Sunny 46

Unfortunately, Sunny couldn't come on vacation with us, but he had an awesome time chillin and romping in the paddock with Aunt Meaghan and his cousins.

Erica and I arrived at the trailhead at around 2:30pm. It had been mild and sunny most of the week and this was another glorious day. I was mad I forgot my hat, but it wasn't a terribly long hike and I felt pretty sure I wouldn't get burned. Neither of us had pockets, so Erica was kind  enough to carry a pack with some snacks and water. I'd fortunately brough my trail runners just in case.

The hike starts off immediately around the little Meteer Lake with some very nice, brand new boardwalks partially built on the crumbled bones of the previous boardwalk. For now, this one is in excellent shape. The views of the lake are lovely with white water lilies dotting the shore and sparkling waters beyond. There's a boat launch for the lake in case you want to experience it from that perspective.

Some of the boardwalks are made from pressure-treated lumber, but other sections are made from composite.  In any case, they are in great condition and well-constructed. Erica said it was good that the planks are laid with space in between to avoid warping when the weather changes.  There are many turn-offs so that people in wheelchairs can easily pass one-another on the trail.

The land portions of the trail are very flat and well-groomed limestone. There are a few places where the trail goes up some very mild elevation;  in these places, walkers can go straight up while people on wheels have switchbacks they can use.

There are some woodsy sections, but they are in the minority. The trails are just as easy to navigate. Parts of the trail also share space with a really cool archery course. No expense was spared for this park which recently received a $350k grant for upgrades and restoration of the fen.

The fen itself is the real draw here. The restoration effort has resulted in a beautiful landscape of wildflowers, butterflies, and birds. Erica and I figured there was more boardwalk than gravel trail on this hike. 

There's a little stream runs through the fen. We saw some little bluegills in the clean-looking water. However, I wouldn't try filtering it because the park is surrounded by farmland and gets a lot of runoff from them.

A small pavillion and toilet have been constructed on the far side of the fen. We stopped to have water and snacks. This really is a great place for a morning activity with kids or your favorite people rocking a wheelchair.

It took us a little over an hour to finish under 4 miles. There's a couple of sections towards the end where visitors can choose to extend their hike. We had to get back for dinner soon, so we chose to wrap up our day.

There's another shelter on the "prairie savannah" loop. There's also a rustic loop beyond that. Perhaps we'll explore those another time.

Pine Knob Park not only the hiking and archery course, but organizers have also provided a scavenger hunt and photo scavenger hunt. The facilities have a building near the trailhead for parties (with a kitchen and air conditioning) as well as the aforementioned boat launch.