Biking the Four Seasons Adventure Trail n/o Corinna

My son and I decided to mountain bike the Four Seasons Adventure Trail north of Corinna this afternoon, forgetting that it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon during Memorial Day weekend.  The trail was packed with ATV riders and, although they were courteous, the dust kicked up by the constant flow of ATVs made us change plans.  We exited the trail at Lincoln Mills Road and took Route 7 back to the car.  It was an enjoyable 6 2/3 mile ride nonetheless.  

Mount Phillip (Rome, Maine)

Mount Phillip is a 207 acre land trust administered by the 7 Lake Alliance land trust.   The preserve includes a 1.4 mile loop trail leading to the summit.

Friends and I hiked the trail this morning.  The trail is very well marked and maintained.   It starts off gradual before a short steep climb to the summit.   Two vantage points at the summit provide views to the south and west.  

This was a great easy to moderate one hour hike.

Martin Ponds (Baxter State Park)

Martin Ponds in the southeast part of Baxter State Park can be reached by a 2.3 mile relatively easy undulating hike.   I did the hike this week after work one night, arriving at the pond shortly before sunset.  I had hoped (as I do every time I visit Baxter) to see a moose but didn't, although I did see a significant amount of moose scat on the trail itself.   It was a beautiful night for a hike, with Katahdin clearly visible across the pond.  

Blueberry Hill (Winterport)

My son and I decided to explore Blueberry Hill, a town owned property in Winterport.  The park, located at the end of Blueberry Hill Road, has two picnic tables, a small parking lot and a one mile trail around the perimeter of a large blueberry Field. They were also several beehives located on the property. We started hiking but quickly found ourselves covered with ticks so we cut the hike short.  This would probably be a fun place to snowshoe in the winter when ticks are not an issue.

Caribou Bog, Bangor City Forest and the Veazie Railbed

We rode 10 miles today at Caribou Bog, the Bangor City Forest and the Veazie Railbed.   

Indiana Trip Part Two

See Part One for the reason behind this trip.   I did more sightseeing and less hiking on the way home.

Day Six - May 9th

Fort Harrison State Park, Indianapolis

I began the long drive back to Maine today, stopping in Indianapolis to explore before heading east.

The 1,700-acre Fort Harrison State Park is a former military training facility that features miles of trails.  Despite being in Indianapolis it felt safe, peaceful and secluded.  

During my hike, I observed large numbers of songbirds including blue jays, scarlet tanagers, and orioles.   

Day Seven - May 10th

Cleveland Metro Parks 

I had planned on revisiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park today but instead did three short hikes in Cleveland Metro Parks nearby.

My first stop was the Worden's Ledges Trail in Hinkley Township.  This short trail features sandstone cliffs with carvings made by a previous owner in the 1940's (for more information see this article).  

The next stop was Bridal Veil Falls, where a short 4/10 mile round trip trail lead to a scenic little fall and gorge.

While at Bridal Veil Falls, another hiker suggested visiting Tinkers Falls in nearby Viaduct Park.   This short 7/10 mile round trip trail leads to a beautiful waterfall dropping 15 feet off a sandstone cliff.  Part of the hike also involves an optional hunched over trip through a large pipe.   

Day Nine - May 12th

Dingman Falls, Delaware Water Gap NRA

On my way through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, i stopped and hiked the Dingman Falls trail, a beautiful wheelchair accessible trail leading to two waterfalls.  

I stopped a number of other places along the way (Flight 93 National Memorial, St. Gaudens National Historical Park, National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Hershey Chocolatetown, etc.) knowing that it is unlikely I will find myself traveling this way again.  

 

  

Indiana Trip Part One

My purpose behind this blog is two-fold - highlight outdoor areas in Maine and surrounding states and document my weekly outdoor adventures.  I've struggled with what to do when I travel further afield, since I want to continue documenting my outdoor activity even if it's not related to Maine.   I think a good compromise is to summarize such trips in one or at most two blog posts.

I traveled to Indiana to help my kid get set up for their summer internship.  This post summarizes the first five days of my trip.

Day One May 4th

Appalachian Trail North of Rt 9, Woodford, Vermont

After driving five hours in the rain, I lucked out when the rain stopped just as I was approaching the AT in Vermont.  I took advantage of the brief rain break to get a quick mile hike and stretch my legs before continuing on to Rochester.  This was a short scenic woodland hike up some switchbacks before returning the way I came.   Here is a map of my hike.  (The rain started again as soon as I returned to the car.)

Day Two May 5th

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Today we visited Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  The 32,572 acre park is managed by the National Park Service but contains county parks and private and public businesses within it's boundaries.  The park was created in 1974 as a National Recreation Area and became a National Park in 2000.  

The park lies between densely populated Cleveland and Akron Ohio and gets heavy local use.  The park is an example of how concerted environmental efforts can pay off.  The Cuyahoga River was heavily polluted in the 1950s and 60s and actually caught fire in 1952 and 1969.  Parts of the what is now the park were declared superfund sites by the EPA.   But thanks to strong local efforts backed by federal protection, the park has become a symbol of environmental renewal.

Today we rode bikes on the towpath of the Ohio & Erie Canal through the south section of the park.  The towpath is relatively flat and easy to ride on, and provides a corridor through the park's center.   Old canal locks are still present with interpretive signs.  The canal itself is empty and overgrown in parts but the watered sections were teeming with turtles and other wildlife, including a huge snapping turtle.  Century Cycles in Peninsula Ohio rents bikes adjacent to the towpath at an affordable price.  

Here is a map of our ride.

Day Three May 6th 

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Ohio

2,000 years ago a mysterious culture built large earthen work mounds throughout the eastern United States.  A small section of these lands are preserved within the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, around an hour south of Columbus Ohio.  

We visited the park this morning and learned a great deal about the history of the park, both archaeologically and its  more recent history.  Unfortunately most of the mounds were destroyed in the 19th and early 20th century as a result of farming and other land uses.  Most of the mounds that do exist in the park were restored.

We visited two of the six sections of Park, touring the Mound City Group visitor center (which houses a cool museum and very interesting film about the park) and doing a short one mile walk at the Hopewell Mound Group site.  

Here is a map of our visit. 

Day 4 May 7th

B-Line Trail, Bloomington, Indiana and Hardin Ridge Recreation Area, Hoosier National Forest

After arriving in Bloomington, we set off exploring.  Our first stop was cycling the B-Line Trail through the center of town.  This is a beautiful trail running adjacent shops and recreational areas.  Here is a map of our ride.

Our next stop was the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area in the Hoosier National Forest east of town.  This is a large camping area with a beach and some hiking trails.   We hiked a 1.5 mile loop through the woods, down to the beach and back up the park's road.  Along the way we observed a killdeer faking a wing injury (presumably to lead us away from its nest but we didn't see a nest), a beautiful scarlet tanager, and a fox.  Here is a map of our hike.

Day 5 May 8

Multiple hikes around Bloomington Indiana.

We started our day with a two mile hike at Cataract Falls State Recreation Area.   A trail connects the upper and lower falls, although it's also possible to drive to both.  The upper falls are the highest falls in Indiana.  Here is a map of our hike.  

We next went to McCormick's Creek State Park, where we did a short 3/10 mile walk to a waterfall followed by a 1.75 mile hike to Wolf Cave.   The first 60 yards into the cave can be accessed, but today I only went in around 20 feet before encountering water.  It was an interesting experience nonetheless.  Here is a map of our two hikes at the park.

After lunch I did a solo trip to the Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower, a 100 foot tower open to the public.  The views from the top were amazing, with 360 degree visibility for miles.  From the same parking lot I hiked the Terrell Ridge Trail through a hardwood forest, during which I was treated to two barred owls calling to each other.  

After dinner we explored Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve (a Sycamore Land Trust property) and the Restle Unit of the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.  The Restle Unit is a 78 acre satellite unit with a short boardwalk and observation platform overlooking wetlands.  

The Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve has a 2.5 mile trail system, however approximately 1/4 mile from the start the trail was flooded.