If you are looking to explore the Packard, there is not really any one point you should start; the complex is so massive that there is just not enough time to see it all in a day, or even a weekend. Within the southern section on the west side of Bellevue Street, (the alley that runs north and south through the center of South Packard) is a tall five-floor red brick structure. This is the tallest formation in the south half of the complex, usually the spot I choose to enter because of an area close by that is relatively safe to park at. There are also several openings along Concord Street one could enter, and many more openings off of Bellevue Street. It is funny to watch the city and the building’s owners board it up in some areas while leaving multiple entrances in other places.

The Norfolk Southern Railroad runs north and south along the west side of the factory. Currently it is mostly unused, but this once was the primary railroad link between Milwaukee Junction in midtown, and the industrial zone located along the Detroit River. Nestled behind the tracks awaits a historical cemetery containing tombstones dating back to the 1860s. Also adjacent to the tracks, a part of the Packard that makes up a large room that was used to load and unload trains. Another set of tracks branches off leading inside through a pair of doors large enough to accommodate railcars. Constructed tall and open, including windows high above that allow bright daylight inside, this room long ago fulfilled its industrial purpose. Spanning the length of the room are overhead rails that allowed cranes to quickly load and unload materials from the railcars for the plant. In the past there were several of these cranes suspended above, but while scrappers practiced their craft, these cars were wedged from the tracks and fell to the floor below. All the wiring, controls, and any metals of value have been removed, leaving behind heaping piles of asbestos and mounds of garbage on the floor. Asbestos is one of the many hazardous materials contained in the Packard. The main reason you should have breathing protection specifically rated to filter asbestos and other fine particles if you venture inside.

Dogfights are also a sad reality at the Packard. I have never seen a fight myself, but it is clear that are held here. On the second or third floor we came across a square wall of unsecured cinder blocks forming a ring about 10 to 15’ across. There was a blood-covered tarp inside, bloody paw prints, and ropes keeping an area clear near the ring. The only conclusion, this space was used for dogfights. On a later visit, the fighting ring was taken down, but I would not be surprised to see this activity again. I hate to say it, but this is a good spot for that sort of thing.

The Packard is clearly a place where you will find shady activity, any day you go. It’s a place to scrap, paint, strip cars, turn tricks, sell drugs, fight dogs; it was even once a place for underground parties. But for a lot of people it's a place to take a walk, shoot some pictures or just enjoy a nice day. Even though the Packard, or the “Motor City Industrial Park” as it once was called, has been doomed for some time, it is still a dynamic place that is constantly changing. When I walk around here I try to imagine what it looked like when it was operating, when it was filled with workers and machines and parts. Now that they are all gone, and the Packard is just a symbol of Old Detroit, the Detroit that is gone forever.

While exploring the north end of the Motor City Industrial campus, an absolute must-see is the epic nine-story, 360-degree view from the highest point in the complex that remains standing. Simply referred to as “High Point,” it gives an urban explorer the opportunity to see Packard from above, allowing one to make mental maps of what is still out there to explore, and what is checked off the list. This stunning reference point is what has allowed us to spy, and track others that we encounter. Sometimes it’s to keep a safe distance; other times it’s simply the fun of observing. On one occasion when I was much younger, a friend and I had decided to stay over night. We explored the dying building during a wild thunderstorm. Between the showers, a full moon provided ample light for us to walk around, allowing us to maneuver quite covertly through the shadows. That night we tracked not only scrappers but also another group of urban explorers.

Directly above the bridge that crosses over from south to north, there is an oddly shaped room of angled windows. A large section of windows and framing that face due east is missing. What this room was used for is beyond me, but over the years of coming back to this point it has become my personal favorite place in the summer. As if the earth was uninhabited for many years the plants, moss, and wildlife have completely overtaken this structure. Faint light and constant moisture provide the right environment for dark green moss and ivy to spread out over a reddish clay like floor. Half a dozen or so birds are always hanging out making noise, and the large missing windows offer a serine view of a sleepy east side Detroit.

The Packard complex is made up of a vast amount of broken up space. This once helped the complex to grow and adapt during its operation. This also helped the Packard plant have a much later second life during the 1990s as “Splatball City,” paintball facility as it was known. It was opened in approximately 1992 and remained running for some time. Its lifespan is not exactly known, but it was officially open for at least 3 or 4 years. Even after it closed, renegade paint ballers were still using it heavily. Taking games to the dark, some rounds would last all night long and into the morning. It has obstacles like no other course in the world. From historic old cars and military vehicles, to junk and debris, anything and everything was game. This included the collapsed sixth floor of one section in North Packard. The collapsed area was the base that one team would use during games of capture the flag. Intense night games were often played here. Accounts of it note this was a hard-core paintball facility in all respects.

In my day, I have come across some strange and interesting stuff while exploring buildings in Detroit. Of the oddities I have found, one of the strangest things is a large wooden cat stashed in a small room on the 4th floor. The wooden cat stands some 7 feet tall and weighs nearly 200lbs. Another rare gem that no longer resides on the Packard grounds is a 1930’s or 40’s Packard car that was slowing deteriorating on the grounds for nearly 70 years. Though it was covered in rust, and the interior was completely rotted away, the chrome and other engine parts were in surprisingly good shape. Shortly after the city lost its lawsuit to take control of the property, the car was removed.

Not far from where this car was I also made another discovery… a tunnel. The east section of the Packard North complex had been torn down many years earlier, but its foundation remains. While looking inside one of these basement foundations, we recently discovered a brick tunnel leading to all parts of the sub structure beneath North Packard. During this trek we saw abundant evidence that the Packard’s foundations are being slowly eroded away by constant weather and sewer leaks. Piles of trash and debris, plus fallen bricks hampered our exploration, and we were only able to see about half of the tunnels. A thick layer of mud and oil cover the floors.