Hiking at Brumley North

• Dates we visited: Various dates in January & February
• Posted length: Multiple trail options, 2.9 miles total
• Total miles tracked: Varied, see below
• Type of Trail: Dirt hiking trail
• Conveniences:  Parking
• Best Features:  Well-marked trails, varied terrain in a small area
• Worst Features: No bathrooms or water
• Wildlife spotted: Ducks, rabbits, and occasionally deer
• Vegetation: Daffodils, hardwoods, pines, cedars 
• Associated Website:
• https://www.triangleland.org/explore/nature-preserves/brumley-forest-nature-preserve
• Primary Author: James

Most of these blog posts try to capture a single visit, but Brumley North is worth a mention because it's a site we go to repeatedly to get in short hikes after Cheryl gets off from work. In January and early February, when the sun sets before 6, Brumley North is a convenient destination to get to a little after 5:00 and still work in a hike of a mile or two.

Note that there are two Brumley Forest Nature preserve parking lots. Brumley North is the one off Highway 10. The parking lot isn't gated, so even though the preserve closes at sunset, you don't have to deal with the paranoia about getting locked in if your hike runs a little long. Which is great, since Brumley has a couple of good places to watch sunsets.

There's a site map at the parking lot showing the various trails. Most are under a mile but can be linked together. Nearly every trail makes a loop that intersects with other loops. It's easy to adjust the length of your hike as needed, adding on another mile or half mile if you've got the daylight. The trails are plainly marked. Some follow old farm roads, while others just meander through the trees.

 

Brumley used to be a working farm, and there's evidence of its previous life scattered throughout the preserve. February is a prime time for daffodils that mark the sites of now vanished structures. When Cheryl and I spot them blooming in the woods, we know that if we start poking around we'll find rock foundations or maybe the remnants of a tin roof. 

For a fairly small hiking area, Brumley North has a nice variety of scenery. There are open, grassy fields, creeks and ponds, forests, wetlands, and some of the trails take you along side an active railroad line. You can hike here three times in a week and get a different experience each time. You should definitely check it out if you're in the area! 

#hillsborough

#hiking

#Brumley

#trianglelandconservancy 

Hiking at Ayr Mount

• Date we visited: 1/26/2020
• Posted length: 1 mile
• Total miles Walked: 1.45 miles
• Type of Trail:  Walking path/crush
• Conveniences:  Parking
• Best Features:  River views, sweeping landscapes, benches, history
• Worst Features:  gates close early, no bathrooms
• Wildlife spotted:  None at this visit.
• Vegetation:  Fern, crocus, daffodils, pine, cedar, native hardwoods
• Associated Website: https://classicalamericanhomes.org/ayr-mount/

On a sunny Sunday afternoon we went to Ayr Mount and walked the Poet’s walk, a 1 mile loop around the property. While tours of the house are only offered certian times throughout the year, the grounds are available for anyone to enjoy without an entry fee. The Poet’s walk is one of Hillsborough's hidden gems.

The parking lot is generous and there were many people out walking the grounds. We headed to the right of the house past the private cemetery. There's a small seating area and picnic tables for folks to enjoy the grounds, then the trail drops down, heading towards the river. Just before you enter the woods, you have the option to cut over towards the pond

The trail is lined with fences made from fallen branches.

While many people utilize the poet’s walk for exercise, there are numerous places to sit and contemplate your surroundings.

You can look across the river and see one of the trails at the Historic Occoneechee Speedway.  There are plans to connect the two properties in the future as well.

Along the path there were ferns, squill and crocus popping out of the ground.  Daffodils, scammed by the unseasonably warm January, were also beginning to sprout.

As you leave the river and exit the woods, the pond comes into view.

During the hot summer months, they place a cooler of water for those on the Poet’s walk.

As we looped back to the house, you can see the depression from the old trading path, and a Little Free Library.  If only we had some books to add!

The Poet’s Walk at Ayr Mount is the perfect length for a quick walk.  But don’t forget to take in the serenity and the beauty that this property has.  Take a moment and sit on one of the benches and listen to the Eno bubble by, or the wind slip though the willows.

#hillsborough
#arymount
#poetswalk
#walking

High Point Greenway

• Date we visited: January 12, 2020
• Posted length:  4.45 miles
• Tracked 8.13 miles (Cheryl) 9.74 (James) (out and back ride)
• Type of Trail: Paved greenway
• Conveniences: In theory, bathroom and water at Piedmont Environmental Center. Parking lot was too full to park there the day we visited.
• Best Features: Great elevated boardwalk above wetlands
• Worst Features: The middle three miles are poorly maintained, lots of litter, a few busy road crossings with no crossing lights, not always well marked at turns. Also, Cheryl was attacked by a dog. This may not technically be a trail feature, but it's worth mentioning.
• Official Website: https://www.highpointnc.gov/1832/Trails-Greenways
• Primary author: Cheryl

On a warm Sunday afternoon in January, we decided to return to the High Point Greenway for a short bike ride.  We were meeting a friend for dinner in Greensboro, so it was the perfect opportunity to complete the greenway that we had ridden back on Thanksgiving day and couldn’t finish due to time constraints.   

We weren’t the only ones trying to take advantage of a 70 degree afternoon.  We first tried to park at the Piedmont Environmental Center, but that lot was packed.  We then drove over to the parking lot at University Park on Deep River Road.  Wanting to make sure we were able to bike the section we had to skip the last time out, we headed away from the Environmental Center towards High Point University.  The best way to describe this greenway is that it has two fabulous ends that bookend a mediocre middle, and we rode the middle first.

Once it leaves Deep River Road, the trail follows a creek and a sewer line.  There are a couple of tunnels that run under busy roads.

The trail then turns behind a couple of schools. This section of the greenway is the oldest, and in the most need of some love and attention. It was in this section where things went haywire. Remember the mention of a dog attack? Three young women were walking two dogs in harnesses, but they were not able to control them. One of the dogs lurched at James, then at me, making contact. The impact knocked me off balance. I skidded across the asphalt, skinning up my leg. Because I was focused on my bloody knee and shin, it wasn’t until later that we realized that the dog had bitten me just below my hip. My clothes weren’t torn, but a bite mark became quite apparent as the bruising darkened. Since we hadn’t thought to request their shot information at the scene, I ended up having to go to the Emergency Department to get the rabies vaccine the next day.

Back to the ride! After my fall, we washed off my leg and kept on riding the trail.  Before long we were passing through High Point University and the trail becomes lovely and well maintained.

Armstrong Park at trail's end has lots of features, including bathrooms and picnic shelters, but we didn't spend time exploring it. Thinking we needed to get to some bandaids, we headed back toward the car to complete the section between University Park and the Piedmont Environmental Center.  

Boardwalks Galore!  This newer section is only 1.2 miles long, but a big chunk of that is a curvy elevated boardwalk through the trees that's spectacular.  

We probably wouldn't make a special trip just to ride this greenway again, but if life calls us back into the neighborhood, we'd certainly give it another shot. Just past the Piedmont Environmental Center, the High Point Greenway connects with the Bicentennial Greenway that takes you into Greensboro. It's not as bike friendly, though biking is allowed. We'll report on it one day as a walking trail.   Oh! And remember the long boardwalk through the trees? Here's a video of it, at double speed.

#highpointgreenway

#highpointuniversity

#Piedmontenvironmentalcenter

#biking