Hiking Trails Blogs

It was so hot this past weekend I couldn’t muster the ambition for an ambitious hike; best I could do was 4.6 miles on the mountain-biking single-track at the park across the road.

Tanglewood Park has a raft of amenities, among them an antebellum mansion/B&B, arboretum, horse stables, championship golf course, several ponds and a path along a lazy river.

And then it has these three mountain-bike single-tracks. Two of them are fairly mild, but Track No. 3 is an impressive 4.6-mile tangle — more labyrinth than trail in many parts. It’s built expressly to give mountain bikers a place to practice their moves, a bad-ass bunny slope compared to MTB tracks in the real M’s. It has obstacles, a few jumps, countless hairpin turns and the very real prospect of getting hopelessly lost.

Normally I avoid mountain-bike tracks because I think the paucity of bike-specific trails obliges generosity from those of us with far more options. I certainly stay off Tanglewood’s MTB tracks when they get the most use on weekends or evenings after work.

But there was little expectation of knobby-tired traffic at sunrise on Sunday morning, so I figured what the heck — I’ll take the camera along and it’ll give me something to throw up on the blog without having to drive 200 miles.

The picture at right gives a rough idea of the track’s shape — with a few amusing complications: several spurs go to the parks campgrounds and other attractions, and horse trails cut across the woods as well. More intersections than you can shake a stick at, and a chance to take a wrong turn at every one of them.

But as I said, it’s only 4.6 miles so it’d be very difficult to stay lost forever. I take my morning walks on this route (when I have the energy), so I know the turns pretty well after about 20 or 30 trips. But it still trips me up now and then.

I left Sunday with no expectation of interesting pictures, though I did snap a few. May as well get right to them.

These signs give it away. Note they don’t say “no hiking” or “no trail running.” If you’re an MTB’er who googled your way to this page, be warned: you could meet walkers, runners, dogs, equestrians, and maybe even the fox I saw dashing full-throttle across the woods one morning, or the large doe chasing it away from her fawn. This is a forest, suburban though it may be, with real forest creatures. The deer are none too bright; go too fast and you might crash into one before it has enough sense to flee.

Scenes like this are why it’s essential to be in the woods at sunrise now and again. You’ll be able to look your pastor in the eye and say “yes, I was in church last Sunday.”

One of many stacks of logs to make life interesting for bicyclists. Most of the stacks have tracks around them, but not all.

It was a great morning for fungus. The woods have a remarkable variety.

Several breaks between the trees provide paths to different sections of the park, but they all look sorta alike so it’s difficult to navigate by them.

Speaking of navigation: this gate is a handy point of reference, because the gravel road leads out to the park’s main roads. If you’re way, way lost, you’re not far from being found if you end up here.

Check this out: no turtle sightings in 11 months, and two in the past two weeks.

The trail also passes near a horse paddock.

Shelter No. 2 is brand new; it just opened a few months ago. Great thing about it: a water fountain that pumps cold water. Note this place might be rented for wedding receptions or office parties or other civilized folks who might not welcome the sight of grungy stragglers emerging from the woods in search of a drink of water. Be polite.

I’m pretty sure the lightning strike that had the cat under the bed for hours also snapped this tree in two.

One of the aforementioned deer.

Wooden track through a boggy section.

Yet more fascinating fungi.

Actual bike riders started showing up just as I was getting done.

Links for this walk:

• EveryTrail GPS tracks.
• Tanglewood Park home page.
• My previous Tanglewood outings.

I had to run a few errands this weekend so there was no time for a long drive to the mountains. Had to make do with a few hours in Tanglewood Park, a mostly flat and only mildly interesting hiking locale with one major advantage: I can get there without burning an ounce of gas.

As it happened, the park drew a rather large crowed of gas-empowered citizens to the 45th running of the Tanglewood Cup, a steeplechase horse race last run in 2002. As this local blogger puts it: “The break was required to figure out how to keep spectators from getting too loaded and taking off their clothes.” Story of my life: I always get there after the Baring of Breasts has been banned.

I spent most of my time avoiding the Steeplechase, which required a minimum investment of $35 for the right to bake in the sun for several hours and watch maybe a half-dozen races that lasted about 4 minutes apiece. This could be amusing if an acquaintance were providing a proper supply of free beer and cheeseburgers; perhaps by the next running I’ll be able to find somebody gullible enough to supply these requirements.

I was fully prepared to come home with no race pictures at all but on my way back I heard somebody say the next race was starting in 15 minutes so I decided to hang around and hope none of the events staff noticed.

Here’s the back stretch of the course. The white tents are full of folks who paid buckets of cash for seats next to the course. The prime locations were near the jumps, which provide potential drama because the horses occasionally crash into them, sending jockeys hurtling to the green.

I remember seeing the Grand National Steeplechase on Wide World of Sports when I was a kid. It featured a huge thundering herd of thoroughbreds pounding their way down a long grass course and leaping over real shrub rows. Leaves would fly as the herd hit the jumps; jockeys would have agony-of-defeat face-plants if the horses mis-timed their leaps.

In contrast, the Tanglewood Steeplechase featured portable jumps decorated with plastic green pine boughs — think equestrian Astroturf. Maybe it would’ve seemed more dramatic if I’d have ponied up the cash for a front-row seat by the jumps. I snapped off a few shots as the field — maybe eight horses max — in the last race passed me in the first turn. Then I headed home before the event staff nabbed me.

I did get a decent shot of a jockey warming up his steed just before post time.

Two of the racers dash past.

OK, so that’s the last of the horse-race pictures. Here are some shots from Saturday’s stroll.

The stone-gray forest canopy of winter is shimmering green now that spring’s arriving.

Winds create ripples on the typically placid surface of the Yadkin River. Someday I’m going to take a float trip on this river.

Most days this is a big open meadow.

Tanglewood has a few resident horses and a stable where folks can rent rides on them. Off-duty horses hang out in these pastures, which have filled with little yellow flowers.

The Swamp, my favorite place in Tanglewood. Best viewed from a distance to avoid close encounters with water moccasins and copperheads.

One of the many golf courses which hikers are forbidden to trod upon.

The park’s arboretum is ablaze with color, but it was too sunny and breezy yesterday to get any serviceable pictures of them. Direct sunlight bleaches flower pictures, especially ones with big blooms. I know, if I had real photography gear I wouldn’t have this problem.

So, nothing too sexy this week, but I’m looking at checking out South Mountains State Park next week. It’s only 80 miles away and has abundant hilly terrain and at least one awesome waterfall. Smokies Scout was there awhile back.

Latest example of how things around here aren’t like the Bay Area: a week with no rain will not dry up the mud situation (the Winter From Hell does seem to be on its way out of town, though). I knew there was no point driving a long way to get all gunky so I did a bit more exploring Saturday at Tanglewood Park.

I ended up in Tanglewood’s far southwest corner, which is about as close to wild as it gets in this suburban park. It even has a Genuine Southern Swamp — all it lacks is a few alligators.

Last week’s post included pix of all the major attractions; this week it’s “get some blue sky in the picture and hope for the best.” The local terrain proves what I suspected all along back in the day: in pretty scenery the pictures take themselves. When the scenery’s more scant, you have to do annoying things like wait for wildlife to so something interesting and think long and hard about how to pluck the telling detail from a tangle of brambles. Work, in other words, which I strenuously avoid on weekends.

May as well get down to business:

You can’t see the coolest thing in this scene: there must’ve been hundreds of little frogs in that long puddle, raising one hell of a racket. It’s a happy racket, because it means they’ve emerged from wherever they spend the winter and are making their “spring is so close we can smell it” noises. When I get ambitious I’ll look up how reptiles and amphibians survive the winter in these climes. I’m not sure why they don’t freeze solid.

This shot from the southern bank of Johnson Creek isn’t much to look at, but it does represent a small victory: I found a way to keep walking along the Yadkin River, which forms Tanglewood’s western border. Last week I had to take a detour at the northern bank of the creek so I set out this week determined to find more trails along the river.

It took some wandering, but I did find more river trails. Not that you can see much of the river — it’s mostly blocked by a row of trees. After a couple miles the trail turns left at Tanglewood’s southern border. This is where it stars getting interesting.

Here’s the aforementioned swamp. Not hard to see why copperheads meld into this kind of scenery; I was thankful they hadn’t woken from their winter slumbers just yet.

More swamp. It’s not that far back to civilization; in fact there’s a golf course less than a half-mile away.

There’s also a nifty BMX track — which did inspire a moment’s indignation: where were all these things when I was learning to destroy that perfectly good bike Mom and Dad bought at Sears? We had to build our own bike ramps, by God, and I’ve still got the knee scars to prove it. (Yes, I am officially a geezer now).

There’s a spur trail over to this section of pond/water hazard. Nice shady spot to enjoy the view; could use a bench, but it’s so far from everything, I doubt many walkers make it back this way.

Another pond with a park shelter on the other side.

Late afternoon sun lights up the leaves that didn’t fall last year.

One nice thing about Tanglewood: it’s big enough to rack up respectable mileage; last week I walked 9.5, this week, 7.5. It’s flat as a pancake but there’s plenty of room to wander across open fields, which is generally better exercise than walking on a flat trail, and the paths next to the river are pleasant.

My main plans for Tanglewood include walking for exercise and perhaps testing new gear — I don’t expect a lot more hike reports, except perhaps to document the change of seasons. If I ever get around to taking up paddling, though, it’ll be nice to have a put-in/take-out point so close to home.

Tanglewood Park links:

• EveryTrail GPS track.
• Forsythe County parks department site
• Park Map (PDF download)
• Mountain bike trails
• Tanglewood Cup Steeplechase (I am so going to this).
• Tanglewood Gardens
• Park history
• Yadkin River Trail Association

I spent a few hours Sunday getting to know Tanglewood Park, which was the main reason we chose to buy a condo in Clemmons, a bedroom burb on Winston-Salem’s southwest edge.

We closed on the condo last week, but Melissa’s idea of move-in condition departs considerably from the sellers’ (translation: every wall needs new paint and window treatments; all rooms must be clean enough for open-heart surgery), so it’ll still be a couple more weeks till we move in. It’s true that I locked in 30-year mortgage before steeping foot in the park, but I was up for anyplace where I could take my morning walks without fighting traffic or breathing garbage truck fumes.

So about Tanglewood: The park stretches over 1,100 acres — far too many are devoted to that game best described as “the perfect way to ruin a nice walk in the country,” but it’s not all fairways and water hazards. Among its amenities: three single-track mountain biking trails; abundant stables and horse trails; lake for fishing and paddle-boating; public swimming pool; horse-racing track; campground; annual Festival of Lights holiday extravaganza; amphitheater stage for outdoor; Arboretum full of fascinating plants; circa 1859 Manor House, now a bed and breakfast.

I’d be hard pressed to believe many counties in the Carolinas have better parks than this one. It’s certainly the equal of any individual county park in the Bay Area, though every hike around here is yet more proof that most Californians have no idea how good they’ve got it, parkwise. For every nice trail around here, you guys have 12.

Sunday’s stroll came in at about 9.5 miles. I saw horses, Canada geese, a few bike riders, and a guy teaching his 4-year-old how to fish (that could’ve been a blog post all its own).

The terrain’s mostly flat and it’s just about impossible to get lost in: eventually you’ll either run into the Yadkin River on the west, Highway 156 to the north, a subdivision’s back fence to the east and all the golf course fairways to the south. Perfect for my morning-stroll needs: miles of open space without much traffic.

Let’s look at some pictures:

My favorite part of the park is its western border along the Yadkin River. This is a put-in stop on the Yadkin River Trail, a paddling route I’d like to try some time.

Trails of varying quality track the river for about a half-mile. Steam rises from the river in summer and fall, offering great photo opportunities if you can catch the early morning sunshine.

Johnson Creek flows into the Yadkin and there’s no nearby crossing, effectively ending the river trail after about a half-mile. Someday I’ll get brave and look for an easy place to ford the creek.

One of many equine residents of Tanglewood. Horses always look amusing in close-up like this for some reason.

A sign speaks volumes about the development of North Carolina. It’s not the “Dixie” of popular imagination.

Nice little history lesson, courtesy of William Linville (namesake of the Linville Gorge), a contemporary of Daniel Boone. Note that he was 55 years old when he was killed by Indians while exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains. People didn’t roll over and wait for the golden years in those days, either.

More history: Tanglewood comprises the original estate of William Johnson, who bought the land in 1757; his descendants’ heirs sold the land to William Neal Reynolds, brother of cancer king tobacco entrepreneur R. J. Reynolds, in 1921, when the estate was expanded to 1,100 acres. William Reynolds’ family donated the park to Forsyth County in 1951.

This is a hand-built spider web in the Arboretum, a must-visit in spring and summer when everything’s in bloom.

Statuary in the Arboretum.

Golden fronds.

The Johnson family prospered in the years after the American Revolution; the Manor House was built in 1859, no doubt in a burst of enthusiasm over the future of an economy built on forced servitude. Wasn’t enough white paint in the world to cover the tragedy of what came later.

1894 locomotive with stars leading up to the open control room. All I could think of was how bone-chilling cold it must’ve been in the winter; maybe the boiler warmed the engineer’s hide (which suggests an insufferably hot job in the summer; kinda tarnishes my romantic notions of railroading.)

I wonder: are there actually any Canada geese in Canada? I see so many who seem to have lost their way. This is at Mallard Lake, which rents paddle boats between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

A couple more horses. (Someday I’ll acquire a nice in-focus picture of horse with good lighting; might have to purchase it, the way things are going).

So that’s a pretty good first look at Tanglewood Park. Note for visitors: there’s a gate and an entrance fee (currently $2) to use all the amenities within the park; there’s no charge if you park near the visitors’ center (first building you see after entering the park) and enter on foot or bicycle. Special events like the Festival of Lights are another matter, of course.

Tanglewood links:

• EveryTrail GPS track.
• Forsythe County parks department site
• Park Map (PDF download)
• Mountain bike trails
• Tanglewood Cup Steeplechase (I am so going to this).
• Tanglewood Gardens
• Park history
• Yadkin River Trail Association

Google map of yesterday’s travels

View Tanglewood Park, Clemmons, NC in a larger map