| 725 | Cedars of Lebanon Hidden Springs Trail |
2012-11-05 |
Road signs pointed the way to the Hidden Springs Trailhead and parking area. The trailhead was near a large picnic area with restrooms. Soon we crossed the road and and were on the trail. A new trail kiosk with a map was located near the start of the trail. The map included the maze of horse trails. We did not stop by the Park Office to see if copies of the map were available.
We traveled counter-clockwise on the loop trail. The trail was an easy walk, but it was also dry on this visit. On our hike three years ago, it had rained a good deal and the limestone rock was slick in places. On the 2012 hike none of the stream beds had water flowing.
The hike took about two hours and we were not in a hurry. As we walked we inspected plants, berries, trees, and wildlife tracks. We did not always agree on identifications but we all had fun trying to justify our opinions. As usual, Laura won!
A few Hidden Springs notes ...
The Park does not use trash cans. Well, that is sacrilegious! No trash cans in a Park? Instead, they have dumpsters located throughout the Park including the cabin area and campground.
Using dumpsters makes trash collection simpler. The dumpsters also provide a critter proof trash disposal system, but I guess that also depends on where the trash dumpsters are dumped.
There were a few new benches on the trail, as well as the kiosk.
There was only one bridge on the trail. The Eagle Scout Project crossed an intermittent stream bed.
The trail had white blazes. Jon claimed that they were not blazes but instead, white blurs. The paint seemed to have run (or blur) down the tree trunks. Jon pointed to several trees off of the trail that had white blurs also, but they were natural (we did not inspect the natural blurs but they were probably from a growth, such as mold or lichen). The natural blurs did look very similar to the blurs of paint.
All of the trail junctions were well marked with arrows.
The hike travels through a cedar glade. There are many sinkholes in the area.
Some of the sinkholes are large. Please approach the holes with caution and never leave children unattended.
The sink for Hidden Spring and the nearby well were especially interesting.
Our primary reason for visiting the Park was because we are updating the map for www.cloudhiking.com. It should be complete in a couple of days.
If in the area, visit the Park and hike the trails. The Hidden Springs Trail was quite easy and enjoyable. The other shorter trails in the Park are also good hikes. We especially like the Cedar Forest Trail. The Park also has a Disc Golf course and plenty of picnic facilities.
Happy Hidden Spring trails
cloudhiking - Hidden Springs, Cedar Forest