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| Trails & Seasonal Trail Guides |
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A walk along our inviting trails is an ideal way to get to
know Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve. More than two-dozen
well-marked trails wind through the grounds. All told, the
trails cover about 2- ½ miles in length.
The character of the trails changes with the seasons, so visit often. In spring, stroll amidst a profusion of woodland ephemeral wildflowers, to the songs of thrushes and warblers. In summer, enjoy the contrast of warm meadows and cool forests, and look for frogs and turtles among the aquatic plants of the pond. In fall, revel in the brilliance of the foliage, with crunchy leaves underfoot and clear blue skies overhead. In the crisp winter air, experience the peaceful magic of new snow lighting upon bright-berried shrubs.
Before you set out, stop in the Visitor Center's Twinleaf
Shop and get a free trail map and bloom guide. Sign up for
a guided tour or ask the person in the Shop for suggestions
about where to walk on your own. For information about guided
tours, click
here.
If you decide to walk around on your own, one of our free seasonal
trail guides will add to your enjoyment and learning. These
guides, available seasonally, include: "Spring Ephemeral Trail
Guide", "Meander Through Our Meadow", "Trail Guide to Wood's
Edge Walk", "Penn's Woods Tree Trail", "Fall Wildflower Walk"
and "Bog Garden Guide." For children (ages 5 through 12),
ask to check out "A Children's Guide to Bowman's Hill Wildflower
Preserve", filled with pictures and fun activities. Our brochure,
"Birding", is a checklist of the diverse birds that frequent
the Preserve.
Most of the trails are easy for visitors of any physical ability to walk upon. For convenience of all-weather walking, the trails are surfaced with gravel and linked by a paved central pedestrian roadway. Many of the trails are quite flat, equally suited for a leisurely meander or a fast-paced walk. If you prefer more vigorous exercise, take the pedestrian roadway up to Bowman's Tower, about a one-mile walk uphill.
Benches along the trails provide perfect perches from which to enjoy the birds, admire the wildflowers and take in the serene surroundings.
One trail, Wood's Edge Walk, is a handicapped-accessible path. This trail consists of a paved path, a wheelchair-accessible shelter with benches from which to view woods and meadow, and handicapped-only parking. (The main floor of the Visitor Center, its bathrooms and the parking lot also are handicapped-accessible.)
Strollers can be easily pushed along the paved pedestrian roadway and Wood's Edge Walk. Most of the rest of the trails are relatively flat and surfaced with gravel, and can best accommodate strollers outfitted with "all-terrain" sturdy tires.
For protection of the Preserve's plants and out of consideration
to our visitors, we have a few simple rules for you to follow
when you visit. Please
click here for details.
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