Progress on the Va. Capital Trail on New Market Road in Varina. Credit: Va. Capital Trail Foundation

The other day, returning from Osborne Landing with the Terrain360.com mapping vessel, my eyes beheld something they’ve been longing to see for years: actual progress on the Virginia Capital Trail in the Richmond region.

Sure, there’s a half-mile section completed from the floodwall across from Bottoms Up Pizza to Great Shiplock Park. But, outside of that, almost all of the work on the 55-mile, Jamestown-to-Richmond paved path has been toward the eastern end.

What I saw the other day got me all giddy, and I realized I hadn’t posted a Cap Trail update in months. So, just yesterday I gave Virginia Capital Trail Foundation Executive Director Beth Weisbrod a call to check in on things. She was just as excited by the trail progress as I was.

“We’re chugging along,” she said. “We’re still on track to have everything done by next summer, by (the UCI World Cycling Championships in) 2015.”

Weisbrod said that Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe will be the keynote speaker on October 15 for the ribbon cutting of the 13-mile Sherwood Forest phase of the trail.

“(Sherwood Forest) essentially connects the completed section in James City County with the Charles City Courthouse section,” Weisbrod said. “So we’ll have roughly 29 miles of one long continuous strip of asphalt.”

Weisbrod and the VDOT project manager will ride the Sherwood Forest section tomorrow to inspect it, she said. And while some landscaping and other light work remains, it is open and rideable right now.

Pushing rock on the soon-to-be Virginia Capital Trail. Credit: Va. Capital Trail Foundation

With Sherwood Forest complete, that makes the intersection of Kimages Road and Route 5 the current western terminus of the trail. But work has begun on all the remaining sections. Next up, coming east, is the 10-mile New Market Heights phase, which Weisbrod expects to be completed last, then the 11-mile Varina phase, which reaches the Richmond border at Rocketts Landing.

Weisbrod said that CSX still has to pull up and remove the old traintracks that run from Rocketts Landing almost all the way to Great Shiplock Park. That could happen any day, and when it does, work will begin in earnest in Richmond.

“The downtown portion should be done by spring,” Weisbrod said. “I’m pretty optimistic that that is going to happen.”

Volunteers work the east bank of Reedy Creek in Forest Hill Park where the bridge once stood. Credit: Richard Chittick

You’ve gotta love the resourcefulness of the guys who build trails for the city of Richmond. A few weeks back, we reported on the bridge over Reedy Creek that was washed away during a crazy thunderstorm. The bridge saw lots of traffic from mountain bikers, hikers, dog walkers and Forest Hill Park lovers in general, and its loss meant a rather lengthy detour down the creek, across the Harvey Bridge and back up the asphalt path

I spoke with Mike Burton, city trails manager, shortly after the washout and he told me about all the solutions they were debating. Among them was a new, washout-proof bridge, which he estimated would cost well over $60,000. Another was re-routing the trail across the creek bed and back up the steep embankment on the east side of Reedy. But he wasn’t sure that was possible.

Well, as I found out on a recent ride, Burton and his trail building crew, with a lot of help from volunteers, made the much cheaper, cross-creek option a reality. As the pictures show, it started with tree and brush clearing, moved on to rock hefting and bench cutting, and, voila!, you’ve got yourself a creek crossing nearly at the same place as the old one that was expensive in sweat but not cash. It’s a tough ride for beginners due to the steepness of the west bank, but it is cool to cross Reedy at stream level, and it’s a significant upgrade from the detour.

Burton said it’s not quite finished yet. The climb up the west bank will require some rock armoring, for instance. But he said he hopes to have the crossing complete in time for the Tour de Fall Line later this month.

If you’re in Forest Hill Park, go check out the crossing for yourself.. It’s just downstream of where Reedy Creek crosses under Forest Hill Avenue).

Well-placed rocks now lead riders and walkers across Reedy Creek. This view looks west.

In this view, trail users have crossed the rocks pictured above and hike up and out of the creek toward Patrick Henry Elementary School.

Back in late May, I reported on the installation of counters — vehicle and infrared — at seven different units of the James River Park. The counters were made possible by a $2,000 gift from the Friends of the James River Park and the James River Outdoor Coalition. The idea with the counters was, for the first time, to acquire actual usage numbers for the 20-parcel, 550-acre park that runs through the heart of Richmond. Up until then, usage surveys were conducted and visitation estimates were extrapolated from there.

Infrared counters are used to count people at a couple of park locations.

With the heavy summer park-use season now over, I spoke with Nathan Burrell, JRPS superintendent, to see how much mounting those counters did. The results were pretty astounding.

“Up through July we were at 500,000+ visitors,” he said. “That’s May through July. And we only have counters at seven locations right now.”

Burrell said he’ll be getting the August numbers by the end of the week, and he expects them to be somewhere north of 100,000 visitors but probably less than July’s 160,000 tally. June had 141,000.

Burrell explained that they use a conservative coefficient to account for the fact that many of the cars that arrive at the park have multiple people in them and some people use the park more than one time a day.

“We’re missing some people there, but we thought it was a safe number. We wanted to be conservative. The last thing I wanted is to be wildly high and then people just disregard them.”

To put these numbers in perspective, in February the Times-Dispatch reported that Maymont was the “most-visited place in the Richmond area,” with 527,153 visitors in 2013. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was second in the region with 479,907 visitors. Rounding out the top five were the Children’s Museum of Richmond with 393,529 visitors; Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden with 339,139 visitors; and Three Lakes Nature Center and Aquarium with 304,621 visitors.

The James River Park has always been a popular place. We now know how popular. Credit: Richmond.com

The Washington Redskins training camp brought in 164,789 visitors this year.

Burrell said that in 2012, the park system conducted a survey of usage from which they extrapolated a year-long visitation number: that number was between 500,000 and 1.5 million. “We’re going to be close to that million mark (when 2014 is over),” Burrell said.

Here’s some more perspective that city council and the mayor should take note of for future budgets. The JRPS with it’s 1 million or more visitors a year is maintained by four full-time employees (including Burrell), two seasonal employees and one part-timer. That’s something to keep in mind when proposals for $250,000 Carytown signs and redundant, million-dollar bridges over the Haxall Canal come up for debate.

My wide, Laurie, and I moved to the Richmond area more than five years ago primarily to be closer to her father, who will be 87 this year and lives near Kilmarnock. That means a large percentage of our weekends are spent on the Northern Neck, and one of our favorite places to take a walk is the Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve.

Hickory Hollow is 254 acres of woodlands and swamp near Kilmarnock. Credit: Leonard Adkins

With this being summer, and Richmondoutside.com featuring some road trips, now is the perfect time for you to consider taking the less-than-two-hour drive eastward to the preserve. It has a Tidewater landscape and plant life worth exploring, yet receives a only few visitors a day, so you may be the only one walking through the 254 acres.

The existence of a marked trail system in the Hickory Hollow area of Lancaster County is proof that the efforts of one person can enhance the lives of many. Although a number of state, civic, and environmental organizations contributed donations and volunteer efforts, county forester Henry Bashore is generally acknowledged as the person who made an idea into a reality. Not only did he help coordinate the groups’ efforts and persuade the county bureaucracy to open Hickory Hollow to the public, but he spent his own time and funds developing, building, and maintaining the trail system. This is surely a lesson to those of us who feel that one person alone cannot make a difference.

From 1780, the first year of recorded ownership, to 1877, the land changed hands several times and was used for a variety of purposes, notably for timber or farming. In 1877, Lancaster County purchased the property and maintained a farm on it until 1905. The process of reforestation has allowed the timber to be harvested numerous times, the last in 1962.

You’ll rarely encounter other hikers at Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve. Credit: Leonard Adkins

Most of the nearly six miles of trails is on old logging roads, making the walking moderately easy. The large holes in the ground next to the roads are known as borrow pits. Soil, rock, and clay were “borrowed” from these spots to aid in building a level roadbed. Flying squirrels begin their acrobatics in the early evening; ovenbirds, with their familiar “teacher, teacher, teacher” call, are more often heard than seen; and wildflowers are plentiful throughout. Among them are trout lily, crane-fly orchids, violets, pygmy pipe, and horsetail.

Pink lady’s slippers usually begin lining the roadsides sometime in April. Although their numbers may appear to be more than adequate here, this plant is becoming rarer every year in Virginia. Watch your step and, please, don’t dig one up to replant at home. Like other orchids, the lady’s slipper will grow only when certain fungi are present in soil around its roots. If soil and weather conditions aren’t conducive to the fungi, the lady’s slipper will not survive.

The Ann Messick Trail descends to Cabin Swamp, which is so intensely green and lush during the warm months that it may make other parts of the forest seem sparse and dull in comparison. Skunk cabbage, jack-in-the-pulpit, spring beauty, wild ginger, marsh marigold, and false hellebore grow among dozens of other wildflowers. Freshwater clams have been seen next to the pennywort in the small streams and the call of great horned owls often echoes through the woods.

The route along the western edge of the preserve is a narrow footpath, giving the area a more rustic feel as you walk through an open beech forest next to a creek, passing in and out of laurel tunnels. Heartleaf, running cedar, and partridgeberry make up the groundcover. The loblolly pines have dropped so many needles onto the understory that it looks to be festooned by thousands of thin brown icicles.

You should be aware that in the late 1990s, many residents of Lancaster County (rallied by local citizens Henry Bashore and Ann B. Messick) opposed county plans to develop an industrial park on Hickory Hollow lands. The residents’ nearly tireless efforts were fruitful. Grants and donations, including $150,000 from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, were raised to purchase and protect the land. Hickory Hollow is now administered by the Northern Neck Audubon Society with assistance from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Natural Heritage Program. If you enjoy your hike here, be sure to let county officials know that Hickory Hollow was one of the primary reasons you traveled to their county (and probably spent some money there, too).

Driving Directions: From Richmond, take US 360 east to Warsaw. There turn right and head south on VA 3. Just after you go through the town of Lancaster turn right onto VA 604. The preserve is on your left.

Kayakers navigate Taskinas Creek in York River State Park. Credit: Virginia State Parks

Last time our Summer Roadtrip Series took us to The Falls of the Nottoway River, a sweet natural rock slide and swimming hole destination about an hour southwest of Richmond. This Saturday we’ll be taking a roadtrip to York River State Park for their annual Estuaries Day.

If you’ve never been to the 2,500-acre York River SP, you’re missing out. It sits in a beautiful spot at the confluence of Taskinas Creek and the York River. It has well-built beginner/intermediate mountain biking trails; a fun fishing pond for kids; a nature center and a couple of great put-ins for flatwater kayaking. And, like the Falls of the Nottoway, it’s less than an hour from Richmond — an easy drive down I-64 toward Williamsburg. You don’t even need directions; you’ll see the signs on the interstate.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Estuaries Day will draw attention to the park’s Taskinas Creek area with a day of water-based activities including canoeing, kayaking, fossil hikes, fishing programs and more. There will be special displays and activities from partner organizations, such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Mattaponi-Pamunkey Rivers Association and Master Naturalists. A 5K run sponsored by the Colonial Road Runners will benefit the Lafayette High School Cross Country Team and Friends of York River State Park.

Horse back riding is also popular on the wide trails at York River State Park. Credit: Virginia State Parks

“(The) event is a fun way to get kids immersed in the outdoors, environmental science and history before the school year begins,” said Jon Tustin, York River State Park Manager.

Estuaries Day is free and parking is $4 per car. There is no charge for the kayak and canoe trips, but registration on the day of the event is first come, first served.

Pedestrians enjoy the Roanoke River Greenway, which is over 5 miles long. Credit: Max Hepp-Buchanan

It’s amazing what a 10-foot-wide ribbon of asphalt can do to transform a region. Paved multi-use trails have completely altered the transportation and recreation landscape in cities like Boulder, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. For me, those are the first places that come to mind when thinking about great cities for bicycling on paved trails, but what about Virginia Beach? Or Roanoke?

Or Chesterfield County?

Maybe Chesterfield County is not quite there yet, but they are thinking ahead. A team of county staff are now in the process of developing the county’s new Bikeways & Trails Plan, which will map the future of paved trails and on-street bikeways in the Chesterfield. And they are looking to local leaders like Virginia Beach and the Roanoke region for guidance by touring those locations and meeting with their planners.

I have been fortunate enough to join the Chesterfield County team on their study trips this spring and summer, and I’ve learned a lot about how a well-placed trail, built at the right kind of roadway or property development can make all the difference in how people get around by walking or biking.

Our most recent trip was to the Roanoke area just last week. Roanoke Valley Greenways started planning for multi-use trails back in the mid-1990s, so they are already 20 years ahead of Chesterfield County. Regionally, they boast about 25 miles of greenways and over 80 miles of bike lanes and signed routes. And like many jurisdictions, they started with the low-hanging fruit: the first seven years of trail construction in the Roanoke Valley was focused within parks, along sewer lines, and other existing public rights of way. Then they had to start acquiring new land, which makes things more difficult and expensive.

The Roanoke region has been building greenways for over 20 years. Credit: Max Hepp-Buchanan

But they’ve come a long way in a relatively short amount of time and take a lot of pride in their centerpieces, such as the Lick Run Greenway, which runs from Valley View Mall past an elementary school, through a park, and right into downtown Roanoke. It’s only 3.5 miles long right now, but it does a great job connecting major destinations in an urban environment.

The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission has produced a very useful Bike, Hike, & Bus Map that incorporates bus timetables, the dirt trail network and trailheads, and paved and on- and off-street bikeways. This all-in-one alternative transportation map does wonders to maximize the walking and biking enthusiast’s outdoor experience in the Roanoke Valley region (order yours for free here).

While Greater Richmond doesn’t yet have a map-worthy regional network – with all the work that the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County are doing to become more walking- and biking-friendly – one but can’t help think the future of new greenways in our region is bright.

After a month-long hiatus, the RichmondOutside.com “Summer Roadtrip Series” continues today with a waterfall destination Central Virginians can reach in an hour (or less) but most I’ve talked to haven’t heard of. There are only so many waterfalls in the middle of the Old Dominion, far from the mountains where cataracts are common. Can you guess the one I’m talking about? It’s not your picture-postcard sheer falls. But it does have a couple of perfect natural rock slides with large swimming holes at the bottom and the hike to it is only about 300 yards.

The Falls of the Nottoway make a great summer day trip for Central Virginians.

If you guessed the Falls of the Nottoway, you are correct! The falls are a perfect summer getaway, especially if you have kids who love swimming. They will love this place. And not only are the slides and swimming holes fun and safe (assuming it hasn’t just rained a ton), but there’s plenty of rock space for bringing a picnic and spending some time. Just keep in mind that unless you go earlier in the morning, you aren’t likely to have the place to yourself. Even in the middle of nowhere, it’s a popular place.

Getting to the trailhead: From US 360 in Richmond, drive south for about 54 miles (depending on where, exactly, you start in Richmond) to the intersection with SR 49. Get on SR 49 going south and drive 15.5 miles to where it crosses the Nottoway River. Look right, upstream, and you’ll see a dam and the Nottoway Falls Reservoir. Look left, downstream, and you’ll see the top of the falls. Drive 0.1 miles past the bridge and turn right at a gravel road. You’ll see signs for a public boat ramp. Drive a hundred yards or so and stay right at the fork in the gravel road. Park in that big, open gravel lot.

Getting to the falls: When you park in the gravel lot, the service road is off to the right. Follow it for just a few feet and look for the narrower trail that’s been created by decades of people thronging the falls. You’ll pass under the bridge first, then enter the woods for just a few hundred feet before you see the falls on your left.

There’s caution tape now where the entrance to the bridge used to be.

Yesterday’s torrential rains led to a dramatic re-route of the Forest Hill Park singletrack loop trail popular with runners, mountain bikers and dog walkers throughout Richmond. Just north of the bridge that takes Forest Hill Avenue over Reedy Creek (near Crossroads coffee shop), the trail crosses the creek on a wooden footbridge. At least it used to.

The downpour yesterday brought a wall of water that city trails manager Mike Burton thinks was probably up over the bridge’s handrails. That puts it maybe 8 feet above the rocks that the water usually trickles over this time of year. That is a ton of water.

It’s not uncommon for Reedy to rage like it did yesterday when a storm comes through. That’s why it’s popular with experienced creek boaters, kayakers who paddle narrow streams (usually in the mountains) in high-water conditions. But apparently it was not a boater that was swept downstream by the water, the Times-Dispatch reported, and pinned “against the rocks in the fast-flowing rapids.” The Richmond Fire Department had to be called to rescue the man. They were eventually able to get a rope bag and flotation device to him and pulled him to safety. The rescue tools were still attached to a tree at the scene this morning.

A mountain biker surveys Reedy Creek from one of the sections of bridge washed downstream.

As for the bridge, it was split in half by the floodwaters and left washed up on the banks. Burton said they’d been looking into replacing the bridge even before this happened. Cost estimates for one bridge type ran from $45,000 to $60,000. It they rebuilt it with wood and volunteer labor, it might be cheaper, he said, but they’d run into the same issues of durability that the old bridge had.

For now, the trail (if you’re coming from the hillside below Patrick Henry Elementary School) will be detoured to the old trail that parallels the creek on its east side. Riders and pedestrians will follow that trail down to the Harvey Family Memorial Bridge, then take a left and ride on the asphalt up to the top of the hill. There they’ll take a right and reconnect with the existing trail. Signage showing the detour route should be in place by this weekend.

The ropes and bags from yesterday’s rescue.

Burton said another possibility, instead of building a bridge, would be to cut some new singletrack into the bank on the western side of Reedy Creek between the Harvey bridge and where the trail entered the old bridge. This would be a much cheaper option, but with the bank extremely steep in many areas, he stressed, that this possibility would require more study by his trail crew and may not be feasible.

To see what the trail and the bridge used to look like, click here for our Forest Hill Park page, then scroll all the way down for our Terrain360.com panoramic-image tour of the park.

If you haven’t noticed, Richmond’s outdoor scene is getting a lot of national attention lately. In 2012 Richmond was named “Best River Town” by Outside Magazine. Dominion Riverrock has grown into the nation’s largest outdoor sports and music festival and just last week The Active Times featured Richmond’s recreation offerings in its travel section. But, it did not happen overnight. Countless outdoor enthusiasts have lovingly labored for decades to foster recreational opportunities among Richmond’s bounty of natural endowments. A particular group of dedicated recreation professionals south of the James have been at the forefront of this movement.

For more than thirty years, the Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation Department’s Outdoor Programs team has offered outdoor and adventure programming for residents of all localities and ability levels. Last week, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon on the James River with Adventure Programmer Greg Velzy. He instructed me in basic whitewater kayaking techniques, while we chatted about Chesterfield’s varied offerings.

Hikers on a recent Chesterfield Parks excursion to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Velzy, a certified instructor for more than twenty years, talked about the county’s programs as he guided me though riffles and some moderate class II rapids.

“We focus is on instruction, so people can enjoy the river safely,” he said.

I got a small sample of that instruction while on the river with Velzy. After a couple of attempts, I learned how to “ferry,” a maneuver used to get across an eddy line into the rapids. When done right, the move will take you in an upstream angle across the smooth water and turn you into the flow of the rapids. Chesterfield’s beginner whitewater kayaking class is a good way to learn the basics. The two-day class teaches safety and technique on calm water on the first day and running and reading rapids on the second.

In addition to kayaking, Chesterfield instructors offer sailing, rafting and stand up paddle boarding (SUP) classes, too.  The county also offers a swift-water rescue class – just in case.

Instruction is just one goal. Another is to instill a sense of stewardship. “When people enjoy the river, hopefully they will be motivated to take care of it,” said Velzy.

And instructional programs are just part of the county’s offerings. There are many nature and interpretive programs as well, and they are not all on the water. In fact, Chesterfield offers many hiking, backpacking, paddling and climbing programs all over Virginia. The Great Dismal Swamp, Shenandoah National Park, and the Chesapeake Bay are just a few of the destinations the country takes people who sign up for their programs.

Mark Battista, who has worked as a Naturalist for Chesterfield County for 25 years, summed it up well. When asked about what kind of programs the county offers, he replied, “A little bit of everything. We hike and paddle, explore swamps, vernal pools, the Blue Ridge Mountains, maritime forests, bottomlands and beaches. We are quite diverse in our program offerings. In one week, we can conduct an astronomy program, conduct a hike to the Dismal Swamp, lead a bird walk and conduct a campfire program.”

Students test the pH of the James River at a recent field trip at the Dutch Gap Conservation Area.

Some of the most popular programs are “Wonderful World of Bugs”, “Swamp Walk” and “Butterflies and Dragonflies.”

Group programs are available as well. The Challenge Course features a series of physical and social challenges for individuals and groups designed to foster confidence and team-building.  It has high and low elements, so it is well suited for adult and student groups. A variety of school field trips are offered including: Exploring Wetlands, Adaptations, Geology of Chesterfield Count, Watersheds, Reptiles and Wildlife Detective.

A big variety of programs are also available at the Rockwood Park Nature Center. Programs include:  geocaching, camps, beekeeping, wilderness survival, campfire programs and more.  Bob Smet, Director of the nature center for the last three years noted that visitors will be very impressed by the recent changes and program additions.  He says the archery classes are “one of the hottest new programs.” There are beginner and intermediate courses and classes for youth and adults.  Bob recommends signing up early because the classes fill fast and there is a waiting list.

More information about the Rockwood Nature Center can be found at rockwoodnaturecenter.com.

Chesterfield County offers hundreds of outdoor programs every year – way too many to list here.  Programs are open to everyone regardless of where you live and prices are kept low to encourage the whole community to participate. Information about Chesterfield Outdoor Programs can be found at chesterfieldoutdoorprograms.com. And you can click here to register for programs.

Last Monday, I wrote the first in what will be a weekly RichmondOutside.com “Summer Roadtrip Series.” I wrote about a recent drive to a place called the Cascades, a gorgeous waterfall/hike combo 15 or so miles north of Blacksburg. This week I was all set to write up another trip out to the mountains, this time to Shenandoah National Park, but over the weekend I received an intriguing email.

When I saw the title — “The Return of Ahn Ominous?” — I got excited. You may remember back in the winter we published a hilarious account of an illegal camping trip in a far-off section of Pocahontas State Park by what I assume is a loyal RichmondOutside.com reader. The writer called himself (herself?) Ahn Ominous, and while our team of RichmondOutside.com lawyers tells me we do not officially condone gonzo camping or any other harmless but illicit outdoor activity, I have to admit, I was hoping Ahn would be back with another tale.

This is what passes for trail on the way to Saint Mary’s Falls, but the payoff is worth the pain.

And then I got the email. And, as luck would have it, the piece fits perfectly with our roadtrip series. It even includes a waterfall. Score! So, without further ado, here is the return of Ahn Ominous.

Surviving a hike through the Saint Mary’s Wilderness

By Ahn Ominous

“They should really take the ‘Saint’ out of the name.”

“What are you babbling about this time?” asks the Imaginary Me.

“Saint Mary’s Falls. The word ‘Saint’ shouldn’t be anywhere near that place,” I respond to myself. “Do you see this cut and bruise on my shin? Here, look at this bruise — it’s on my stomach, of all places!”

Then I drop trou’ (because the Imaginary Me has seen my butt enough times to keep either of us from being embarrassed). “I look like one of those baboons with the purple asses.”

“Wow,” says IM. “That wasn’t my first thought, but, yeah, I see what you’re saying. Were you mountain biking and bit it?”

I shake my head.

“Were you rock climbing?”

After a brief pause: “No, I was hiking,” I admit with a bit of reticence. IM’s face goes through phases of disbelief, confusion, and then … “Hiking? Bwahahahah! What are you, five? You fell on your ass twice?”

Ridiculous, I think. Even in conversations with an Imaginary Me, I get made fun of. But never mind that…

The Saint Mary’s River courses beneath some blooming rhododendrons.

Saint Mary’s Waterfall is located in the Saint Mary’s Wilderness portion of the George Washington National Forest near Steele’s Tavern. It’s just under a two-hour drive from Richmond. According to the 12-year-old guidebook my hiking companion brought along, it’s an easy 4.5-mile hike, starting from the parking area and meandering alongside the Saint Marys River. This, kids, is why you don’t follow 12-year-old guidebooks.

The “easy” hike turns into an all-out game of “Where’s the damn trail?” as various rock slides, bank collapses, overgrowth, and lack of signage hinder progress. Luckily, hiking with a good friend and walking past cliffsides of late-blooming rhododendron and mountain laurel make the expedition more bearable. We rockhop across the stream time and again looking for the trail only to wind up bushwhacking through impossible thickets and deciding to cross back over. It is brutal

When we reach the end of the trail — two hours after we started — we’re rewarded with the idyllic sight of a 10-foot waterfall with crystal-clear water cascading through a canyon speckled with wildflowers into an emerald-green pool. (I’m waxing poetic — sue me.) Although there’s no camping in this area, if you choose to indulge your inner scofflaw, you’ll be isolated in the company of some hammock-friendly trees, on high ground, within 30 yards of the falls themselves. It would also, hypothetically speaking, be a great place treat yourself and your hiking partner to ice cold beers.

But even with the flowers, the gorgeous waterfall, the beer-fueled camaraderie and the opportunities for illegal camping, this Mary ain’t no Saint. And if you find yourself muttering to an imaginary self on the hike back, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Saint Mary’s Falls is situated in a beautiful, and remote, canyon (not pictured).