Hike of White Rock Nature Preserve

I (finally) made it to White Rock Nature Preserve today. It was a gorgeous afternoon. The bluffs looked beautiful. There was lots of red foliage remaining on some trees, a clear blue sky, and a slight crispness to the air. I was on the trail roughly 105 minutes, and I encountered no other hikers.

View from the parking lot:

To access the trailhead, I had to walk north from the parking lot about 300 feet, then take a private road (including walking over a badass old wooden bridge) to the trail head.

Once through the gate, there was a climb on the White Mine Trail to an area named Madeline's rest, where there were some benches, an information board about the history of the area and some various animals that might be seen.

Some 'shrooms:

I loved the velvet-like texture of the moss on this log:

The White Mine Trail continued up to the top of the bluff to the North/South Ridge Trail. I first headed north to the end. There was a nice little separation in the treeline, and I had a great view of the American Bottoms.

I then backtracked and headed along the South Ridge Trail to the end of that. That portion ended at a Hill Prairie rehab site. It was still a nice view.

I was in the woods most of the time, which is fine, but it wasn't terribly scenic due to the season. Most of the leaves had fallen off the trees and so the trail was just a bunch of brown leaves and bare trees. I actually like the bare trees. It was still a pleasant hike. I'm definitely interested in returning. Would be good in the springtime or earlier in fall. I found it an easier go than Salk Lick, but still relatively challenging due to the initial climbs up the bluff.





Some more pics from the hike: