet at Mile 2.7. This “peak” is not only the Orion Oak’s highest point but one of the highest in the area. During most of the year, foliage blocks any view but if the leaves have dropped or it’s early spring you can peer to the north and see Oakland County\'s other mammoth mountain; Pine Knob, complete with chairlifts. Alpine country in Oakland County.

The trail continues in its northwest direction to steadily descend to post No. 5 and then post No. 4 reached at Mile 3.1. Head east (right) at the junction to climb and then descend a wooded slope off of the central ridge to post No. 9. To the left the Clarkston Road trailhead is only a half mile to the south.