You HAVE to bring a picnic lunch along when you visit this park. In fact, if you are able to find this park, you will need to have some lunch!
I ate my lunch at a table right next to this sign.
It intrigued me so I decided to take a walk along it. The trail was very muddy and had a lot of moss covered flat rocks which were slippery after the previous evening's rain.
And the ferns were giant sized! I hope you visit this while they are in season. Below is a picture of one which hit me at waist height.
There were a lot of soft needled pine trees along this trail, I think they were white pine. At some points they formed canopies over the trail.
There are lots of little curves along this trail but when it begins to turn right at this tree with the faded red blaze, look to your right for a decaying stump really close to a small trunked white pine. The sun was shining very brightly while I was on this trail so the stump picture below is hard to distinguish.
It may be easier to tell you are in the right spot when you see the tree below on the left side of the trail. Just a side note, as I was checking out the area around this tree, for the first time ever, I saw a thunder of ruffed grouse, the Pennsylvania state bird. I don't remember ever seeing one before but this time, I watched as I startled at least a half dozen of them. I wasn't quick enough with my camera to capture them.
If you see the decaying stump, take about 16 more steps and look to your right about ten steps off trail for this tree with a rock in front of it and one beside it.
Look between the tree and the rock on its right side.
Now you see it! And then you don't!
Just a word of warning, I just missed stepping on this little guy in the picture below. He rattled just as I was ready to step on him and startled the heck out of me. I questioned some snake experts and the park ranger and was told that July and August are rattlesnake mating months and that the snakes are a little more bold then. I was also told that this area is loaded with rattlesnakes. Please be aware and cautious and do not reach into holes without poking them first.
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