Reach Us At
Join our VIP e-mail list to receive the latest specials and news from Shop Local Delmarva.
Contact Us
Connect
Family Day Hikes
Story and photos by
September 16th, 2021
When you’ve been cooped up inside all day, either because of school or inclement weather, it can be fun and healthy to get outside. Outdoor activities are a great way to reconnect as a family, to build confidence, and to stay active. Nature inspires the imagination, helps kids gain resiliency and fosters a sense of accomplishment.
Thankfully, no matter where you live in the Salisbury area, there are many options for a quick afternoon walk, or a longer day hike. Here are three local trails ideal for a short (or long) outdoor adventure.
Heron Park, Berlin
This 62 acre park was acquired by the town of Berlin in 2016. With three ponds and passively maintained woodlands, Heron Park attracts dozens of species of birds including waterfowl in winter, shorebirds and waders in summer, and passerines all year-long.
Tucked behind an old industrial building, the park doesn’t at first look like a park. Metal-roofed storage sheds front a municipal lot before you arrive at a boarded-up concrete shed. Long before it became a park, this was a popular birding destination, and those origins can be seen in the colorful man-made birds nests that decorate the side of this small building.
A wide, rocky path leads from the parking area, straight ahead and up a short climb over an embankment. The path winds 8/10ths of a mile around the three ponds that form the central core of the park. Informative signs installed by the town’s Heron Park Committee describe some of the other animals that reside in the park, including otters, turtles, and even the occasional fox. Several benches have been installed on the north end of the trail from where, on a late winter afternoon, one can watch the sun settle behind the trees towards the west.
More adventurous visitors will veer to the left from the parking lot, behind the gray water tank, and find the narrow woodland trail that runs along the railroad tracks on the western edge of the park. Thorn bushes, mud, and standing water will probably greet you as you make your way along the passively maintained path. During the summer this area becomes overgrown with underbrush. Boots and long pants are highly recommended. Some might choose to search for the GeoCache hidden among the trees, or simply stop at the dock that looks out over the drainage channel that runs to Kitts Branch.
Heron Park, 10009 Old Ocean City Blvd, Berlin. Open sunrise to sunset every day. For more information visit https://berlinmd.gov/park/heron-park/
Prothonotary Warbler Trail, Nassawango Creek Preserve, Snow Hill
Just three miles north of Snow Hill sits the Nassawango Creek Preserve, 10,000 acres of bald cypress swamp that is part of the Great Cypress Swamp, the largest contiguous forest on the Delmarva Peninsula.
At the corner of Creek Road and Nassawango Roads lies the trailhead for the Prothonotary Warbler Trail, a two-mile round trip hike through the swamp to a promontory overlooking the river. Explorers of all ages can find dozens of unique plant and animal species here, from river otters and turtles in the creek, 60 recorded species of migratory birds, to more than fourteen species of warbler-like the golden prothonotary.
The well-marked trail is lined with a wide variety of trees such as black gum, red maple, green ash, and the eponymous bald cypress. The smell of pine needles wafts from beneath an evergreen canopy of Atlantic white cedar, also known as false cypress, a once wildly abundant tree that was highly sought after for its dense, hard wood. Additionally, you’ll find a lot of wild orchids, wild azalea, wintergreen, and seaside alder.
Though the two mile walk will take visitors through muddy, swampy sections, most of the trail lies along high enough ground to avoid getting your feet wet, while wooden walkways aid in crossing the wettest sections. Still, boots are recommended, as are a set of binoculars.
For more information, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/nassawango-creek-preserve/
Algonquin Cross County Trail, Salisbury to Pocomoke
The Algonquin Cross County Trail is a well maintained, easily accessible trail with a variety of non-motorized uses, from walking and running, to horseback riding, and even mountain biking.
The northern trailhead can be accessed off of Maryland Route 12, halfway between Salisbury and Snow Hill. Listed on maps as the Foster Tract Public Recreation Area, the parking lot is one mile down winding Gov Smith Lane. The first quarter mile follows the DNR access road before the trail turns and narrows. Dense stands of loblolly pines, white cedar, American chestnut, oaks, and maple trees greet hikers on this trail into the heart of the Chesapeake Forest.
Consisting of more than 75,000 acres, the Chesapeake Forest includes some of the last large unbroken segments of forest on the Eastern Shore. In addition to abundant populations of deer, turkey, and waterfowl, the forests are home to 150 rare, threatened, or endangered species like the Delmarva fox squirrel. Sharp-eyed visitors keeping their eyes on the sky might see the occasional bald eagle circling for prey.
The winding trail runs through a wide variety of terrain, from beach-like sand to thick, muddy bogs, with sections that are often under knee-deep water. The trail is perfect for a short or long day hike. The more adventurous may decide to hike all 12.5 miles to the southern trailhead at the Milburn Landing Area in the Pocomoke River State Park where camping is available from April through December.
For more information, see the DNR trail map at https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Documents/algonquin_cross_county_trail.pdf
Share this Post
