This is one of my favorite Nature Preserves in Paradise Township the Pocono Mountains. I’ve been here several times and keep coming back to see the changes throughout the seasons. There’s always something new to experience along this very short hike of about 3 miles. Today’s weather was cloudy and a little on the chilly side. The sun popped in and out of the clouds throughout the morning. It cast beautiful light across the moss covered rocks along the cascading Cranberry Creek. Soon the trails here will be covered with bright red-orange Red Efts (a second stage eastern newt). It was a lovely morning and a nice way to start the day.
We spent 4th of July morning hiking the loop around Paradise Price Preserve. We were last here in March when the ground was just starting to thaw out from the long, cold winter. Now the forest was full of life; butterflies, toads, wildflowers, etc. We walked along the trail dodging the red efts that were scattered about the mud and rock debris. I saw a unique wildflower, Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant or Indian pipe that could easily be mistaken for some type of mushroom. There were many other notable mushrooms along the path, but I’m still not up to par on my east coast flora. When we reached the first creek crossing, we discovered a new bridge that had been added. In fact, there were two new bridges built since the last time we hiked here making it easier then boulder hopping over the creek. This preserve is very well loved. Next, we came upon the use trail and followed it to the edge of Targa Falls where we stopped for a moment to take in the scenery. We could have continued further, but the day was warming up and we had other obligations. We cut the hike short by following a more direct route back to the trailhead making it about 5.5 miles. It was a nice morning to get outside and enjoy some nature before continuing with our plans for the day.
Today we explored the Chestnut Mountain Nature Preserve in Barrett Township. This area was going to be developed and town homes built on the land, but plans failed and the new owner timbered the forest. Buck Hill Conservation Foundation acquired the land and opened the preserve to the public in 2012. This was an interesting hike exploring a forest in recovery. We hiked along rugged logging roads and challenging terrain rutted with deep holes hidden beneath leaves and between large rocks where trees that once stood were pulled up from their roots. Much of the trail is undefined, but there are helpful blue and red markers to guide you along the way. We began the hike from a small parking area just off the 191. The morning was chilly; only 27 degrees. There was a layer of thin ice on top of the frozen leaves that covered the logging road which begins the hike. Right away I noticed the sparseness of the forest. Along the trail we spotted a beech tree that had bear claw marks in its bark. The logging road dipped slightly downhill and after about a mile made its way up a magical, mossy green carpet to an overlook. The area here was flat, wide and scattered with trees, stumps and boulders. From this vantage point I could see Mt. Wismer and High Knob. We explored the area despite the wind which made it feel even colder than it was for a spring morning. We then continued along the trail and made a descent onto a path much less defined. We followed the helpful blue markers until we reached a junction for the red trail. Here, we checked our map and decided to follow it since it would add some extra mileage to our day. We passed by even more boulders of various shapes and sizes. I saw a fallen log covered in velvety bluish-gray mushrooms. I haven’t studied up on mushroom identification yet, so I guess I’ll need to do that now since Pennsylvania sure has a lot of them. Soon, the trail began to traverse uphill where we crossed over a small stream flowing down from the mountain. The vegetation here was thick and overgrown. We bushwhacked our way through and the terrain became even more challenging with rocks and deep ruts hidden by leaf debris. We crossed over large, fallen trees being careful of each step. I noticed piles of chipped wood scattered around tree roots. As I looked up, I could see large, deep holes pecked into the tree’s trunk; the work of persistent woodpeckers. I also took note of some sapling hemlock trees peeking out from under the leaves; a promise that one day this would again be a healthy forest. Eventually, the trail made its way back to another logging road which was much easier to walk on. The day was warming up and with the workout we were getting, I was starting to work up a sweat. I took a moment to set down my pack and remove a layer, and as I glanced at the trail up ahead I saw a huge black bear! The big bear was sauntering across the trail and appeared to be foraging for food. We watched for a moment before my husband blew the safety whistle to make the bear aware of our presence. The bear then took off into the woods. We waited a moment to give the bear some leeway before continuing up the trail. It was a very exciting moment and my first time seeing a bear in Pennsylvania. The trail continued to make its way uphill and finally back to the trailhead. It was a wonderful day and an interesting trail full of fun challenges, surprises and promise.
I’m finding some really great nature preserves here in the Keystone state. This past Saturday we ventured off to explore the Nothstein Preserve located in Paradise Township in Monroe County. The hike took us through a variety of different terrain, along the ravine of Cranberry Creek and up to a red rock quarry with views extending from east to west across the ridge to the surrounding preserves. We started at the trailhead off Cranberry Creek Road and headed north on a wide path in a counter clockwise direction. The forest was mostly hardwood dappled with tall hemlock trees. Immediately my ears were filled with the pleasant harmony of morning birdsong. We passed by marshes, bogs and small tributaries until we reached a primitive bridge crossing over the pristine waters of Cranberry Creek. We took a moment to branch off and explore its banks and the surrounding feeder creeks before continuing on a single track where we began to ascend gently upward. The trail reached an intersection where we turned northwest. I spotted some train tracks above us running parallel to our path. We made several primitive creek crossings over the crystal clear waters flowing down the mountain and over thick, bright green moss. Now the trail began to descend southwest. The forest became dense with hemlock, and I could hear the sound of rushing water flowing just beyond the trees. The path opened up to reveal another bridge crossing over the fast moving Cranberry Creek. Lined with rhododendron just beyond the bridge, the terrain became a snow covered single track leading us upward above the ravine. We made our way up the trail being careful on the icy patches of snow until reaching a vista of the beautiful cascading waters below. I made sure to get some photos from above, but I wanted to take a closer look. We then backtracked and made our way to a section of trail following along the edge creek where we could enjoy a closer perspective of the sights and sounds of the waterfalls and tumbling cascades. Eventually, we backtracked crossing over the bridge once again and up through the hard packed snow back to the top of the ravine. Soon, the trail began to move away from the creek and the forest became even more dense with tall stands of hemlock and oak. We crossed over more small tributaries being careful not to slip on the moss covered rocks. I’m not sure if it was the tall stands of pine or the way the sunlight was shining through, but this section of trail reminded me a little bit of my beloved Angeles National Forest. It was another lovely section of trail. The path widened again and took us under a canopy of pine. The trail became a bed of soft pine needles beneath our feet. As we travelled up the slope we were led to an old stone red rock quarry. Two large ravens suddenly emerged from the trees and soared across the blue sky above. Again, I felt at home as I was reminded of my life in California where there were always ravens to accompany me along my hikes in the higher elevations. As we traversed along the edge of the quarry, we were treated with sweeping views across the gorge and the ridge beyond. I was awe struck at how a place so beautiful can be so close to civilization. We spent some time exploring around the quarry before moving on, back into the hardwoods and finally looping back down to the woodland path on which we started. It was an absolutely amazing day and a beautiful preserve full of wild, natural beauty to explore and admire.
Today our adventure took place at the Dick and Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain. Pennsylvania has some very beautiful preserves, and I was super excited to see this one. I’d been waiting for the right day to visit and today was the day! The sun was shining, the skies were blue and while the temperatures were still below freezing, the winds were fairly low. The Eales Preserve is noted as being one of the best places in the northeastern United States to experience a ridge-top heath barrens. What is a ridge-top heath barrens you ask? I didn’t know either. A heath barrens is a dwarf shrubland or shrub-savanna which can also have stunted trees such as pine and oak. Barrens are great habitats for a wide array of birds, butterflies, moths and other wildlife. The rare sallow moth and barrens buckmoth have been observed at this particular preserve. The Eales preserve was once slated to become a business park. Thankfully, this did not happen and the land is now protected by the Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit. As we arrived at the trailhead, I immediately noticed the expansiveness of this place. I also saw two ravens playing on the wind and calling back and forth to each other. I knew this was going to be a great hike. We grabbed our packs and cameras and headed out onto the Blueberry Trail. Right at the start of the trail I was immediately awe struck by the beautiful white birch trees and the incredible, stunted pitch pines. I followed along the narrow broken path making my way carefully through the ice, hard packed snow and large post-holes where others had walked. Along the trail there were also patches of exposed rock slab where the snow had completely melted. The varying terrain made it a challenge to walk. Snowshoes would not have worked here, so we used microspikes for added traction. The trail gently gained elevation and quickly opened up to expansive views of the ridges and valleys below. These are the most impressive views I’ve seen since I’ve been in Pennsylvania, and I was loving every moment. As we hiked along the trail we passed by low-lying shrubs such as blueberry and huckleberry. Stunted oak trees still holding to their autumn leaves rattled in the wind. As we reached the high point on the mountain I noticed wind turbines off in the distance. I later learned this was the Waymart Wind Farm in Wayne County. The trail then turned northwest and began to descend along hilly undulating terrain. We then reached a wide open road surrounded by beautiful white birch until connecting with the Stonehenge Trail. Once again on a narrow trail, we meandered through a hardwood forest lined with impressive, massive rock formations. We crossed a small stream and were again surrounded by the openness of the barrens. From here it got a little confusing. We wanted to connect to the Conglomerate Trail, but with the large snow drifts covering the rocks that had the blazed trail markers we ended up slightly off trail. After a quick navigation check with map and compass we began to make our way in the direction of where the actual trail would be. After post-holing through the deep snow drifts, we were again back on route. That was exhausting! By this time the day had warmed up to 26 degrees which to me really didn’t feel that cold. (This California girl must be getting used to the Pennsylvania winters already!) This was an absolutely beautiful and unique preserve and not something I would have ever expected to see in Pennsylvania. As we made our way back to the trailhead I was already making note to add this magical landscape to my list of places to return to during all seasons.
Pennsylvania has a good number of nature preserves to explore. Today we headed back up to the Pocono Mountains to the Maple Tract Preserve located near the 115 in Long Pond. The preserve is part of the Wildlands Conservancy Land Trust, and there are about 8 miles of hiking trails within its 680 acres. The area is made up of glacial wetlands, forest, mountain laurel and rhododendron which is so commonly found along the creekside trails of Pennsylvania. We started on the red trail heading southwest which took us past a frozen pond and along a carpet of soft pine needles. The day was mostly cloudy, which I’m learning is pretty typical of a Pennsylvania winter. As we continued we came up on another frozen pond. It seemed pretty solid so I got brave and ventured out onto it. It’s been years since I stood on a natural, frozen body of water. I remember ice skating on them as a kid many moons ago. We then continued along the trail through more forest of hemlock, spruce, larch, rhododendron and mountain laurel. I’m finally starting to be able to identify some of the trees and plants here on the east coast. It’s still very foreign to me since being out west all these years. As we hiked, we came upon some sections of trail that were on boardwalks to get across the wet marshes that were mostly frozen over. At about 2.5 miles we found Tunkhannock Creek. We walked down to the banks to get a better view and take some pictures. From here we followed the red trail west a bit further to enjoy more views of the creek before backtracking and heading north to explore the blue trail. I was really impressed with the scenery at this preserve. I loved the hilly ups and downs of the trail and the varying terrain. We hiked about 6 miles and didn’t see another person the entire day. This preserve is located close to the 80 and also the Pocono Raceway. I would imagine it might get a little noisy in the summer when the raceway is open. Nonetheless it is an incredibly beautiful area to explore.
Today I hiked around the Trexler Nature Preserve. Pennsylvania is doing a thing this year where they are allowing hunting on three Sundays, this past Sunday being one of those weekends. It’s very odd to me that the state lets people hunt and hike in the same areas, but many of the state parks here seem to be on state game lands. Regardless, I wanted to play it safe and not have my head mounted on someone’s wall, so I stuck to the nature preserve where most of the trail was on open lands and did not allow hunting. I started on the Border Trail which actually goes around the entire preserve and then crossed over Jorden Creek to make a loop back to the trail head. During the hike I crossed path with a deer and saw plenty of birds in the open fields. It was a short hike, just a little over 5 miles with a lot of ups and downs in the hills. I was happy to get out for a bit and enjoy the outdoors.
