Powder Valley revisited

Posted by Kara

 This weekend I took a test run. It has been a terrible, terrible spring for allergies for me this year (though luckily my asthma has been fairly tame so far), and half the time I'm miserable even just being indoors. So in order to give myself a taste of the outdoors and test how my allergies would hold up, I decided to do an easy walk at Powder Valley, where it is easy to get to my car if I suddenly was about to die of my eyes swelling shut. It went well, to say the least, and I immediately could feel myself relax just being outside under the trees.

I have been to Powder Valley multiple times, I think the most recent visit being half a year ago in November. There are things I love about it and things I dislike about it, but convenience is definitely a big selling point for me. It's kind of a surprise to find it when you go, because it seems stuck right in the middle of a fairly urban area. One minute you're driving down a road with doctor's offices and houses, and then you turn and there are woods around you. Powder Valley also offers a really neat nature center with kid-friendly activities (that I found kind of fun too, when I went), and very friendly staff who were willing to talk to me about teacher-education opportunities and classes when I went this time.

This is the first time I've done all three trails in one day, though that isn't saying a ton. Broken Ridge Trail is 2/3 of a mile long, but has a few ascents to make things interesting. Tanglevine Trail is barely a trail at all, 1/3 of a mile and very flat, basically just a small circle. Both of these trails have signs on the trees or near interesting wildlife in case you are wondering what kind of tree/plant you are looking at, and the Tanglevine trail also has a few poster signs along the way about the habitat of the wildlife. The Hickory Ridge trail is just a nudge over a mile long, though there is a shorter loop option (I did the long trail and then finished up on the short trail back to the parking lot, just because). This trail has the most ups and downs, and is different from the other trails in that it spends a bit of time on the valley floor, following along the stream. Overall, all three trails add up to about 2.2 miles, not a bad little walk.

Cons for me on this trail are:
-all paved trails
-fairly well traveled and full of families/children (which for families with kids, would be a pro, I imagine)
-there can be lots of noise from the nearby highway and roads-- I had to use my ipod the whole time.
-Fairly uneventful scenery, without much variety on the trails.

Pros:
-Convenience
-Good short length for a day walk
-helpful staff and plenty of facilities
-Despite the lack of variety, the scenery is nonetheless beautiful. Tall green trees, wooden bridges, and streams really give you a peaceful, calm feeling
-Just enough up and downs on the trails for it to be more than just an easy walk.