A Virtual Hike On The Main Trail At Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve….Ohio

On a “Quality Time” November day in Ohio I took a hike on the Blackhand Trail near Newark,Ohio…

Located in Licking County 8 miles east of Newark on State Route 16, exit southeast on State Route 146 and proceed 1/4 mile to County Road 273. The preserve's entrance and parking lot are 1.5 miles south on County Road 273 just outside of Toboso. READ MORE



This cabin is near the main parking and trail head for the Blackhand Trail.

The paved Blackhand Trail extends 4.2 miles and is primarily used by bicyclists and pedestrians. Being an old rail line we are talking flat….





Side loop trail. Back to the bike path..




As a side note: “Floating the Licking River preserve is permitted. On the west side of the preserve (Upstream) there is a gravel parking lot that is used to access the bike trail. It is on Brownsville
road just before the intersection with Brushy Fork and adjacent to the Licking River. You can park there and launch in the river. Take out is just past the preserve on the east end after passing under the bridge on Toboso road.”

Deep Cut, where engineers did some blasting to cut through a large outcropping of bedrock .





Looks to me like a lot of people have crossed the barrier and done some climbing.. If you climb and fall at least you were warned.


Not sure what the wall is about.








I think it would be really neat to see a train on these tracks/bridge.






Chestnut trail following the contour of the hill.
What’s a trail without a pipeline right away.

This is where I spotted the bald eagle.




First time I ever saw a bridge/path across a creek that looked like that.




I wonder what the “gate” is for??? seems out of place to me.. I don’t think you can hike in Ohio without seeing a cornfield.
Keep that electricity moving..


Short stretch of unpaved bike path. I’m not sure extreme caution is called for.


Time to turn around and head back. Even though the temperature was in the 60’s it was starting to mist a little and I wasn’t prepared for any kind of precipitation. I had about 4 miles to go so I would say I moved at a very brisk pace back to the trailhead.
  The only other person I saw on the trail was a lone biker..
It was a great day for a “Quality time” hike. In the future I’ll make sure to have an “emergency” rain jacket with me. Thanks for stopping by “My Quality Time.” Now, you get out there and do some hiking and enjoy the great outdoors…. (Better than thinking about politics. LOL)

Technorati Tags: Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve,Ohio,Hiking,Biking

A Hike At Seminole State Park Georgia. The Gopher Tortoise Trail….

In Oct. 2016 we had to evacuate Daytona Beach Florida thanks to Hurricane Matthew. Where to go:: Lake Seminole located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida. Thanks to VRBO we found a cottage on the lake and had the opportunity to spend a couple days with excellent weather.
Gopher Tortoise Nature Trail is a 2.2 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Donalsonville, GA that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.

Most times you can walk this trail and not see another person.

“Seminole State Park:: The southwest Georgia park is on beautiful Lake Seminole, a 37,500-acre reservoir with excellent boating, fishing and birding. Cottages, many campsites and even picnic shelters sit near the water’s edge.” (Several people were camped here having evacuated the east coast of Florida because of  Hurricane Matthew.

 

“Wildlife is abundant throughout Seminole, and a nature trail leads past gopher tortoise burrows and one of the largest longleaf pine forests in a Georgia state park. Observant visitors may also see alligators, osprey, bald eagles and other wildlife. Nearby wildlife management areas provide great duck and deer hunting.”





“Gopher tortoises are dry-land turtles that usually live in relatively well-drained, sandy soils generally associated with longleaf pine and dry oak sandhills. They also live in scrub, dry hammock, pine flatwoods, dry prairie, coastal grasslands and dunes, mixed hardwood-pine communities, and a variety of habitats that have been disturbed or altered by man, such as power line rights-of-way, and along roadsides.” READ MORE




Back at the lake cottage after a “Quality time” hike on The Gopher Tortoise Trail at Seminole Lake State Park Georgia.

Technorati Tags: Gopher Tortoise Trail,Seminole Lake State Park,Georgia,Hiking