Dexter Trail - Gregory to Mason, MI - By klown777

My friends and I ride this route often, most recently last weekend. Usually, this is part of a much longer ride. The route is attractive because it runs along one of the best biking roads in the area - Dexter Trail. Dexter Trail is one of the "old roads," beginning long ago as a game trail, then becoming a major trail used by Indian tribes, and eventually, European settlers. In a state noted for its one mile square road grid, a road that curves as much as this one is rare. This is a country ride, farm fields and woods are the norm. Traffic, if there is any, is light, and the road surface is generally very good. The eastern terminus is the small cross roads town of Gregory. There is a very nice corner store and gas station located there. Riding west, I would recommend deviating from the route in order to pass through the county seat of Stockbridge. It's a lovely town with a large courthouse located in a picturesque town square. If you're hungry, the Stockbridge Diner, located on the north side of the square, is a great place for either breakfast or lunch. It's small, and likely to be crowded with bikers on a sunny weekend, but the omelets and burgers are superior, hand made right in front of you by the owner himself. Places like this are quietly disappearing, but a treasure when found. Continuing west, the route leaves the trail to pass through Dansville. Not a bad choice if you need gas, or a meal, and there's a small general store as well. But I recommend that you stay on the Trail all the way to Mason. You won't be sorry that you've taken this route. If you live in the area, it will become one of your favorite rides, as it has for so many others. But I also recommend that you take a moment and take out your map. Standing in Stockbridge, you are at the doorway to dozens of rides and hundreds of miles of some of the best roads that Michigan has to offer. The Trail has whetted your appetite, but there's an entire buffet just down the road, primarily south and east from Stockbridge. Feel free to explore. And, as always, ride safe.