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What’s Your Favorite Nature Walk
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2015/04 - April
We hope you enjoyed participating in the Readers’ Poll for last month. The question we posed was, “Which was your Favorite Moderate Hike?” Choices were Whiteside Mountain, Bartram Trail/ Whiterock Mountain and The Chattooga Loop trail.
You chose Whiteside Mountain.
Our question for May is, “What’s your favorite nature walk?”
This is not to be considered a hike, by any stretch of the imagination. This is just a walk, with not much elevation change, where you get to enjoy the beauty of where we live.
This is not to include your back yard – unless, of course, you want to invites all to enjoy your private bit of Heaven.
Your choices include: Cliffside Lake Loop, the Highlands Plateau Greenway and Highlands Botanical Garden. Write-ins are welcomed. The following information was gathered online and from personal experience.
Cliffside Lake Loop is only one of the many trails at Cliffside Lake Recreation area, located on Highway 64 west, towards Franklin. It is a .75-mile trail that encircles the six- acre lake and takes you over the dam and the beach area. As you cross the dam, there are some slight obstacles (rocks, tree roots) but for the most part, this is a gentle walk. During the season, there is a fee for parking.
The Highlands Plateau Greenway is a network of trails in Highlands, which was designated a National Recreation Trail in May 2010. This fivemile network of walking trails connects natural areas and historic sites. The Greenway is intended for foot traffic only and its trails are rated as easy, moderate or difficult to indicate health and fitness opportunities for all user levels. There are many entrance and exit points along the way and trail maps are available online at HighlandsGreenway.com.
Highlands Botanical Garden was established in 1962 as a refuge and demonstration garden for the diverse flora of the Southern Appalachians and its unique communities. Nearly 500 species of mosses, ferns, wildflowers, shrubs and trees flourish in natural forest, wetlands and old-growth plant communities connected by a series of trails and boardwalks. The garden is located behind the Nature Center and across from Sunset Rocks, on Main Street, Highlands.
To vote, please visit our Facebook Page at facebook.com/TheLaurelMagazine. Write-in suggestions are welcomed and we hope you discover something delightful on your nature walk. Why not let us know what you found by posting your photo on Facebook?
