Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge: Route 15 Trail (Blog Hike #889)

Trail: Route 15 Trail
Hike Location: Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge
Geographic Location: south of Vidalia, LA (31.56459, -91.55725)
Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: March 2022
Overview: An out-and-back on an old logging road through periodically inundated land.
Refuge Information: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bayou-cocodrie
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=903208
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From Vidalia, LA, take SR 131 south 6.6 miles to SR 15 and turn right on SR 15.  Drive SR 15 north 3.4 miles to the unmarked gravel road on the left that leads to the Route 15 Trail parking area.  Park in the large gravel cul de sac at the end of this short road.

The hike: Located across the Mississippi River from the historic town of Natchez, Mississippi, Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge protects 14,668 acres of bottomland hardwood forest along its namesake bayou.  The refuge came to be in 1988 when The Nature Conservancy purchased land from the Fisher Lumber Company and resold it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The central tract of land offers one of the largest and least disturbed groves of bottomland hardwood forest in the Lower Mississippi River Valley, and the refuge is one of a complex of nine national wildlife refuges in the region.

            Most experts believe the refuge's best trail to be the Old Growth Trail, which as its name suggests leads through the least disturbed part of the forest.  Unfortunately, the Old Growth Trail requires a 3 mile hike just to reach its trailhead, and when I came here a large rainstorm lurked to the west.  Thus, I had to forego the Old Growth Trail and hike the refuge's most convenient trail: the Route 15 Trail.  As indicated by this trail's rather unappealing name, this hike is not the most appealing hike, but its ease of access allowed me to salvage what would otherwise have been a complete washout of a day.

Trailhead for Route 15 Trail

            From the rear of the gravel cul de sac, the unmarked trail heads west into the woods on the bed of an old logging road, which the trail follows for its entire distance.  The surrounding scenery varies from inundated to somewhat drier with small changes in elevation.  While some wet spots will need to be negotiated, in general the old logging road keeps the trail drier than its surrounding area.

Palmettos along the trail

            The forest along the Route 15 Trail exhibits more diversity than you might expect.  Tupelo trees dominate the wetter areas, while sweetgum trees prevail in the drier areas.  Dwarf palmetto is the dominant shrub in the understory, and some yellow asters brightened my path when I came here in early March.  I heard some woodpeckers and other birds, but the greenery is too think to allow me to see many.

Wet area on the trail

            After passing through a particularly wet area, the trail curves left to begin heading more south than west.  Some small stems were growing in the trail on my visit, and this trail will need to be re-cleared in a few years if the refuge wants to keep it passable.  At 1.3 miles, the trail ends at an old logging landing.  The Route 15 Trail connects with no other trails, so your only option is to turn around and retrace your steps to the parking area to complete the hike.  The rain I had been racing started falling about 15 minutes after I made it back to my car, and it continued for the rest of the day.

DuPont State Recreational Forest: Fawn Lake and Lake Julia (Blog Hike #888)

Trails: Fawn Lake Road, Conservation Road, Lake Julia Road, Camp Summit Road, and Mine Mountain Trail 
Hike Location: DuPont State Recreational Forest
Geographic Location: southeast of Brevard, NC (35.16056, -82.60328)
Length: 4.2 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: March 2022
Overview: A double loop passing two lakes and an abandoned air strip.
Forest Information: https://www.dupontstaterecreationalforest.com/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=902905
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts at DuPont State Recreational Forest's Fawn Lake Access.  To get there from Brevard, drive US 276 south 10.9 miles to Cascade Lake Road, the intersection of which is located 1.6 miles north of the South Carolina state line.  A brown DuPont State Forest highway sign marks this intersection.  Turn left (east) on Cascade Lake Road, and then almost immediately turn right on Reasonover Road.  Drive narrow and winding Reasonover Rd. east 2.8 miles to the signed Fawn Lake Access on the left.  Turn left and drive up the short but steep paved road to the gravel parking lot.

The hike: For my general comments on DuPont State Recreational Forest, see my 2013 hike to the waterfalls on Little River, which is this forest's most popular area.  Massive 12,500 acre DuPont State Recreational Forest has scenery and recreation to suit every interest.  While the area's waterfalls and views are featured on my two previous hikes at DuPont, this hike explores a quieter part of the forest that is more popular with mountain bikers than hikers.  Yet the scenery still features two beautiful lakes and an abandoned airstrip, which is not bad for an unheralded hike in a quiet part of the forest.

Trailhead at Fawn Lake Access

            From the Fawn Lake Access parking lot, turn left to begin walking uphill on Fawn Lake Road, a two-track gravel road.  Many of DuPont Forest's two track gravel trails are called "roads" even though none of them are open to vehicular traffic.  Also, no roads or trails here are blazed, but every intersection is signed.  After a brief climb, the single-track Mine Mountain Trail exits left.  Stay right to descend gradually on Fawn Lake Road.

Fawn Lake Road and Loop part ways

            Just past 0.3 miles, Fawn Lake Road and Fawn Lake Loop part ways only to come back together on the other side of Fawn Lake.  For the best Fawn Lake views, stay right to remain on Fawn Lake Road.  Notice some interesting stonework here, a reminder that this road was a DuPont company driveway before it was a recreational forest trail.  A little more descending brings you to a gazebo on the shore of Fawn Lake.  The surrounding forested hills combine with the lake's clear water to give tiny Fawn Lake big scenic appeal.

Fawn Lake

            After crossing the dam that creates Fawn Lake, the Fawn Lake Loop and Mine Mountain Trail enter from the left before you pass under a high-voltage power line.  At 0.9 miles, Fawn Lake Road ends at an intersection with Conservation Road, another two-track gravel "road."  Angle left to head north on Conservation Road.  Less than 1000 feet later, you reach the abandoned asphalt airstrip.  The wide flat crumbling asphalt seems out of place in the woods today, and an old building called "The Summit" has been repurposed into a park maintenance building.  Some picnic tables and a summit marker sit beside the building.

Crossing the old airstrip

            After crossing the airstrip, you reach the intersection that forms the northern loop of this hike.  To climb on a more gradual grade, this hike continues straight on Conservation Road and uses Camp Summit Road going right as its return route, thus hiking the northern loop clockwise.  Next you begin a persistent moderate downgrade that loses 200 feet of elevation over the next 0.3 miles.

Lake Julia

            At the next intersection, turn right to begin Lake Julia Road, and soon reach a lodge that overlooks Lake Julia.  The lodge was closed on my visit, but I still enjoyed the broad Lake Julia views from its back deck.  Past the lodge, angle right to begin a gradual to moderate climb on Camp Summit Road.  During the leafless months some partially obstructed views of the Reasonover Creek ravine appear through the trees on the left.

Maintenance building beside the airstrip

            At 2.3 miles, you return to Conservation Road and close the northern loop.  Turn left to retrace your steps first across the airstrip and then under the high-voltage power lines.  You could retrace your steps all the way to your car, but to add some variety to the return route and to get off of the two-track gravel roads, angle right just after passing under the power lines to begin the Mine Mountain Trail.

Start of Mine Mountain Trail

            True to its name, the Mine Mountain Trail uses several switchbacks to climb gradually up the east face of Mine Mountain.  Ignore the Laurel Ridge and Cart Trails that exit right.  3.5 miles into the hike, you reach the highest elevation on this hike just after passing below the summit of Mine Mountain.  At 3070 feet of elevation, this point is almost 500 vertical feet above the lowest point on this hike, which was along Lake Julia.  Some well-constructed sidehill trail brings you to this point.

Sidehill on Mine Mountain Trail

            As the saying goes, "it's all downhill from here."  The trail descends steeply via 2 switchbacks, passing what might be an old mine structure in the process.  At 4.1 miles, you return to Fawn Lake Road.  A short gradual descent remains to return you to your car and finish the hike.

Congaree National Park: Boardwalk/Bluff Double Loop (Blog Hike #887)

Trails: Longleaf, Boardwalk, Firefly, and Bluff Trails
Hike Location: Congaree National Park
Geographic Location: southeast of Columbia, SC (33.83805, -80.82836)
Length: 4.3 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2022
Overview: A nearly flat double loop featuring a long boardwalk over the Congaree River swamp.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=901634
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: On the south side of Columbia, take I-77 to SR 48 (exit 5).  Exit and go south/east on SR 48.  Drive SR 48 8.1 miles to Old Bluff Road and make a soft right on Old Bluff Rd.  The signed park entrance is 4.4 miles ahead on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, and then at the first stop sign turn left to enter the gravel parking lot for the Longleaf Campground.  Park here.

The hike: When most people think of America's national parks, they think of pristine wilderness places with towering cliffs, abyss-like canyons, plummeting waterfalls, and spectacular wildlife.  Yet not all national parks fit this pattern.  Take, for example, Congaree National Park near the geographical center of South Carolina.  Achieving national park designation only in 2003, Congaree sits on the fringe of metro Columbia, and it consists mostly of riverside swamplands with little of the spectacular scenery for which the national parks are famous.  For these reasons, Congaree National Park is a frequent entry on published lists of worst national parks.

            Yet visitors who are willing to look a little harder will find plenty of interesting things to see at Congaree National Park.  For starters, the park has some of the largest bald cypress and longleaf pine trees I have seen anywhere, and it contains world-champion trees (i.e. the largest tree of its kind in the world) for 15 different species.  Moreover, the park's Boardwalk Trail may be the best boardwalk I have hiked anywhere, and I have hiked a lot of boardwalks.  Throw in the only freshwater river swamp in the national park system, canoeing opportunities, and two primitive campgrounds, and you have one of South Carolina's better outdoor recreation destinations.

            For hikers, Congaree National Park offers 11 trails totaling more than 45 miles.  Although some of the trails are long primitive slogs through muddy wetlands, the park's most famous and popular trail is its 2.4 mile Boardwalk Trail, which starts at the Visitor Center.  This hike combines the Boardwalk Trail with a second loop over the bluffs, thus sampling both this park's uplands and lowlands.  Note that I would avoid this park in the summer due to heat and bugs; I came here in mid-February and had a great hike.

Trailhead at Longleaf Campground parking lot

            Many people start at the Visitor Center, but the Visitor Center parking lot was overflowing when I came here on a seasonal Saturday afternoon.  Thus, I found it more practical to start at the Longleaf Campground, which had a parking lot that was only about half full.  From the signed trailhead at the south end of the campground parking lot, head toward the Visitor Center by picking up the combined Longleaf and Bluff Trails, which immediately enter a nice longleaf pine forest.  Brown pieces of carsonite bearing white reflective material and the number 8, the park's number for the Longleaf Trail, are nailed to trees and mark this trail.

Hiking the Longleaf Trail

            At 0.3 miles, you reach the trail intersection that forms this hike's northern loop.  To get to the boardwalk quickly, I turned right to remain on the Longleaf Trail and used the Bluff Trail going left as my return route, thus hiking the northern loop counterclockwise.  The trail continues south to quickly cross the main park road and reach the Visitor Center.  Pick up a copy of the Self-Guided Boardwalk Tour brochure, and then head down the boardwalk.

Starting the Boardwalk Trail

            This wooden boardwalk is world-class in construction: it is plenty wide enough for passing and offers plenty of benches for resting.  Numbered signs correspond to the self-guided brochure you picked up at the Visitor Center.  Initially the boardwalk starts in a dryer area with lots of large beech trees, but soon it descends almost imperceptibly into a lower wetter area dominated by cypress and tupelo trees.  Some very large cypress trees live here, and the forest is stunningly beautiful.

Hiking through cypress forest

            0.7 miles into the hike, the boardwalk splits to form its loop, which is the southern of our two loops.  I continued straight and used the boardwalk going left as my return route, again hiking the loop counterclockwise.  This "loop" is more of a square in shape, and the boardwalk keeps your feet nice and dry despite the varying wetness of the surrounding land.

Wetter cypress forest

Huge pine tree

            At 1.4 miles, you cross the Sims Trail, which follows an old hunting club road, and continue the boardwalk on the other side.  Soon you reach the southern loop's southeast corner and an overlook of Weston Lake.  Weston Lake is this area's largest body of open water, and some of the largest pine trees I have ever seen live near the shore of the lake.  Take some time here to enjoy the forest and lake.

Weston Lake

            The dirt/mud Weston Lake Trail continues east from the overlook, but the boardwalk turns left to head north directly away from the lake.  I did some nice wildlife viewing on this section of trail that included a woodpecker and a large underwater turtle.  After rounding the Boardwalk Trail's northeast corner, you reenter the dryer area and pass more large beech trees before closing the southern loop.  Turn right to head back to the Visitor Center.

Start of Firefly Trail

            Now finished with the southern loop, continue the northern loop by picking up the Firefly Trail, which starts under the Boardwalk Trail just downhill from the rear of the Visitor Center.  Turn left to head east on the Firefly Trail.  The Firefly Trail gets its name from synchronous fireflies that put on a spectacular light show here in late spring.  Congaree and Great Smoky Mountains are the only two national parks with this natural phenomenon.

            Just past 3 miles into the hike, the Firefly Trail briefly rejoins the Boardwalk Trail; you are now walking the opposite direction on the boardwalk as you did a few minutes ago.  At 3.2 miles, the Firefly Trail turns left to leave the boardwalk for good.  A gradual climb comes next, and this section of trail is the hardest to follow on this hike.  Watch for the brown carsonite trail markers to keep you on course.

Hiking the Firefly Trail

            Near 3.5 miles, the Firefly Trail ends near the Bluff Campground.  Turn left to begin the Bluff Trail, the final leg of this hike.  Now back in the longleaf pines, the Bluff Trail heads west on a meandering and gently rolling course.  4 miles into the hike, you return to the Longleaf Trail and close the northern loop.  Retracing your steps 0.3 miles on the Longleaf Trail returns you to the Longleaf Campground parking lot and completes the hike.