Pros: Length (I can't find any current data reflecting the total length); trail very well marked and maintained; certainly wasn’t crowded when I was there at 2:00 pm in the August heat
Cons: Sounds of traffic are always near; the trailhead is haunted; not enough shade (if some moron decides to hike during 100 degree heat in the middle of August); really narrow in parts with no room to yield to horses; nearby woods are terrorized by a demonic satyr.
My GPS batteries died along the way, so I’m not exactly sure how far I made it, but it was somewhere between 3 and 3.5 miles out. I’m fairly certain the trail is completed and now it runs the full length from Old Alton Bridge to Sycamore Bend Park. I’m going to start from the Sycamore Bend trailhead and work towards Goatman’s Bridge.
Starting along the trail. The information kiosk was empty.
I can’t imagine riding a horse on this trail—it’s very narrow at times and there are plenty of overhanging branches.
The first 1.8 miles of the trail are summed up in the two photos below. Just alternate looking at the two photos and you have practically walked the trail.
Leashed dogs are permitted on the trail and I found some really deep dog tracks, possibly left two weeks prior when it actually rained around these parts. It did strike me as odd, however, that I couldn’t find any human or horse prints that were this well preserved. It doesn’t look like a coyote or a cat track, so I guess the dog was either wandering sans human or its human companion was more careful to avoid the muddier areas.
While we are sort of on the subject, I did notice a lot of poop along the trail and I wish I had some sort of idea what left it. I didn’t take any pictures (I just thought of S’s reaction when I returned home with bunch of pics of animal poop—she already thinks I’m a bit odd as it is!), but I did notice that something has been eating some furry little creatures.
I wouldn’t recommend this trail in the summer, unless you are going early in the morning or in the evening. There are too many portions of the trail without shade!
There are a ton of geocaches hidden along the trail. In fact, I think there is one in here:
I didn’t try and find any, though, because not only did I not have a GPS (the trail is so well-defined, it’s virtually impossible to get lost), but I wasn’t dressed properly for traversing into the thicket!
The well-marked trail continues on:
The trail eventually crosses under a Village Pkwy bridge that spans the Hickory Creek Arm of Lewisville Lake.
The trail continues on the east side of the bridge and, in my opinion, becomes more interesting despite the fact you are almost walking up against backyard fence lines.
As you can see, I passed the 2 mile marker and the trail continues. I guess it connects to Sycamore Bend Park, although I wouldn’t make it that far.
I wonder what the story is behind this abandoned teddy bear.
The trail followed the lake’s shore though little wooded areas.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped taking pictures and started running low on water—guess I underestimated how hot I would be. I passed the 3 mile marker, but I don’t think I made it to the 3.5 mark—my forerunner’s batteries died along the way.
I built a cairn, took a break and turned around. Next time I’ll start at Sycamore Bend Park and work my way towards Old Alton Bridge.
The end of the trail (for me).
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