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| The Park Office is on the right after you enter the park. You can park in the parking lot to the right of the office. |
This park is a perfect place for anyone who likes to walk in the woods.
It has 20 miles of trails, including a long perimeter trail called
the Montgomery Bell Trail, and shorter trails in the West Loop.
Click here for directions and general information.
the Montgomery Bell Trail, and shorter trails in the West Loop.
Click here for directions and general information.
Today, I chose to walk the West Loop, which takes you next
to Creech Hollow Lake and around Lake Woodhaven,
a total of about 7 miles.
to Creech Hollow Lake and around Lake Woodhaven,
a total of about 7 miles.
Click here to see an excellent Detailed Trail Map.
Everything is labeled on this map, and you can enlarge areas of this map!
Everything is labeled on this map, and you can enlarge areas of this map!
From the park office go across the road and you'll see this marker.
This starting point is at the top of the map.
This starting point is at the top of the map.
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| Turn right here to get onto the Montgomery Bell Trail, which will connect with the Creech Hollow Trail, the West Loop. If you go left you will be going on the East Loop or to the Inn and Restaurant near Acorn Lake. |
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| This "netting" in a tree is made by Tent Caterpillars. |
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| An unusual colored Bracket Fungus rotting this log. |
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This fungus is called a Bolete; it doesn't have gills
under its cap like a mushroom has; it has holes (the tipsof tubes, which hold spores). |
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| You can see the holes under the cap of a bolete. |
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| You can see the gills under the cap of a mushroom. |
Saw many mushrooms and boletes, today.
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| The Montgomery Bell Trail heading toward the Creech Hollow Trail. |
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| One fallen tree was covered with these small mushrooms. |
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| Saw a millipede like this at two different areas. To see a video of this millipede, click here. |
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| A very spectacular dragonfly (a green darner?). |
A plant called Heal All;
two plants with different colored flowers.
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| I turned left here, getting on the Creech Hollow Trail. Turning right will take you on the M. Bell Trail going counter-clockwise (see map). |
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| Pale Spiked Lobelia Click any photo to enlarge it. |
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| This trail takes you to the bottom of Creech Hollow where you can take a minute to look for salamanders and other life forms. |
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| Coral Fungus |
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| Mountain Mint |
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| Lots of Mushrooms, today. |
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| Creech Hollow Trail |
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| Three Boletes |
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| Christmas Fern |
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| I love trails that go by creeks and lakes/ponds. This part of the walk is perfect for me. Take a break here and enjoy the water! |
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| Rose Pink (Sabatia angularis) and pollinator. I like that perfect yellow star in the middle. |
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| You can see the pollen-filled anthers and the long Y-shaped pistil. |
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| The trail is on the right, just above the stream. Stop here, look around, and listen! |
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| Tick Trefoil, a member of the pea family. |
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| Exiting the woods to walk along the beautiful Creech Hollow Lake! |
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| Great Spangled Fritillary |
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| A group of Amanitas. Be careful, most Amanitas are poisonous, and watch out for the poison ivy surrounding the mushrooms. |
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| A Japanese Beetle |
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| The trail to the right goes to Jackson Hill Road. Follow the trail into the woods along the lake. |
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| A Puffball. |
Video of puffball releasing spores.
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| A population of Netted Chain Ferns next to the lake. |
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| The fertile frond is in the front; it's the frond that produces spores. The sterile frond is right behind it. |
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| A beautiful blue mushroom called the Indigo Milky (Lactarius indigo.) |
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| This mushroom bleeds blue. Watch this video of blue mushrooms. |
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| Take your time and see what's around you...look for water birds, or butterflies, or perching birds... or dragonflies.  |
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| Clubmosses with a wild orchid called Small Green Woodland Orchid !!! |
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| A close-up of the very small flowers. |
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| Small Green Woodland Orchid |
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| Photo taken from "allaboutbirds.org" |
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| A patch of Clubmosses, called Ground Cedar. These are vascular, seedless plants, which don't make flowers. They produce these club-like sporecases, instead of flowers, for reproduction. |
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| Their spores are contained within these club-like sporangia. |
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| These clubmosses are not mosses; they are more closely related to ferns. |
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| A duck box in the background. |
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| The smallest flowering plant on Earth, Duckweed. |
For information on this plant click here.
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| A beautiful Red Admiral |
For information click here.
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| Ahead is the Montgomery Bell Trail, which goes around the park. Turn right to take the South Loop, or left to take the North Loop. I'm going right, today, which will take me around Lake Woodhaven. |
Click here to see the Detailed Trail Map.
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| Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) |
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| On the M.Bell Trail heading toward Jackson Hill Rd. |
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| Cross the road to continue on the M.Bell Trail. |
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| Long Beech Fern |
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| The map shows the trail crossing over a number of creeks. |
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| This part of the trail goes through a small patch of Pine trees. |
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| Yellow Patches (Amanita flavoconia) |
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| You'll pass through a small Red Cedar grove. |
If you're camping and need kindling to start a fire a red cedar is
the tree of choice. Just pull off some of these slivers of bark.
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| This is the south side of Lake Woodhaven (see map below). I stopped here and took a break. Make sure you bring water and snacks on every walk that you take. |
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| Beginning to hear some thunder. |
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| A Red-Spotted Purple butterfly |
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| I like the moss growing on the trail! |
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| A beautiful Chanterelle. |
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| Find this shelter on the bottom left of the map. |
Click here to see the Detailed Trail Map.
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| Doll's Eyes or White Baneberry |
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| Forests are filled with color. Just get out and take a walk in some woods. |
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| The thunder is getting louder with each step. |
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| Hoping I won't get caught in the thunderstorm approaching. |
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| The road goes to Hall Cemetery, to the right. Continue straight on the M.Bell Trail. |
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| A beautiful bolete! |
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| Glad to see this shelter in case I need it. The storm is closing in on me! |
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| This creek is at the bottom of Jackson Hollow. |
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| A large rock covered in Liverworts, which are closely related to mosses (not clubmosses). |
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| It's beginning to rain at this point. Should be a shelter ahead. |
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| I came out of the woods here and according to the map I should go left and continue on the M.Bell Trail, but I was looking for a place to get out from under the rainstorm. This is McAdow Cabin (see map). |
At this time the thunderstorm was on top of me so I began jogging
to the picnic shelter up ahead...and got there just in time!
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| I took this photo of the Old Church while I was waiting under the shelter for the storm to pass. |
The thunderstorm lasted about 30 minutes and then I walked in the
rain to my truck, which was just up the road. If you are on this trail
you can finish by continuing on the M. Bell Trail and then
get on the Wildcat Trail, which will take you back to the Park Office.
Click here to see the Detailed Trail Map.
Get out and Explore!
