| 496 | Ellington Agricultural Center Trail System | 2011-10-13 |
Sunday, we went to Ellington Agricultural Center to explore the area and hike the trails. The Ag Center is located east of Franklin Road at the end of Hogan Road or off Edmondson Pike, south of Whitfield Park.
We entered the Ag Center's grounds from Hogan Road. Following the Ag Center road system to the right, we parked in the Iris Garden parking area. This is a popular trailhead with a kiosk.
The Rogers Walk is a 1.6 mile trail that circles the Ag Center. We took an alternate path that increased the mileage by a bit. The trail is fairly easy to follow. In most places it is well signed and obvious.
After hiking the perimeter we continued our outing by walking the Campus Connector and the Museum Connector trails. The Campus Connector bisected the Ag Center campus. It also passes an old cemetery, which is worth the side trip. The Museum Connector trail is not obvious. It follows the Ag Center road between the Museum and the Barn and then follows the fence line to connect to the Campus Connector.
If we lived closer to the Ag Center, we would walk there regularly. They would be great as a trail run, dog walk, or leisurely stroll through the historic farm.
A few Ag Center Trail notes ...
There were water spigots along the trail. We did not check to see if they worked.
There were many places to park for the Rogers Walk.
Signs or kiosks were at each road crossing.
The Eagle Trail is the name of one section of the Rogers Walk - Iris Garden up the hill to the Museum.
There are restrooms at the Museum and a stand alone restroom that the trail passes. It is in the overflow parking area for the Arena.
About half of the walk was in the shade.
The trail crosses several roads. Be careful at all crossings.
Oct 15 & 16 is the Music and Molasses Festival at the Ag Center.
We saw quite a few walkers on the trails.
The horses in the pasture were very friendly.
The trail passes a couple of easy access points to Seven Mile Creek. Our dog, Jake, enjoyed the side trip.
The Seven Mile Creek Greenway is on the other side of the creek. Good access points are the trailhead at Whitfield Park or a short detour from the Rogers Walk trail.
The greenway had quite a few walkers when we visited the area.
Be sure to leave time to explore the Museum and the historic buildings.
We are working on a map and guide to the area. It should be completed soon (cloudhiking.com).
Our total distance was three and a half miles. (We had to walk some sections of the trails twice.)
Happy Rogers Walk trails