Sugar Loop
- 3.5 mi
- loop
- 210 ft
- climb
- 1,097 ft
- high point
- Loop
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Sugar Loop is a 3.5-mile loop hike in Waterloo Recreation Area in Michigan, managed by State Park and Recreation. The trail rises from about 1,088 feet to a high point of 1,097 feet, with a total elevation gain of 210 feet. The climb is gentle, and the steepest stretch comes at about mile 1, where the grade reaches 15 percent. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Chelsea show May highs around 70°F and September highs around 74°F, with July the warmest month at about 82°F. Winn Loop is about 1.3 miles away, and Big Kame Loop and Green Lake Loop are both within about 2.5 miles. The Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking Trail lies roughly 3.6 miles off.
Winn LoopHikingPhoto: joannapoe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)1.3 mi- Big Kame LoopHiking2.3 mi
Green Lake LoopHikingPhoto: joannapoe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)2.5 mi- Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking TrailHikingPhoto: joannapoe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)3.6 mi
- Yurt Trail (Hike)Hiking8 mi
- Crooked Lake Trail (Hike)Hiking8.4 mi
- Silver Lake Trail (Hike)Hiking8.5 mi
- Lakelands Trail State ParkGravel biking8.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Winn LoopHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: joannapoe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Green Lake LoopHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: joannapoe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking TrailHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: joannapoe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Brighton Recreation Area Bishop Lake Hiking TrailsHiking · ~30 min drive
Conservancy Farm PathHiking · ~45 min drivePhoto: varnent, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Potawatomi Trail (Hike)Hiking · ~15 min drive
- Sycamore TrailHiking · ~51 min drive
Itc Corridor Regional TrailHiking · ~50 min drivePhoto: Andrew Turner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Ram TrailHiking · ~52 min drive
- West LoopHiking · ~51 min drivePhoto: Andrew Turner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Best time to visit Sugar Loop
Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
31° / 16°
12 wet
Feb
34° / 17°
10 wet
Mar
44° / 25°
9 wet
Apr
58° / 37°
10 wet
May
70° / 48°
11 wet
Jun
79° / 56°
10 wet
Jul
82° / 61°
9 wet
Aug
80° / 59°
9 wet
Sep
74° / 51°
9 wet
Oct
61° / 40°
11 wet
Nov
47° / 31°
10 wet
Dec
36° / 23°
12 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Chelsea, MI, 4.8 mi away at 900 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Route details
- Distance
- 3.5 mi
- Climbing
- About 210 ft
- Summit
- 1,103 ft
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- About 1.5 hours
Questions about this route
How long is the Sugar Loop on Sugarloaf Hill?
About 3.5 mi.
How much elevation gain is on the Sugar Loop?
About 210 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Sugar Loop?
It is rated easy.
How long does the Sugar Loop take?
About 1.5 hours round trip.
Conditions and forecast on Sugarloaf Hill
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
