Women’s Walk in the Wood’s Hike Selection
How to Proceed: Hike Options (You will be asked to indicate your first, second, and third choice while registering. Hikes will be assigned, based on your preferences, on a first come, first served basis.
Barrett’s Rim Trail
Length of Trail: 2.5 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
The trail follows the Rocky Fork Creek along the base of a vertical rock wall. This trail is known for offering beautiful views of the creek with a diverse range of native plants. It travels through an open meadow full of sun-loving native plants and into the rich forest trail with mesic outcrops of limestone and calcium-rich rock hosting unique assemblages of plants, including wild columbine and walking fern. The trail includes descents and ascents to reach the creek.
Cliff Run
Length of Trail: 2 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate
This very pleasant trail overlooks a small dolomite gorge that includes a nice diversity of ephemeral wildflowers and a picturesque, bedrock-bottomed stream meandering below the bluff. One of the highlights of the trail is a small lake nestled in the hills above Lewis Gorge. Beaver have colonized the lake, with additional dams and small pools added off-trail at the headwaters of the streams feeding the lake. The hike includes traversing a floating boardwalk near the dam where ducks and other water birds can be spotted. The surrounding hardwood forest is younger (30 years and older), and healthy, with limited invasive plant pressure and scattered mature trees.
Harmony Trail at Paint Creek State Park
Length of Trail: 1.25 Miles
Difficulty: Easy
This is an easy loop that runs alongside Paint Creek, which is minutes away from the Appalachian Forest Museum. The trail is a wide, even, and well-maintained dirt path which follows the creek for the first half and then passes scenic rock ledges for the second. It is a peaceful trail with a lot to look at along the way!
Kamelands
Length of Trail: 2 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate
This is a varied trail that leads through rolling meadows to the wooded corridor bordering the high bluffs of Rocky Fork Creek, directly across the gorge from the Forest Museum. This trail boasts immense ancient oaks, interesting rock formations, and an optional spur trail down to the canyon floor which can be taken upon consensus of the group
Wise Owl Farm
Length of Trail: 2 Miles
Difficulty: Moderate
The Wise Owl Farm is a private 72-acre property in various stages of restoration. The hike includes a tour of the native gardens around the home of one of the panelist speakers, followed by a trail leading through a native prairie surrounding a pond brimming with natural beauty. The hike continues through relatively mature woods featuring a rich spring wildflower display. Throughout the hike, we’ll discuss what efforts have been made to “return to native” throughout the different habitats on the property.