Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Rockwood Reservation - Trail Among the Trees
Trail Among the Trees – 1.5 miles
This trail is one of the easier trails in the park and usually has the most traffic but don’t let that stop you. Much of the trail is paved but that’s not to say it is wheel chair or stroller accessible as there are places that neither of those will go.
The trail head (if you are hiking CW) is across from the visitor’s center. You start by crossing over a bridge and parallels a creek. You can see signs of the old quarry operations on both sides of the trail for the first half mile. As you cross the creek again, there is a stairway that brings you up to an area where you can see some more of the quarry. At the top of the stairs the trail heads to the right but if you go straight you will see one of the many places where rock was cut out of the side of a bluff.
As you continue on the trail, you’ll see many bluffs and open areas. This section of the trail is where much of the traffic starts to drop off. It is also a great place to take kids where they can get outside, climb on rocks and enjoy the outdoors without taking them long distances.
As you pass this area you come to another bridge. Once past the bridge you are back into a hardwood forest setting. The trail is still paved here but the grade is steep enough to give you a good workout. The trail has many switchbacks as you wind your way up to the top. It will then level out and follow the top of a ridge. Once over the top of the ridge, the trail starts to wind and descend. At one point there is a bench situated at a nice overlook. This is best seen in the winter when the leaves are off the trees or in the fall when the leaves are turning (is there any place that is not great when the leaves are turning?)
The trail then finishes its downhill wind until it crosses the road (right by the bathrooms and drinking fountain). Once you cross the road the trail levels out and parallels the road back to the starting point.
We like to combine this trail with the Rock Quarry trail for a nice 3.5 mile loop.
This trail is one of the easier trails in the park and usually has the most traffic but don’t let that stop you. Much of the trail is paved but that’s not to say it is wheel chair or stroller accessible as there are places that neither of those will go.
The trail head (if you are hiking CW) is across from the visitor’s center. You start by crossing over a bridge and parallels a creek. You can see signs of the old quarry operations on both sides of the trail for the first half mile. As you cross the creek again, there is a stairway that brings you up to an area where you can see some more of the quarry. At the top of the stairs the trail heads to the right but if you go straight you will see one of the many places where rock was cut out of the side of a bluff.
As you continue on the trail, you’ll see many bluffs and open areas. This section of the trail is where much of the traffic starts to drop off. It is also a great place to take kids where they can get outside, climb on rocks and enjoy the outdoors without taking them long distances.
As you pass this area you come to another bridge. Once past the bridge you are back into a hardwood forest setting. The trail is still paved here but the grade is steep enough to give you a good workout. The trail has many switchbacks as you wind your way up to the top. It will then level out and follow the top of a ridge. Once over the top of the ridge, the trail starts to wind and descend. At one point there is a bench situated at a nice overlook. This is best seen in the winter when the leaves are off the trees or in the fall when the leaves are turning (is there any place that is not great when the leaves are turning?)
The trail then finishes its downhill wind until it crosses the road (right by the bathrooms and drinking fountain). Once you cross the road the trail levels out and parallels the road back to the starting point.
We like to combine this trail with the Rock Quarry trail for a nice 3.5 mile loop.
Rockwoods Reservation - Turkey Ridge Trail
The trail head for Turkey Ridge is on the east side of 109. From the parking area, if you hike the trail CCW, you head up the south face of the hill. There are a number of switchbacks and many interesting rock outcroppings that give this area its name. As you reach the top, the terrain levels out and travels along the top of a ridge.
As you get to the end of the ridge, just before you start heading back downhill, close to the half-way point, there is a well place bench on the side of the trail. It’s a perfect place to stop for a picnic (you did bring the wine, cheese, fruit and crackers didn’t you?)
After you leave the bench the trail turns to the southwest and starts heading down hill into a hollow. As you come back to the bottom you leave the hills and hardwood forest and meander through a grove of pines. The rest is an easy, level stroll back to the starting point.
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