My adventure tank was running dangerously low and I had a whole day off where I didn't have to work either job. I had a hankering for a short road trip so I searched for hiking trails within about an hour of where I live. With very few choices, my friend Madison and I selected our destination and our journey began. A simple 30 minute drive from I-10, Lake Fausse Point seems to have all the amenities. A beautiful lake to boat on, a reasonably sized campground, and even hiking trails with backpacking camping spots. Being about an hour southeast of where I live I should have known that the scenery wouldn't be much different than home. In fact if you aren't in the mood for a road trip but would love to go hiking you can experience the same sights and sounds right here in Lafayette at the Acadiana Nature Station, minus the lake. I would love to go back and kayak that beautiful lake but until then you'll just have to settle for hearing about 2 out of the 3 hiking trails that they offer. That's right, this trip was so spur of the moment that we didn't even have time to do all of the hiking trails. Bummer. But it's not too far away so I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to return and continue my exploration. After exiting I-10 you have about 30 minutes of curvy roads and driving next to a levee before you reach the park. Along the way there were tons of these strange boxes stacked along side the tree line, our best guest was beekeeping boxes. If you're a box expert and have traveled this way and seen the oddities please let us know what they are, it's still puzzling us... Once you reach the park you have to stop at the booth where you'll pay $2 per person for day use. Continue straight and follow the road until you see the trail head on the right and a parking lot on the left. The time estimates were pretty accurate and I loved that they included them on their trail maps so we knew what we would have time for. Unfortunately the longest and probably most interesting one didn't fit into our schedule. So we traversed trails A and B for a total of almost 2 and a half miles and about 45 minutes. Trail A, what can I say about Trail A? Not much honestly. If you have little adventurers this is the perfect trail for them. Just the right length and flat terrain. However if you're a native of Louisiana without little adventurers and are looking for an interesting hike, this is not the trail you're looking for. For me it was too short and too simple. Not much to see either. If it's your first time in southern Louisiana you get to see the plants native to the area so it might still be of interest to you. Trail B was an improvement, although ever so slightly. Almost twice the distance this trail provided more opportunity for excitement. We experienced boardwalks and a very very small change in elevation which could very well have been our favorite part. Besides that it was very similar to Trail A. Highlighting our hiking trip was probably the cluster of caterpillars on a tree. It was very intriguing and I later learned that they cluster like this to appear as a bigger organism in hopes to deter predators. Neat! Although we had passed the "Scenic Overlook" on the way into Trail B, we decided to leave it as the finale of our hike. So as we completed the loop of Trail B we detoured onto the "scenic overlook" marked on the trail map. I don't know about you but when I see the words scenic overlook on a map I think something like a spot on the top of a big hill with breathtaking scenery. But this deceiving term scenic overlook has fooled me before on another hike so I don't know why I let it happen again. Their idea of a scenic overlook is a dock that just barely extends into the water and provides a view of the lake. Heck, there was a better view from the bridge you cross to get to the hiking trails. The view was pretty, don't get me wrong, I just hate being deceived. It wasn't the grand view that "scenic overlook" preps you for. While I may have seemed like a Debbie Downer throughout this review there were things that I loved about these trails. They are clearly marked, even though its not really necessary because the trails themselves are well kept and distinguished. Every trail made a convenient sized loop so there was no getting to the end of the trail and having to turn around and walk back. There is a trail for every schedule. One for a quick walk, one for a longer stroll, and one for the hiking enthusiast looking to spend more time on the trails. As for traveling an hour just to hike these trails I'm not so sure it's worth the drive, maybe if we had more time to do Trail C. So make it a day of boating and hiking if you're planning a day trip and give yourself plenty of time. Even better make it a weekend with camping too! The main points: If you're looking for a nice stroll in the Louisiana swampy wilderness this could be the hike for you. If you're looking for a challenging trail with new and exciting sights this may not be the hike for you. THERE WERE SWARMS OF MOSQUITOES! Bring your bugspray if you don't want to get eaten alive. There's a $2 per person entry fee. I give Lake Fausse Point Hiking Trails A and B Happy Hiking!
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The first sign of cold weather usually sends a southerner running indoors and halts recreational outdoor activity. I wish I could say I am an exception to this but sadly I have not been. However the cold weather isn't the only thing that has been keeping me away from the great outdoors. This semester at school quickly got hectic and you know how it goes with the holidays and retail jobs....
But I did want to pop in and let you know that I plan to keep posting as soon as I take my next adventure! I actually attempted to take an adventure all by my lonesome and chickened out because there were giant spiders/spiderwebs scrawled across the trail I visited practically every 5 feet. No thanks! With the new year starting be on the look out for adventures in: Acadiana Park and Nature Station (within the next few months) Trail(s) in the Houston, TX area (in February) Trail(s) in Ireland and Scotland (in June) Maybe next winter will provide for outdoor adventures in snowboarding or skiing! What do you do to get outside during the winter? Ah, the great state of Texas.You really surprised me with a fantastic hike. I hope to return to explore more of your trails. Don't let me down! Chalk Ridge Falls Park 5600 FM 1670 Belton, TX 76513 (254) 939-2461 Free Entry The endless research I did on this trail was outdated and not so helpful. All I knew going into this hike from what I found through Google searches was that it had been closed down for a little while, it had a waterfall, it had a cool suspension bridge, there was a cave(s) somewhere along or right off the trail, and there were apparently 5 miles of trail. Let me clear things up. It was closed down for awhile for repair after a flood in 2007 but is now open (obviously) and has been open since about May of this year. From other stuff I've read it can be closed after lots of rain because its prone to flood and is also on the other side of a dam. There is definitely a waterfall. Definitely beautiful. Definitely easy to find. There is a suspension bridge that is in full use. It is not broken and it is safe to cross. The 5 miles of trail seems plausible but I'm not quite sure as to what they're referring to. The trails immediately around the river couldn't have been more than three. There were some trails beyond the waterfall that we walked for less than half a mile before turning around because we felt like we were in the desert and there really wasn't anything to see. So that may be what they're referring to.You'll just have to do your own exploring in that area. We found a cave.....way off the trail. Keep reading for more info on that. To the Waterfall The drive to Chalk Ridge Falls is beautiful. You drive over a dam with a royal blue lake on one side and the park on the other. There's a small paved loop with parking and restrooms right next to the trailhead. Not too far in you can either choose to walk on a trail right next to the water or stay on the larger trail just parallel to it. We went down to the water's edge to explore but came back up not too much further down the trail. It says the trail is marked but we only saw a few posts with colored markers on them. The main trail is clear though so it wasn't much trouble. Soon you'll find yourself at the waterfall. It's better than some of the reviews gave it credit for. Its not the same as a tall towering waterfall but it has its own beauty. If you try to travel too far past the waterfall you hit a fence marking the edge of the park's property and you have to turn around. This must've happened to us about three times while we were trying to explore and find the suspension bridge. But wait there's more! Read on for the neat little features of this trail and how to find them. Recommended Route Cliff and Bridge From the trailhead follow the main trail to the waterfall. Once you get to the waterfall keep walking a little further up the water's edge and you'll come to what I believe is a small dam. Cross it carefully. Now you'll be on a smaller trail. Follow it to the left where you'll come to a small 'cliff' that overlooks the river. Move on and you'll eventually find yourself at the suspension bridge. Brave the shaky contraption and keep following the trail which brings you back to the waterfall. This nice quick loop shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes if you keep a steady pace with no detours. Cave Now...if you're up for a whole 'nother adventure go back to the wooden walkway/bridge that you crossed on the way in that had a staircase leading down to the ground. There is no clear trail here but if you look you'll find a faint 'trail' that leads into the woods. Follow it. Eventually you'll end up in what looks like a dried up river bed. Perfect place for caves right? Also the perfect place for snakes. We only encountered one so just keep an eye out. We followed the river bed for quite some time determined to find a cave and we did! Its not huge but it was fun to explore and rewarding to finally find. Keep in mind the riverbed has absolutely no shade. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen if you plan on setting out for the cave. This is the part I DO NOT recommend. Especially if you're an avid 'leave no trace behind' person and if you generally don't like getting slapped in the face by branches. We were running out of time (we had a 6 hour drive home) and had no clue how far this river bed went or where it came out so we decided to climb into the trees to take a shortcut back to the car. Using the gps on my phone we trekked through pretty dense Texas wilderness. For awhile I followed my husbands every step because I figured he was finding the easiest route but it wasn't working out so I decided to try my own (which is what you 'leave no trace behind' people should do, if you ever go off a path take different steps than the person in front of you so you don't pack the soil and create a new path). Next to each other we forged our way through the trees, ducking and hopping around obstacles. It felt like walking through a spider web of pointy branches. Again, not recommended. We finally made it through and began our 6 hour journey back home. I give this trail 4 sunshines Have you ever explored the area around this trail? Tell me what you've found!
I had this thought this morning while scrolling through my Facebook feed that I just wanted to shut off the world. The ugliness. The negativity. The constant notifications from social media. I just wanted all of it to disappear. But how is that possible in such a technology driven world where everyone is constantly connected?
(HA I just got a Facebook notification while writing this). My mind immediately wandered to my nature adventures and I realized a big reason that I love them so much is that I get to disconnect from the hectic world of technology, slow down and reconnect with the more beautiful simple things in this life. With that said I need a kayaking/hiking/camping trip really soon. Before I lose it. Anybody else ever feel this way? Does nature recenter you? Crooked Creek Recreation Area 1300 Sandy Beach Dr Ville Platte, LA 70586 (337) 599-2661 Crooked Creek is exactly what it sounds like. When I first heard the name visions of hillbillies danced in my head and I might look into the psychic business because my visions came true. We encountered a special kind of racist that we disliked. Don't get me wrong, people of all kinds of strange can be found at almost any campground, especially the more secluded ones, that doesn't mean the camp is ruined. But there were a few other things about this site that made it a little less than pleasant. This campground was designed more for campers and RVs. The few tent spaces were called 'sheds', a picnic table with a tin covering surrounded by some land and sprinkled with trees. These sheds cost $22. If you have more than one tent you have to pay the $22 per tent even though our 'shed' could have easily fit 5 or more. The shed that we ended up with was conveniently close to the "beach" they had and also convenient for other campers to walk through. Let's just say it didn't provide much privacy. The "beach" was an area on the shore that they covered in sand and put buoys around to mark a swimming area. (buoy is a funny looking word). The lake water was maybe two degrees cooler than the outside temperature and if you ventured too far to the right you ended up in nasty, slimy muck. I know, I know, it's a part of the great outdoors. Apparently this wasn't enough to keep people away though. They had visitors who would just come to swim for the day on top of the individuals that were actually camping there all enjoying the lukewarm lake on the tiny beach. The icing on the cake was when I stepped out of the water and looked like a bear because this dark brown dirt was stuck to every hair on my body. Fun. I've swam in lakes before but none like this... On the pamphlet they have in the front office they advertise a nature trail. So naturally when I was the first one to wake up I got up to explore. We had come across a large sign that said nature trail the day before when hunting for fire wood so I returned to the trail head. I was very quickly disappointed. I didn't go very far into the trail because I felt like it would have been a waste of time. The "trail" was wide enough for a car to fit through. My assumption was that they had to make a passageway for a vehicle at some point in the history of the campground and they just named it a nature trail. Both sides are lined with tall trees and absolutely nothing to see. There was however an unmarked trail in another location worth exploring. If you're facing the beach and you look to the left towards the treeline you'll see some small trail heads, one of which you can see a bridge. Take the time to investigate these trails. I enjoyed it. I give Crooked Creek campground 2 Sunshines! Have you been to Crooked Creek? What did you like about it? Tell me in the comments!
Rockland Trail North Av Conservation Land North Ave Rockland, MA 02370 This trail in Rockland Town Forest in Rockland, Massachusetts is quite magical to say the least. After being away from the New England terrain for a decade it welcomed me back with open arms and made me one happy hiker. Who knew rocks could make someone so happy?! Let me count the ways I loved this trail. Number one: The trail was so well maintained and clear that colored blazers weren't even necessary. There was one tiny little section maybe three feet long that had over grown plants in the trail. Don't worry, my sister and I made it out alive ;) Number two: The rock lined pathways and cute little bridges that crossed the small peaceful stream made this trail come alive. If you're a nature lover you won't want to leave these whimsical paths. Number Three: The three trails that make up this area are all connected in loops making it easy to walk all of them without having to go through any parts of the path more than once. The three trails together also make it the perfect length for a quick hike. I think it took us about 45 minutes to do all three, and that's counting stopping to take 60 photos and enjoying the scenery. I don't want to give too much away because the discovery was the best part of this hike. Its a super easy trail to enjoy on a relaxed day. Have fun and happy hiking! Have you been to this trail? Let me know about your experience!
I give this trail 5 sunshines! If you're one who is skeptical about hiking don't let this post discourage you.......but I just Googled news in hiking and this is what I saw. That's a lot of death. Maybe hiking safety courses need to be offered. Do you think that would make a difference? Do you read up on safety tips before making a trip?
At about 80 pages and a 10 dollar price tag, this book is not worth the money. While it's full of wit and interesting tips it'll leave you disappointed where it lacks in new and useful everyday camping information. It would do great as a book to leave on the back of the toilet seat for a read while you take a dump, especially since it's geared more towards men and hunting camps. I wouldn't recommend the purchase unless it's on sale and you've run out of gift options for the men in your life. It would make the perfect gift for White Elephant at somewhere like Pack and Paddle's company Christmas party. |
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“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” - Helen Keller AuthorMy name is Jessica. I live in Louisiana. I love exploring the outdoors and sharing my experiences. Archives
April 2015
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