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Trail of the Month Program
800-334-6946

Hikers' Comments on Rocky Ford Trail
Wallace State Park

	Month Hiked	Comments from participants of the 2007 Trail of the Month Program
	October 2007	Don't let the name fool you. It was a pretty easy trail to walk.
	September 2007	The best thing about my hike was finding lots of Burr Oak acorn 'tops' only. I read later that the meat of this acorn is sweet so the wildlife eat it first.
	September 2007	The creek was quite low, exposing the Rocky Ford. This was a pretty trail. Enjoyed the fact that it was shady.
	August 2007	This trail has mile markers to let you know how much is left on the trail. It is fairly shaded.
	August 2007	I wonder what the creek would look like if lots of water were flowing over the limestone shelf. There would be a couple of nice waterfalls.
	July 2007	This is a nice short trail that runs along the stream. Makes a nice introduction for the park's other trails. Like most of the trails we walked, this will be gorgeous in the fall.
	July 2007	Nice trail along a pretty stream. This is one that is really pretty in October when the trees turn colors.
	July 2007	It was a pretty walking trail. The smells were so sweet. There were huge rocks in the creek; we walked out on some of them.
	July 2007	This was a really pretty walk. The trail was well marked even though we started at the end. The rocky ford was interesting to see.
	July 2007	A mother deer and her two fawns stopped to watch Jack and I walk by. This isn't the first time we have seen deer, but it is the first time they seemed so interested. Jack didn't see them; he was more interested in the squirrels. This is a wonderful trail and I would like to visit this park again to stay longer, but I had to leave -- it was getting dark and I had another trail I wanted to catch before I went home.
	July 2007	Really neat park and trail. Great treasure hunt program at the park by the naturalist. We really enjoyed this trail for the creek/waterfallish areas where we could get really close to frogs and snakes. Lots of stuff to look at and areas to investigate. Neat fallen trees.
	July 2007	This is a very nice, short trail that is very well maintained. The water wasn't running over the ford today. Still a pleasant walk.
	July 2007	This park is out of the way and looked like it would be a good place to camp and swim. The trail went near a creek. Nice.
	July 2007	You can imagine how the early pioneers viewed this seemingly unremarkable natural stone feature... “With joy on or faces, we seek new places.” Thank the Lord we can cross at Rocky Ford!
	June 2007	A beautiful hiking trail near a stream of water. We stopped to watch and listen to a small waterfall along the route. I really enjoyed this trail. It was short and sweet but filled with the beauty of nature with lots of frogs hopping along with us.
	June 2007	A very nice "remote" feeling. The trail runs along a stream, which babbles over a couple of small waterfalls. It was one of my favorites, especially if you hook up with the Deer Run Trail.
	June 2007	We stirred up a deer down by the creek. The trail itself was a bit more rough than the others we have been on, which is good.
	June 2007	You can see definite improvement in this hike. It was nice to see our conservation taxes were used to build new trail bridges to avoid walking in the mud. On the dam, we walked through 20-25 geese. Really cool.
	June 2007	Lovely little trail. This trail was peaceful along the river with some wildlife.
	May 2007	Had one landslide due to heavy rains. Found ringneck snake 12 inches long. Saw waterstriders, skinks and butterflies.
	May 2007	My girls were already saying how "short" this trail was compared to "Watkins Mill". We had hiked Watkins Mill earlier in the day. Trail passes right by a stream that is hard for kids not to play in. My girls really seemed to enjoy this one.
	May 2007	It has very pretty scenery and surprises.
	May 2007	This is an excellent trail for beginners! The path descends slowly from the trailhead to the river and follows it upstream to the end. From there you can branch out and explore many other trails if you choose. Be cautious along the river though, as recent flooding has coated the trail with sand, downed nearby trees and washed out large portions close to the edge. When you're done, enjoy a picnic, go fishing or take a swim in the lake before making the short walk back to the trailhead.
	May 2007	This is the kind of trail that I envision when I think about hiking trails - a nice worn path through the woods. The stream that the trail ran next to added some great scenery.
	May 2007	Short but pleasant, downhill hike. The dirt path was easy to follow and well cared for.
	May 2007	The trail is very beautiful. It has experienced some washouts from the May 2007 flash flooding. The trail will be pushed back from the river where it barely hugs the trees that cling onto the riverside. Fallen trees cross the river and a waterfall graces the river- now calm after the storm. Continue on the trail going right on the first split. Follow it up to the lake at the second fork straight up over the levee. It is a small lake but very beautiful and peaceful.
	May 2007	The two small waterfalls and rock bed cheek were a pleasant surprise, and very enjoyable.
	May 2007	We have hiked all the trails at Wallace State Park except the Rocky Ford Trail. I was very surprised to see the rock bed stream with the waterfalls. The wildflowers were in bloom, which added to the beauty of this trail.