On October 22 the Brodhead Creek Watershed Association will host another in its Get Outdoors Poconos hikes, this time in the Big Woods Natural Area in Monroe County starting at 10:00 a.m. lead by Carol Hillestad.

Patiently and persistently, over a period of 17 years, the supervisors of Chestnuthill Township in the West End of Monroe County have assembled hundreds of acres of forest for public recreation-- the land that makes up The Big Woods Natural Area.

A blazed trail will lead participants on a 2.25-mile hike to discover wildflowers, puddle-dwelling pollywogs, a pileated woodpecker, red-spotted newts and monarch caterpillars munching on milkweed.

The trail starts out wide and open, and then footing consists of rocks and dirt, but it is hard-packed and mostly level — fairly easy going. Horseback riders also enjoy this jaunt through the Big Woods.

Open, sunlit woodland sports white pine and hemlock, chestnut oaks and beeches, maples and birch. Loose stone rows and precise dry-laid stone walls stand as evidence of a long-ago builder’s skill and our area’s agricultural roots – all now preserved for perpetuity.

The Get Outdoors Poconos hike series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.

Registration is required.  To register call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727 or send email to: info@brodheadwatershed.org.  Directions will be sent with registration.

More information about this and other hikes is available at the Get Outdoors Poconos webpage.

For more information on the programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Brodhead Creek Watershed Association website.

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Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness Files Objections To Tracy Ridge Trail Plans

[Posted: Sept. 28, 2017]

10/2/2017