High-Powered Planet

Puskus Lake Trail

2019-10-07T05:00:00.003-05:00

The Puskus Lake Recreation Area in Holly Springs National Forest near Oxford, Mississippi consists of the namesake lake and the surrounding forest. The recreation area includes a campground, boat launch, a stretch of accessible shoreline, and a hiking trail.

A footbridge on the trail

The hiking trail is supposed to be a 1.7-mile interpretive trail, but nearly all of the interpretive signs are gone, and even the two trailheads are not well marked. The trail shape is somewhat odd, with two separate trailheads and a loop section (see this map - not the west spur doesn't really seem to exist anymore, except for a short 50-foot walk to a bench). There is also a short trail between the campground and day use area, so when this is combined with the 1.7-mile trail and the campground road and day use area road, make for about a 2.5-mile walk.

The trail itself is very easy and mostly flat, though there is one section that goes to one of the trailheads up a hill. Overall, the trail seems to get very little use and little maintenance, but it was not difficult to follow. It passes through forest, with the far western end of the trail along the lake.

Puskus Lake from the campground area

My track of this hike is on AllTrails here.
See a previous visit to Puskus Lake here.

Britton Hill, Florida

2019-09-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Britton Hill, at an elevation of 345 feet, is the highest point in Florida. It is located in the northwestern part of the state in the community of Lakewood, just across the border from Florala, Alabama.

Summit monument

The summit is located in a small park called Lakewood Park. There are some pavilions, restrooms, and a monument marking the high point.

A set of short loop trails 0.45, 0.59, 0.71 miles in length traverse through the forest west of the high point. All three trails start at the same point and eventually diverge before returning the the same point in the park. The trails simply go through the forest, are very easy, and there is not much else to see.

Trail through the forest

The hill itself isn't much higher than the surrounding area. However, to the east past the road the elevation does decline a bit and there is a bit of a view.

View to the east

Batesville Mounds

2019-09-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Batesville Mounds site in on the National Register of Historic Places, located in Batesville, Mississippi, and encompasses sites occupied by people during the early to middle Woodland Period (500 BCE to 500 CE).

Mound C

There were originally seven mounds at the site, but two remain in good condition today, with two others visible but greatly eroded. Mound C is the largest, still standing around 20 feet tall, while there are borrow pits visible by Mound B. There are also two village sites in the vicinity of the mound, but do not have any visible remnants.

The mounds are located in a park that was opened in 2018. The park contains over 1.5 miles of paved and dirt trails, along with fields, forest, and a pond.

Mound B

Lowland forest along the Delta Wilderness Trail

Black Mountain, Kentucky

2019-09-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Black Mountain (elevation 4145 ft) is the highest point in Kentucky. The peak sits very close to the state's eastern boundary with Virginia on private land owned by a coal mining company. Access to the peak requires you to fill out and carry a waiver available here.

The summit of Black Mountain, Kentucky

The summit is accessible from a road that starts along state route 160 right on the Virginia/Kentucky border. This road may not be passable or may be gated at certain times of the year, requiring about a mile walk to the summit. However, if the gate is open, the road is usually in good enough condition to drive a car almost to the summit.

Near the summit the road passes a radar station before reaching a split. The main road continues to the right and is usually gated and off limits to the public, but a side road continues up to the summit. This last section of road was in pretty rough condition and may also be gated, so it is usually best to park and walk the last few hundred feet.

The last section of the road to the summit

The summit is not much more than an area of former forest cleared and now occupied by a bunch of communications towers. There is a register, and even in summer, there hadn't been visitors in several days. There are no trails or views from the summit, and exploring is not allowed given it is private property.

However, back on state route 160 there is a view to the southeast into Virginia, with a mountaintop removal mining operation visible.

The start of the road to the summit from state route 160

View into Virginia from state route 160

Spruce Knob, West Virginia

2019-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Spruce Knob (elevation 4863 ft) is the highest point in West Virginia. Like many of the state high points in the Appalachian Mountains, it is easily accessible via a paved road that goes to its summit.

View from one of the overlooks on the summit trail

On the summit there is a gravel walking path that goes to a few viewpoints and an observation tower. The view from the observation tower really isn't that great, with the best view from the southwestern-most point on the trail.

The entirety of the trail is a very easy walk and passes through the spruce forest that sits at the summit of the mountain. This spruce forest is relatively rare for a forest this far south, hence why it is only found at the mountain's summit.

Panoramic view from the southwestern viewpoint

Observation tower on the summit

Jackson Falls, Natchez Trace Parkway, Tennessee

2019-08-23T13:14:00.002-05:00

Jackson Falls is a small waterfall along the Natchez Trace Parkway in central Tennessee.

Jackson Falls in August

The trail is a short 900-foot long (one-way) paved path that starts at a parking lot along the parkway. The trail descends into a small valley, and the waterfall is at the end of the trail. In mid-August, the waterfall was not much more than a trickle of water.

From the parking area, the trail continues along the bluff, connecting the Duck River overlook to the Baker Bluff overlook, forming about a half mile long trail.

W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park

2019-05-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

The W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park is a small site in northeast Mississippi where anyone can dig, search, and collect 75 million year old fossils. The park is located on Twenty Mile Creek at the intersection of U.S. Route 45 and road 7450 in Baldwyn, Mississippi.

The W.M. Browning Cretacceous Fossil Park and route 45

The stream at this site passes through rock formations that erode into a fossil bed exposing fossils of sharks, mollusks (oysters, scallops), sponges, turtles, crocodiles, mosasaurs, dinosaurs, and other creatures from the Cretaceous period 75 million years ago. This publication has information about many of the commonly found fossils at the park. The shark teeth are the most popular fossils collected from the site while many of the others are easily overlooked.

Collecting at the site is open to the public, requires no permits, and is relatively easy. It is best to go with water shoes (or waders in colder weather), a shovel, and a sifter (see video). Dig around the large concretions in the stream, sift through the debris, and collect the fossils you find.

The best areas for collecting in the park are directly below the parking lot and the highway bridges.

Shark teeth collected at the park

Other fossils collected at the park

There are more photos of this site in this album.

Brice's Cross Roads Battlefield

2019-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Battle of Brice's Cross Roads was a one day long battle of the Civil War in June 1864 near Baldwyn, Mississippi. The battle results in a Confederate victory by General Forrest over a Union army expedition from Memphis under the command of General Sturgis.

The National Park Service unit occupies a small parcel of land at an intersection

Today a small portion of the battlefield area is preserved as Brice's Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, a unit of the National Park Service. Much of the surrounding land that was part of the battle is remains as protected private land that is open to visitors.

There are several stops on a driving tour in the area with interpretive signs. For a complete guide it is recommended to first stop at the interpretive center in Baldwyn. Some of the stops have short paved walking paths, while a run-down unpaved path connects two others.

Panorama of one of the larger sites at the battlefield

There are more photos of the battlefield in this album.

Ingomar Mounds

2019-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Ingomar Mounds are a historic site in northeast Mississippi between Pontotoc and New Albany. There were 13 mound sites excavated at one point, but now only the large central mound remains. Some objects found at the site have been dated to 2200 years ago.

The main mound covered in trees

The site is located in a rural area and predominantly a field with a flat, gravel one mile walking path around the exterior of the property. A mowed grass path cuts across the center between the parking lot, mound, and opposite site of the gravel path. A set of wooden stair climb to the top of the mound, which is now covered in trees and basically an unnoticeable feature on the landscape if you didn't know it was a mound.

There are a set of interpretive signs about the mound at the parking area, as well as several about the natural features of the region along the walking path. The were a few benches and a run-down replica of a dwelling from the time period below the mound, but otherwise there was not much at the site.

The walking path

There are more photos of this site in this album.
See the Ingomar Mounds Trail on AllTrails.

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail

2019-04-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Natchez Trace Trail is a collection of disconnected trails along the Natchez Trace Parkway, a unit of the National Park Service in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

The trail approaching the boardwalk

I hiked part of one section of this trail, the Blackland Prairie section, in Tupelo, Mississippi. This section is about six miles from southern end to northern end, but there are also several additional trail sections that parallel the main trail in some places.

Many parts of the trail are either directly along the parkway, along other roads (or cross other roads and railroads), or near residential or other areas outside of the park. The southern section of this trail on my hike in April was very muddy in many areas and generally poorly signed. You should definitely look at a map of the trail section to know exactly where to go (on the NPS website).

Natchez Trace Trail through grassland

Nearly two miles from the southern end is a Chickasaw village site (accessible from the main parkway). North of this site is a small nature trail section along with a boardwalk through a wetland (on the main trail). It was after this boardwalk that I turned around and hiked back to the southern end.

Boardwalk section

About half of the trail passed through forest, while the other half crossed through or on the edge of grassland.

There are more photos of this trail in this album.

Mississippi Central (Illinois Central) Railroad in Oxford, Mississippi

2019-04-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

As of 2019 the Mississippi Central Railroad tracks stop north the airport in Oxford, Mississippi, though they are not used south of Holly Springs. The railroad formerly continued south to Coffeeville, and many of the remaining parts of the railroad in the Oxford area have been transformed. Below I'll look at what remains of the railroad south of the airport in Oxford.

The Oxford Depot Trail

The Mississippi Central Railroad (at one point Illinois Central Railroad) began operation in the 1850s, and like many railroads in the South, played an important role in the Civil War. Union forces under the command of General Grant followed the railroad south from Holly Springs before occupying Oxford during the Vicksburg Campaign (see also the Civil War Earthworks at Tallahatchie Crossing).

When the airport was expanded in the mid-2000s, the remaining section of rails north of town were disconnected from its former route to the south. Starting along Molly Barr Road (just south of the airport), the railroad has been turned into the Oxford Depot Trail. The trail continues south, crossing Price Road and Washington Avenue at grade and then across Jackson Avenue on a newer pedestrian bridge. There were formerly two rail bridges over Jackson Avenue, and the trail ends when it meets Gertrude Ford Boulevard, just after passing the Illinois Central Depot, which was constructed in 1872.

Illinois Central Depot

Gertrude Ford Boulevard follows the former railroad through the Hilgard Cut, which was dug by hand with the use of local slaves in 1857. The cut was along the eastern end of the University of Mississippi campus and is now crossed by a bridge on University Avenue. The road splits with the former railroad approximately at the entrance to a university parking lot on the west side of the road.

Looking north from the University Avenue bridge over Gertrude Ford Boulevard as it passes through the Hilgard Cut

From here the railroad continued southwest directly along the southeast side of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Past the stadium, the railroad's exact path can no longer be seen due to the more recent construction of Manning Way, the athletics building, and parking lot. However, its path roughly paralleled where Manning Way now is.

The railroad approximately followed to the right of Manning Way in this photo towards the southeast (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at far right and athletics center in the background)

From the southern corner of the athletics building, an unnamed road continues southwest and follows the railroad to the end of the parking lot and track and field facilities that are on each side of the road. After here is perhaps the best preserved section of the railroad in Oxford. There are no tracks remaining, but the railroad continues southwest and there is a fence on both sides of the former railroad (though not blocking the path). This area is heavily overgrown, but it soon reaches a railroad trestle (I estimate 70 ft long, 30 ft high) in a wooded area between the university and Highway 6. Some of the wood on the trestle is pretty well rotted and sketchy to cross.

On top of the trestle

On the other side of the trestle, the railroad crossed Highway 6 at grade before reaching the former Whirlpool factory (now South Campus Recreation Center). The last section of tracks was actually between the eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 6, but they were removed in 2017 when a new barrier was constructed in the middle of the road.

The trestle

Part of the railroad at the recreation center is now a road, but soon becomes the South Campus Rail Trail. This is a 2.5-mile rail trail makes up the remaining section of the railroad in Oxford (to Thacker Mountain Road). Past this point the railroad is in various states (abandoned, part of people's yards, etc), and I won't discuss here.

South Campus Rail Trail

However, along the South Campus Rail Trail, the railroad grade remains in relatively good condition. There are a few of the original stream tunnels under the railroad remaining, but the site of most interest is Buckner's Trestle. The 100-foot long, 50-foot high trestle has been removed, but its site is located near the Faulkner Flats apartment complex and is clearly visible due to the large dip in the trail and a commemorative sign. The trestle was the location of two crashes, one in 1870 that killed 20 people, and another in 1928 that resulted in numerous injuries. A large network of mountain bike trails have been constructed in the area around the South Campus Rail Trail.

The South Campus Rail Trail section of the railroad from the mountain bike trails.

There are more photos of the Mississippi Central Railroad in this album.

© Copyright 2019 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.

South Campus trails in Oxford, Mississippi

2019-04-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

The South Campus trails is a network of mountain biking (and hiking) trails on land owned by the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The trails are accessible from a few places, but are most often accessed from Chucky Mullins Drive near Highway 6. These trails connect at various places to the 2.5-mile South Campus Rail Trail (formerly/also known as the Thacker Mountain Rail Trail and Whirlpool Trail), which was formerly part of the Mississippi Central/Illinois Central Railroad.

The eastern of the two large ponds

There are no published figures about the total length of the trail network, but I think the total easily eclipses 20 miles. The Ole Miss Campus Recreation website has several embedded/linked maps, but none of them are the same or totally accurate. As of this writing, OpenStreetMap (shown below), has all the trails correctly mapped.

View Larger Map
The trails are designed and constructed primarily for mountain bikes (though I've rarely ever seen a bike there) and are largely very circuitous. The goal of the system system seems to be to provide as much trail system mileage as possible in a small area, which is fine for providing recreation opportunities close to town. The vast majority of the trail system traverses small forested hills, but one trail does follow a power line corridor. There are two larger ponds, and one smaller one, as well as several ephemeral streams. Remnants of previous settlements are also encountered along some of the trails, including a gravesite, barn, old roads, and former dam.

For the most part the trails are poorly marked and there's no way to distinguish one trail from another. This is especially problematic because sometimes several trails converge at the same place and there can be unofficial trails connecting the official trails. There are places where trees have blazes to help find your way, but these are typically in one direction and are by no means consistent. And of course this is all made worse by the maps on the Ole Miss website that are inconsistent with each other and wrong. Using these trails takes either as sense of adventure or prior knowledge gained from using the trails.

Footbridge on one of the trails

On of the trails in the northwestern section

There are more photos of these trails in this album of mine.

© Copyright 2019 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.

Eagle Rock Loop

2019-04-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Eagle Rock Loop is a 26.8-mile backpacking route through the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas (see the official U.S. Forest Service info here). This is perhaps the most popular backpacking route, and one of the best backpacking routes, in the region. That said, it is not usually crowded and you should have no trouble finding solitude on it.

Little Missouri River at Winding Stairs. This is between the lower two river crossings.

Much of the route follows what were once postal wagon routes, with three primary sections: the Little Missouri Trail, the Athens-Big Fork Trail, and the Viles Branch Trail. Overall there is 4005 feet of elevation gain with seven mountain crossings, one on the Little Missouri Trail and the other six on the Athens-Big Fork Trail.

There are numerous water crossings, and depending on the season and weather, they vary in difficulty. The four major crossings of the Little Missouri River are of most concern. It is not recommended to attempt the major river crossings unless the USGS river gauge on the Little Missouri River downstream in Langley is below 4.0 feet (see this website). The morning I started hiking the gauge was a 5.5 feet, having rained the day before. There was no rain in the forecast for the next few days, so I started hiking at the Winding Stairs Trailhead and went counterclockwise, placing the two furthest downstream crossings in the last few miles of the hike. I would certainly recommend taking water shoes, especially when the water is high and cold. I know some people just do the crossings in their hiking shoes, but why get your feet soaked for days?

Little Missouri River along the trail on the first day

All of the major crossings were certainly passable for an experienced hiker, but the first one I encountered (third upstream) was certainly difficult due to high, swift water and large, slippery boulders. The next crossing wasn't as difficult, and there are not any additional water crossings until almost to the Athens-Big Fork Trail where there are two more crossings of the Little Missouri River, which at this point is not much more than a small stream.

View above the Albert Pike Recreation Area with the Little Missouri River below. This was the first mountain hiked on the first day.

I began hiking at the Winding Stairs Trailhead around 12:30 pm on a March afternoon and reached the junction of the Athens-Big Fork and Little Missouri trails around 5:30 that day. After about 12.5 miles of hiking the first day I camped along the stream for the night. The next morning I began hiking around 8:00 am. The trail immediately began climbing the first mountain of the day, reaching the pass below Hurricane Knob after around a half mile.

Little Missouri Falls, passed on the first day

I spent the rest of the morning hiking the Athens-Big Fork Trail, climbing up and down the six mountains. There were only two stream crossings that required getting my feet wet: Long Creek and Blaylock Creek. From the Blaylock Creek crossing it was 1.1 miles and over 700 feet of elevation gain up Brush Heap Mountain, which was the biggest and steepest climb on the trail (at least counterclockwise). None of the mountains are particularly difficult.

View from one of the mountains on the second day

From Blaylock Mountain it was down the next valley, across Saline Creek, and up the final mountain to Eagle Rock Vista where I stopped for lunch. It is only about a half mile from Eagle Rock Vista to the Viles Branch Trail in the valley below. It is a relatively flat and easy 3.5 miles on the Viles Branch Trail to the Little Missouri River. There are numerous water crossings on the Viles Branch Trail, but I was able to do all but the furthest downstream (right before reaching the river) without getting my feet wet.

View from Eagle Rock Vista

Viles Branch and trail

On the Little Missouri River I found the furthest downstream crossing to be easier than the next upstream because the river there was wider and shallower, so I only got wet up to my knees. But on the next crossing, which is about one mile up the trail, the water was up to my waist at the deepest point. Between the two crossings is Winding Stairs along the Little Missouri River.

Athens-Big Fork Trail

From the last crossing it was only about a mile and half to the trailhead, but required one more hill climb of a couple hundred feet in elevation gain and one final wet crossing, of Blaylock Creek, just before reaching the trailhead. I returned to the trailhead around 2:30 pm on the second day. The weather was great the entire time and the scenery was great for the region as well. I didn't see much wildlife, and bears are rarely encountered in the area. I think most people do the hike in three days, although trips of two and four days are common.

There are more photos of this trip in this album.

I did not record this hike, but there are a lot of other recordings and photos on AllTrails.

Athens-Big Fork Trail

Trace State Park

2019-04-02T19:44:00.001-05:00

Trace State Park is located in northeast Mississippi between Pontotoc and Tupelo. The main feature of the park is a lake, which is as of spring 2019 mostly drained because the dam has been collapsing. It is unclear when or if it will be repaired. The main lake (Old Natchez Trace Lake) still contains some water, but is mostly inaccessible, but a smaller upper lake remains full.

The upper lake near the park entrance

The park has an extensive network of trails, a good portion of which are heavily used by ATVs and horses. However, there are three trails developed for mountain bikes that are also open to hiking (and ATVs and horses are prohibited). The Moroney Trail is a 6.5-mile loop, the Nester Trail is a 4.5-mile loop, and Baker's Trail is a 3.0-mile loop.

There are three entrances to Baker's Trail, two nondescript trailheads along the park road and one in the campground. Unless you're staying the campground you need to park along the road to hike this trail. About half of this trail traverses some small hills and upland areas, while the other half is flat and goes through forest along what would be the lakeshore, but is currently dry land undergoing ecological succession.

Map of the three mountain bike/hiking trails

The Nester Trail starts at the park entrance and has a proper parking area. The trail is meant to be hiked/biked counterclockwise and much of the first half follows the road along the park boundary fairly closely. There is not much to see from this trail until you reach the southern end, where (if the gate is open) you can walk out onto the dam for the lower lake (although there were a couple of small ponds in the forest along the way). Some of the return trip passes closer to the lake (or what would be the lake).

Nester Trail

I didn't hike the Moroney Trail, but neither of the trails I did hike are particularly interesting, and like most mountain bike trails in the region, the are fairly circuitous. Both are mostly forest with a few small hills and a couple places where you can see the lake.

Dry lake along Baker's Trail

Baker's Trail

There are more photos of this trip in this album.

My recordings of the hikes are on AllTrails:
Baker Trail
Nester Trail

© Copyright 2007–2019 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.

Lost Bluff Trail at Grenada Lake

2019-02-25T08:27:00.001-06:00

The Lost Bluff Trail at Grenada Lake near Grenada, Mississippi is perhaps one of the best hiking trails in Mississippi. What sets this trail apart from others in the state is that it covers a range of terrain, has a couple views, passes a historic site, and is actually maintained.

The view from the overlook above the old channel of the Yalobusha River. The Old River Nature Trail is visible across the river.

It is a 2.2-mile loop trail that overall gains 340 of elevation. The trail begins in an upland area along state highway 333 just south of Grenada Dam. The trail is signed to be walked counterclockwise, so the trail begins by following the side of a hilltop (with a steep valley to the other side) before arriving at the Confederate Redoubt.

The Confederate Redoubt

This site is one of several historic sites from the Civil War in the Grenada area, but one of the few that is open and accessible to the public and on the National Register of Historic Places. A trail crosses the top of the ruins and connects with the other side of the Lost Bluff Trail, which makes for a much shorter loop (and without much elevation change). There is also a restored Confederate fort just down the road from the trailhead with a short trail to it.

Typical upland section of the trail

From the ruins, the trail begins its first of three steep descents into a small valley. These descents have wooden steps going down and back up the other side. The trail never spends very much distance in each of these valleys, but rather follows small ridgelines between them. But after coming back up the hill from the first valley, there is spur in the trail (out and back) to an overlook, which provides a view of the dam's emergency spillway.

View of the emergency spillway from the overlook

After returning to the intersection with the spur trail, the main trail continues down into the second valley and then immediately ascends up the next hill. The trail continues for a quarter mile along a ridge before making the final descent, this time to a smaller overlook above the old channel of the Yalobusha River. From here you can see the Old River Nature Trail across the river.

One of the trail's footbridges

The trail then turns up the valley for a short distance before making the final steep ascent up a hill. From there it is a relatively easy 0.7-mile hike back to the trailhead. Much of this last section of the trail follows a very old road and has only very mild elevation changes.

One of the several staircases on the trail

My AllTrails track of this hike is here.

© Copyright 2007–2019 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.

Little Mountain Trail in Hugh White State Park

2019-02-19T19:06:00.000-06:00

Hugh White State Park consists of a few separate sections around Grenada Lake in Mississippi. The park has a single hiking trail, the Little Mountain Nature Trail, located in the park section on the south side of the lake.

The trailhead - the trail goes to the left of the sign

This is supposed to be about a 0.6-mile loop trail that ascends about 150 feet to the top of Little Mountain. This is not much more than a small hill, but it is considerably higher than all of the surrounding land, and in the winter you are able to see through the trees out to the lake.

Calling the Little Mountain Nature Trail a :trail" is a bit of a stretch. It clearly has not been maintained in many years, it gets very little use, and it is impossible to follow much of the trail. There is a sign at the trailhead, a few wood posts at various places along the trail, one sign with an arrow on it, and a bench. There are two locations were you can kind of see where the trail was, right after leaving the trailhead, and just before reaching the top of the hill. Other than that there is no indication where the trail actually is.

View from the summit

The hike basically starts by going straight up the hill from the tralihead, but circles around below the summit towards the opposite side of the hill before going to the summit itself. From there it is straight back down to the trailhead. It was a fairly easy bushwack, but could be considerably nicer if were actually maintained.

The section of the trail near the summit where you can actually barely see where the trail should be, along with one of the wood posts at left

My AllTrails track of this hike is here.

© Copyright 2007–2019 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.

Lee Tartt Nature Preserve in Grenada, Mississippi

2019-02-11T21:32:00.002-06:00

Lee Tartt Nature Preserve is a 300-acre protected area in Grenada, Mississippi. It is located along the Yalobusha River along Main Street just north of downtown.

Boardwalk observation platform along the South Trail

The preserve protects Chakchiuma Swamp and surrounding lands and seems to be undergoing some (slow) development. There are two trails: the North Trail, which was about a half mile, and the South Trail, which was about a mile and a half. Both were in poor condition and seemed incomplete.

The South Trail had signs indicating three loops (woodland, meadow, and swamp), but there only seemed to be a meadow loop, with the other two just being out and back trails. All of the South Trail sections were on dirt roads, with many portions very wet. The North Trail was more of a proper hiking trail, but it was extremely difficult to follow and seemed to just end, but perhaps it is supposed to become a loop trail. There isn't any real area to park close to the North Trail, apart from the side of the road, whereas the South Trail has more available parking and is closer to town.

Chakchiuma Swamp along the South Trail

At the time of my visit there was essentially no information online and no maps of the preserve (either online or at the preserve). The Friends of Chakchiuma Swamp website is very much incomplete, but check back and maybe it will be updated. I think this could be a really nice small nature preserve it is better developed and cared for.

My tracks of these hikes are on AllTrails: North Trail, South Trail

The North Trail just inside the forest from the trailhead

Old River Nature Trail at Grenada Lake

2019-02-05T20:05:00.000-06:00

The Old River Nature Trail is a 0.6-mile loop nature trail along the old channel of the Yalobusha River near Grenada, Mississippi. The trail is located below Grenada Dam, and is one of seven Grenada area trails, though the condition of those trails varies immensely and access to some may be closed.

This is a flat trail made of crushed stone with two short metal footbridges across a pond.

Some of the trees along the trail are labelled with what species they are, but there is not much else to the trail. The area is a very popular fishing area, both along the shoreline and with boats in the water.

Sign about the trail at the trailhead

Big Hill Pond State Park

2019-01-19T10:17:00.000-06:00

In January 2019 I went for a hike in Big Hill Pond State Park, located in southwestern Tennessee just north of the Mississippi border. The park has nearly 30 miles of hiking trails, 14 miles of which are also open to horses and mountain bikes, as well as a reservoir (Travis McNatt Lake), campground, backcountry campsites, observation tower, and historic sites. (park map)

Boat launch at Travis McNatt Lake

My hike totaled 8.4 miles over nearly 3 hours with a total of 682 feet of elevation gain and began at the boat launch on Travis McNatt Lake. I began by hiking counterclockwise around the lake on the Dry Ridge Trail, which passes around the northern and western side of the lake. From the boat launch the trail closely follows the lakeshore for 0.65 mi before crossing the stream and wetlands at the north side of the lake.

From there the Dry Ridge Trail makes a short climb above the lake and goes up and down three small hills and valleys over 1.35 mi. Over this section of the trail there were some muddy sections in the valleys while crossing side streams, but the trail was otherwise fairly nice. I then reached a split in the trail and followed a trail along a ridge to the northwest for 0.4 mi to connect with the horse trail, which I continued on for another 0.4 mi and then another trail for 0.25 mi to the park's lookout tower.

Lookout tower

The 70-foot tall lookout tower provides views around the park including to Travis McNatt Lake, across the swamp, hills, and surrounding forest. From the lookout tower, I followed the Turkey Call Trial through a somewhat rocky landscape (for the region) as it descended to the dismal swamp. A 0.5-mi boardwalk crosses the swamp, which is downstream of the dam. The boardwalk, lookout tower, and trail across the dam seem to be the most used area of the park, at least for hiking.

Boardwalk through the swamp

At the southwest end of the boardwalk I turned right (and southeast) on the less-used Azaela Spring Loop Trail. This trail followed the edge of the swamp for about a half mile before turning slightly uphill and following the Norfolk Southern Railway and reaching and intersection with a dirt road (all totaling 0.8 mi). This section of the railway was formerly the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and excavation during the construction of the railroad created the park's namesake Big Hill Pond, which is on the southern side of the park (though a trail does go to it).

Norfolk Southern Railway in the park. The Azaela Spring Loop follows the railroad on the right side of the photo.

A 12-acre section of the park on the northeast corner of the intersection where the Azaela Spring Loop, railroad, and an unpaved road meet is part of the Big Hill Pond Fortification. This area is on the National Register of Historic Places as it was the location of fortifications built by the Union Army in the fall of 1862 to defend the railroad following the Battle of Davis Bridge. Today the most noticeable thing that remains are some earthworks on top of the hill along the railroad.

Big Hill Pond Fortification. The defenses were located on this hill

From the fortification site, I continued east along the railroad for a quarter mile before turning northward and uphill on the Azaela Spring Loop. This trail continued winding through the upland forest for just over a mile before reaching the park road, where it connects with the Big Hill Pond Trail. From this point it is about a mile hike south on the Big Hill Pond Trail to reach Big Hill Pond, but I did not go in that direction. Rather, I continued north for 1.2 miles on the Big Hill Pond Trail (it's a loop).

Big Hill Pond Trail in the upland forest

This section of the Big Hill Pond Trail, like so many other trails in the park, traverses upland forest and connects with other trails. At the northern end of the Big Hill Pond Trail I turned northeast onto a trail that took me down to Travis McNatt Lake, across a footbridge, and back to the boat launch.

Footbridge across Travis McNatt Lake

There were only a few other people on the trails that day, but this park is definitely one of the best places to hike in the Mid South.

Travis McNatt Lake from the footbridge

Davis Bridge Battlefield

2019-01-13T08:31:00.002-06:00

Davis Bridge Battlefield (also known as the Battle of Hatchie's Bridge) is a historic site in southwestern Tennessee that was the site of a Civil War battle on October 5, 1862.

Location of monuments and graves in the battlefield

Today there are two areas of the battlefield open to the public. The first is an observation area along Pocahontas Road on Metamora Hill that served a the Union line. There is a parking area and and some interpretive signs on the hill.

The second site is directly west of and down the hill from the previous site along Essary Springs Road and part of Shiloh National Military Park. This area has a parking area, a gate blocking the old road (which is now a trail) and a sign at the entrance.

View from Metamora Hill

The trail is about one-third of a mile (one way) to the end of the trail (plus one-third of a mile back), with basically no change in elevation. The trail follows was used to be the road through the forest to the site of the bridge across the Hatchie River. There is one interpretive sign near the start of the trail and another along the river. Between them is an open area with Union and Confederate monuments and graves.

The Hatchie River at the end of the trail and at the site of the bridge

Baker's Pond Trail in Holly Springs National Forest

2019-01-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

Baker's Pond, located in Holly Springs National Forest in northern Mississippi, is a spring-fed pond that is the source of the Wolf River. There is (as of January 2019) a ~0.5 mile (one-way) trail that gains about 150 feet of elevation (round trip) to the lake.

Baker's Pond from the hill to it's south

The trail starts at a trailhead not far off the south side of U.S. Highway 72. Accessing the trailhead requires driving down a well-maintained dirt road that is passable in any vehicle. There is small parking area at the trailhead, as well as a sign mentioning the importance of restoring the forest.

The trail was originally about a 2.5 mile loop that appears to have followed the road at some point according to this U.S. Forest Service map. However, in December 2015 an EF-4 tornado passed through the area just south of the pond and completely destroyed all of the forest in its path. Since that time the trail has been an out-and-back trail that ends on the south side of Baker's Pond.

The trailhead

The trail itself is an easy walk that begins by gently descending a small hill from the trailhead to the north side of the pond. Near the pond, the trail turns uphill and goes along the small hill on the west side of the pond and you must find your way around a few trees before descending back towards the south end of the pond. From this point any part of what was formerly the trail is not only impassible, but also unfindable as the ground is entirely covered in downed trees.

Tornado damage at the end of the trail

I have no idea if someday the trail will be rebuilt or a new trail will be constructed. Additionally, the trail itself never actually goes to the pond shore, and much of the pond is surrounded by fairly dense vegetation. The trail is open and accessible year-round, and there is no access fee.

See my recording on AllTrails here.
I have more photos of Baker's Pond and Holly Springs National Forest in this album on Google Photos.

The trail passes near the north side of the pond before heading uphill off to the right of the photo

Civil War Earthworks at Tallahatchie Crossing

2018-11-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Along Mississippi Highway 7 between Holly Springs and Oxford are the Civil War Earthworks at Tallahatchie Crossing. This site was the location parapets for Union cannons in late 1862 as General Grant moved along the Mississippi Central Railroad from their supply base in Holly Springs towards Oxford, and ultimately Vicksburg.

The mounds are all that remain at the site

This is a mostly unknown site with no signs or markers to help you find it. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and sits on federal public land surrounding Sardis Lake.

When you turn from Mississippi Highway 7 just north of the Little Tallahatchie River onto Old Oxford Road in Marshall County you will shortly pass through a farm field (cotton in 2018). Park along this road, and continue south along the field's eastern side. As you round the southern side of the field, the historic site will be just through the trees along the field's edge.

View of the mounds from their north side

All that remains are several mounds, covered in trees and other vegetation and fairly easy to distinguish from the surrounding flat land. It requires a little bit of bushwacking and searching around, but is an interesting little site in Mississippi.

See more of my photos here and for more information see the nomination form used to list the site on the NRHP.

The site is located behind the large trees left of center

The mounds are overgrown with trees

Rocky Ridge Horse Trail at Enid Lake 2018

2018-10-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

I previously hiked the Rocky Ridge Horse Trail on the north side of Enid Lake, Mississippi in March 2017. The trail was in poor shape then, and this time (October 2018) it was in even worse condition.

The trail along Enid Lake near the Plum Point trailhead

There is a section in the middle of the trail where it passes a small pond where the dam around the culvert has almost completely washed out. That section is completely impassible for horses, and only careful hikers can traverse around. I wouldn't be surprised if it soon was impassible on foot. Not helping that was a group of large downed trees uphill (on the west side) of that pond that also make the trail impassible for horses.

As I mention in the video above and in my previous post, signs designating the trail can be difficult to find, if they exist. Numerous spurs go in many directions from the trail, and it seems much of the western part of the trail is used predominantly by ATVs.

The trail through the forest

I didn't hike all of the eastern section of the trail (I just hiked from the pond towards Midway road and down towards the lake), but it did seem to in somewhat better condition (as it too is used by some recreational vehicles), though also poorly marked.

I ended up walking along the lake shore back to the trailhead. This required some crossing some muddy sections and a couple streams and is only passable when the water is low, as it typically is in fall.

See more of my photos here.

Enid Lake

Blendon Woods Metro Park

2018-10-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Blendon Woods Metro Park is a 118-acre park on the northeastern side of the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. The park is mostly forested, along with some grassy areas, a disc golf course, playground, picnic areas, small lake, and other areas.

Footbridge on one of the trails in Blendon Woods Metro Park

There are several short, interconnected hiking trails, and I made a nearly 2-mile loop on a fall afternoon. I started on the northwestern side of the park and walked the Overlook, Ripple Rock, and Brookside trails. All of these trails were in very good condition, see a good bit of use, were fairly wide, and were easy to hike.

The Brookside Trail

Brookside Trail

Milliken State Park

2018-10-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Milliken State Park is a park along the Detroit River in the area of downtown Detroit, Michigan. The park has walking paths and a small harbor, including part of the Detroit Riverwalk.

The riverwalk in Milliken State Park

The park has great views of downtown, the river, and Windsor, Ontario. There are also some wetlands, fields, and a small lighthouse in the park.

Paved path through the park

Walking path looking to downtown

The park is the green space past the end of the parking lot along the river in this photo (taken from the Marriott at the Renaissance Center)