Middle Creek Park: Trail #1 (Blog Hike #41)

Trail: Trail #1
Hike Location: Middle Creek Park

Geographic Location: west of Burlington, KY (38.99830, -84.81402)

Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: Summer 1999, July 2012, May 2017

Overview: A moderately difficult hike, first along Middle Creek, then across hillier terrain.

Park Information: https://www.boonecountyky.org/departments/parks/middle_creek_park.php
Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=116146
Photo Highlight:

Directions to trailhead: From Burlington, take SR 18 west 6.3 miles to the large gravel parking area on the left.  A brown wooden sign at the entrance says "Middle Creek Park," and a yellow road sign with a flashing light warning of pedestrians hangs over this intersection.

The hike: Managed by the Boone County Park Commission, Middle Creek Park derives its name from the large creek that flows through the middle of the park.  This relatively undeveloped park offers some picnic tables, located at the parking area, and an extensive system of hiking trails, many of which double as bridle trails.  The main trail through the park, Trail #1, takes you through some mature forest along Middle Creek and over some steep ridges. 

            A word of caution: this trail is best hiked during the dry season because many parts become very muddy after any significant rainfall.  Also, parts of the trail have been "chewed up" by the horse traffic, making hiking more difficult and exacerbating the mud problem.  If you choose to hike this trail when the ground is the least bit wet, be sure to come prepared for some mud.

Trailhead

            The trail starts from the far right side of the parking area and immediately enters the forest, which initially is dominated by maple.  The trail soon descends some wooden steps to Middle Creek's floodplain.  Ignore an overgrown trail that goes to the right and take the trail marked "short cut," which soon takes a left turn to join Trail #1. This trail is well-marked (for the most part) using brown signs with red letters.

            The trail goes east beside the steep-walled creek past some very large sycamore trees.  The forest floor is covered densely with chickweed, with some occasional solomon's seal.  The trail soon crosses the creek on a long wooden footbridge and comes to a major intersection.  This marks the beginning of the loop portion of Trail #1.  We will use the left trail as the outbound portion, and the one on the right as the inbound portion.  Trails #2, #6, and #4 go straight ahead here.

Middle Creek

            Turning left, the trail continues to follow the creek, passing some more large sycamore trees.  Some side trails appear to go off to either side, but the main direction of the trail is always obvious.  In some spots, black plastic-like material has been placed in the dirt trail to control the mud problem and stabilize the stream bank.  Unfortunately, this technique seems to have achieved very little success.  The creek is still visible on the left, as is Middle Creek Road at this point.  After passing some young sycamore trees, the trail takes a sharp right turn beside larger sycamore trees. 

            A couple hundred yards later, the trail arrives at an intersection where a weedy trail goes to the left under some powerlines.  This intersection is confusing due to an old wooden post that identifies "Trail #2" as the trail going to the right, suggesting that Trail #1 goes under the powerlines.  In reality, Trail #1 goes to the right and stays in the forest.

            The trail soon begins a long, steep uphill climb out of the floodplain for the first major climb of the hike.  Once atop the hill, the trail turns to the right and follows the ridge for a few hundred feet through more maple forest.  Keep to the left at a well-marked intersection with Trails #2 and #3, possibly after a short detour to observe the pond which is located only a few feet down Trail #2. 

Climbing a hill

            Trail #1 next drops steeply into a small drainage, then begins another long, steep ascent that makes up the last major climb of the hike.  Once atop the ridge, the trail turns right again and soon intersects Trail #6, a short cut back to the bridge over Middle Creek.  An unmarked trail goes downhill to the left here.  Stay on Trail #1, which continues atop the narrow ridge.  In terms of wildflowers, chickweed, violets, and larkspur seem to like the ridgetop. Also, notice a rare sight: a large sycamore on the ridge top.  Sycamores are usually found only near water. 

            At about the 2 mile point, you must climb over a large log that makes a good makeshift bench.  At the next intersection, an unmarked trail continues straight ahead where a wooden post says that Trail #1 turns right to descend back to Middle Creek.  Before turning right, go just a few yards down the unmarked trail to a stone fireplace, the only remnant of an old house.

            Continuing on Trail #1, the trail begins a long and very steep descent to Middle Creek.  After carefully descending the hill, another wooden post tells you to turn right.  This section of the trail appears to be an abandoned road or driveway.  There is a barbed-wire fence and a row of dead hedgeapple trees on the left, both of which probably marked an old property boundary.  The small hedgeapples are being out-competed by the larger maples growing nearby. 

Trail #1 in the floodplain forest

            After crossing a small drainage on stepping stones, arrive back at the intersection beside the bridge across Middle Creek.  Turn left here, cross the bridge, and retrace your steps 0.4 miles to the parking lot to finish the hike.