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Miller Woods Loop
Have you ever been warned about screaming before beginning the trek around a short loop? Well, now I have, but what else did I expect with an early afternoon excursion on Halloween? A school film project brought these kids to the woods to film some horror scenes as I took my camera to enjoy the silence. Guess who got what they needed? Hint: It wasn’t me. At least, not on this trail.
This trail is extremely short at 0.3 miles but is a well marked loop in a pretty nice area. You will have to park on the side of the road, unless you are a member of the local community, but there is plenty of room for 3 to 4 cars on each side of the road.
I had originally contemplated sneakers for this trail, as it was short and I was just trying to get myself into nature, but I was glad that I always keep my boots in my trunk. The entrance to the trail was under about 3 inches of water due to its natural landscape and the constant rain from the week before. Even with my boots, the trail was slick due to the fallen leaves, but the day’s adventure truly tested the waterproofness of my hiking boots.
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Schroeter Park Loop
After traversing the one-lane road for the last half mile to the trailhead (which might be easier to do with an AWD or 4WD vehicle), I continued to test how waterproof my boots really are. This 1.2 mile trail in Canton was the wettest I’ve come across since Bishop’s Bog, which is a literal swamp. There are about 6 parking spaces, so you don’t have to worry about that, like I have in some places.
The trail itself, while extremely wet, was a nice mix of both open air fields and actual woods, so it was a very nice way to take in those big, gulping breaths of fresh air I really needed that day.
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Creekshead Nature Preserve Area Loop
Finally, I made it out to yet another nature preserve, but I will tell you, I almost didn’t find this one. Creekshead may be an easier trail to come across if you aren’t solo hiking, like I was that day. It was extremely difficult for me to find the trailhead, which has a sign, while I was driving up and down the road. Then, I had to park on the opposite side of the road of a pretty trafficked area, so, be careful and know your car might not be safe if you don’t get completely off the road.
It was nice that there was a pamphlet included at the trailhead that gave you some background. This type of information isn’t always still around, so I grabbed one and tucked it into my pack. The trail itself was relatively easy to traverse, although the fallen leaves, prevalent use of wood planks, and wet air and ground did make it slippery in places. The trail is tucked between two houses, but you don’t really seem to notice, so that was a nice feature as well.
Raven K 