Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From early spring through fall, some wildflowers will be seen, including the
lavender-leafed liatris, which blooms in early fall. You'll also find penstemon with
leafy clusters of fifty or so lavender flowers. The smooth foxglove grows on the
sides of white oak trees, bearing yellow flowers June through October.
The best time to hike this trail is from fall to spring when there has been a good
rain. The trail crisscrosses a rocky stream three times, each crossing having a little
taller cascade. The tumbling waters are beautiful, and in the fall the yellows and
oranges of the unaffected hardwoods make the stream even more lovely.
Following the stream crossing, the canopy opens up due to the number of
downed trees. On a summer day this can be one hot climb. Throughout this sec-
tion you will see the power of Mother Nature. It is an amazing sight and an educa-
tional one as well, a good place to discuss weather with your children and what to
do when severe weather strikes.
The trail continues up the mountain until it comes to within yards of the golf
course. Here the Waterfall Trail ends. The Nature Trail comes in from the left
(west) and heads north. The park's lodge (which has a great restaurant and spec-
tacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains) can be reached by following
the Nature Trail. Also here at the end of the Waterfall Trail is the connection with
the blue-blazed Cascade Loop. Now, normally I would add this connection to the
hike, but when I visited, the trail had virtually vanished. The hike described here
uses an un-blazed connector trail to loop around and rejoin the Waterfall Trail for
the return to the trailhead. Hopefully by the time you read this, the Cascade Loop
will be back and well blazed. It's well worth the effort to add the additional 0.5 to
0.75 mile to see another waterfall and a view of the lake.
Remember that the stream is seasonal. It could be a torrent of water cascading
down one day, a trickle the next.
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