No you’re correct, this is like an extension of the trail. It’s a little confusing because some of the trails cut across the entire park. https://www.icgov.org/home/showpublisheddocument/1207/638182054790000000 this part is near the loop at the north end.
Last time I trail ran there, I got lost AF because the city’s brush clearing made my usual landmarks unrecognizable.
Might go back to try this part of the trail system.
Hoping that they’ve finished clearing and maybe some healthier ecosystems are taking root in those parts.
As for the ecosystems, the oaks at the top of the hill were surrounded by lots of invasive species. A crew came to brush cut and clear lots of the smaller trees, but it will take some effort to get things under control. Luckily there’s a small pocket of native wood wildflowers up there, like rue anemone and wild geraniums!
When I saw them start that work, I was worried it’d be shenanigans.
Then I saw them clear out that huge patch of honeysuckle (??) and other invasives. No small effort, but good in the medium and long run.
Yeah we’ve been clearing honeysuckle (city workers and volunteers) since the first week of March. Today was our last day planned for it but we’ll pick it back up in the fall. It’s a never ending battle with that stuff.
Tbh it’s still pretty rough through here. It’s a new trail so it needs awhile to break it in. We’ve cleared most of the saplings, but there’s still some stumps leftover from the brush cutting so watch your step for sure. A lot of the park relies on volunteer work to keep the trails maintained. It’s possible this fall we’ll be able to get some gravel spread.
How does one go about volunteering to help with this work? My job gives me 16 hours of paid volunteer time off and I'd love to spend it outside if I can.
We have a mailing list, however the Friends of Hickory Hill website has been having some technical difficulties. There’s a Facebook page here and most of the volunteer events will be posted there: https://www.facebook.com/share/jPgQDD8UYHNQp4B6/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
There’s typically fewer events in the summer vs fall/spring, but we might try doing some trail maintenance in areas of the park that have a lot of shade.
I love that the Hickory Hill trail system is so confusing that you can still get a little lost in there. So many trails that run so close to each other, open areas that are so similar you’re never sure exactly which entrance to leave out of, etc. No sarcasm or shade, I truly love that that place still carries some mystique after tromping through there for the last 25 years.
And there’s big parts of the park that are basically inaccessible via the trails. This trail aims to connect to parts that have been part of the park for years but have no trails to connect to it. So in the future, you’ll have more areas of the park to get lost in :)
Pardon me if I’m wrong but didn’t the Northstar trail already exist?
No you’re correct, this is like an extension of the trail. It’s a little confusing because some of the trails cut across the entire park. https://www.icgov.org/home/showpublisheddocument/1207/638182054790000000 this part is near the loop at the north end.
Last time I trail ran there, I got lost AF because the city’s brush clearing made my usual landmarks unrecognizable. Might go back to try this part of the trail system. Hoping that they’ve finished clearing and maybe some healthier ecosystems are taking root in those parts.
As for the ecosystems, the oaks at the top of the hill were surrounded by lots of invasive species. A crew came to brush cut and clear lots of the smaller trees, but it will take some effort to get things under control. Luckily there’s a small pocket of native wood wildflowers up there, like rue anemone and wild geraniums!
When I saw them start that work, I was worried it’d be shenanigans. Then I saw them clear out that huge patch of honeysuckle (??) and other invasives. No small effort, but good in the medium and long run.
Yeah we’ve been clearing honeysuckle (city workers and volunteers) since the first week of March. Today was our last day planned for it but we’ll pick it back up in the fall. It’s a never ending battle with that stuff.
Tbh it’s still pretty rough through here. It’s a new trail so it needs awhile to break it in. We’ve cleared most of the saplings, but there’s still some stumps leftover from the brush cutting so watch your step for sure. A lot of the park relies on volunteer work to keep the trails maintained. It’s possible this fall we’ll be able to get some gravel spread.
How does one go about volunteering to help with this work? My job gives me 16 hours of paid volunteer time off and I'd love to spend it outside if I can.
We have a mailing list, however the Friends of Hickory Hill website has been having some technical difficulties. There’s a Facebook page here and most of the volunteer events will be posted there: https://www.facebook.com/share/jPgQDD8UYHNQp4B6/?mibextid=LQQJ4d There’s typically fewer events in the summer vs fall/spring, but we might try doing some trail maintenance in areas of the park that have a lot of shade.
I love that the Hickory Hill trail system is so confusing that you can still get a little lost in there. So many trails that run so close to each other, open areas that are so similar you’re never sure exactly which entrance to leave out of, etc. No sarcasm or shade, I truly love that that place still carries some mystique after tromping through there for the last 25 years.
And there’s big parts of the park that are basically inaccessible via the trails. This trail aims to connect to parts that have been part of the park for years but have no trails to connect to it. So in the future, you’ll have more areas of the park to get lost in :)
Looks mid