Northern State Ghost Town — Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025

We hadn't hiked here in about three years. We were excited to discover that a new trail has been constructed; the Hill Creek Loop Trail. We started from the main parking lot, walked around the old barn buildings, then north from there. We veered right on to the Horsebarn Trail that turned out to be soft, wet and slushy. Our feet were soaked, so we turned around, and thereafter stuck to trails with packed gravel tread. Apparently it had rained quite a bit the prior few days, so any trail that wasn't gravel-packed was soft and slushy. We worked our way west and came to an interpretive sign that had a big map showing the trails, including the new Hill Creek Loop Trail. So, we took that. It's a beautifully constructed trail, packed gravel, and strategic culverts. It's a work of art. We came upon a work party laying new gravel and packing it. They were also working on constructing and reinforcing the bridge abutments on the new Song Sparrow Bridge. That bridge is also a work of art. At the north end of the Hill Creek Loop Trail is a the "Big Rock," a knoll of some fairly solid rock no doubt smoothed by the advance of the ice sheet. We made the short climb to the bald area on top of the rock. To finish our day we walked the Veterans Loop Trail. With the current trail system, you could easily walk more than ten miles. It's a beautiful area. The trails will take you through a variety of woods, meadows, and creeks.