The site of a state psychiatric hospital is being transformed into a 17-mile MTB trail system

Mountain bikers are about to go crazy on a brand-new trail system coming to Northville, Michigan. The 17-mile trail system is being built on the 350-acre Seven Mile Property, which was once home to the Northville Psychiatric State Hospital.

The psychiatric facility opened in 1952 and, “when it was built, it was touted as Michigan’s first attempt at scientific treatment of mental illness,” according to the Northville Township. The hospital closed its doors in 2003, and 21 years later, Rock Solid Trails spent the summer digging in the dirt at what is now known as Legacy Park. They’ve just finished building phase one of a three-phase build out, which includes five miles of singletrack.

Unlike other recent Rock Solid projects, this won’t be a purpose-built bike park. Instead, the trails are designed to be multi-use and are optimized for both hiking and biking. “Due to the fact that there are backcountry hiking trails there, [they] typically aren’t going to have the rolling contours and such,” said Adam Munich, Digital Marketing Coordinator for Rock Solid Trail Contracting. “So the trail is going to look a bit different than you would typically see for a bike-optimized trail.”

The five miles of brand-new trails in phase one, which are already open to the public, include a perimeter loop that’s optimized for hiking, mountain bike trails, accessible trails, and a surfaced trail. In addition, Rock Solid is building a 50-car gravel parking lot.

The trail development at Legacy Park was part of a larger plan developed with input from the local community back in 2012. Since that time, the township has worked to remediate old asbestos-filled buildings, and has demolished all but one. The one remaining building will be renovated and re-purposed, and the land will also see the construction of additional public facilities.

The township is also at work on a new plan for Legacy Park, “which is a long-term strategy that maximizes the property’s uniqueness while establishing priorities for park improvements spanning the next 20 years or so.”