A Mom’s Guide to Jacksonville Woodland Trails

The Rogue Valley offers a multitude of trails that are child friendly. My personal favorites are the Woodland Trails in Jacksonville.  If you are looking to get in shape, are already in shape, or want to give your child an adventurous outing, the Woodland Trails are a must for any outdoors enthusiast.

The myriad of trails are located behind Britt Park.  If you have little ones, it’s best to have an off-road stroller such as the BOB Stroller, (which you can purchase locally at the only authorized retailer in the Rogue Valley, Milo and Lily).  The paths are a network of hiking/running/walking trails and made of packed dirt.  I usually start out on the Sarah Zigler Trail, which begins in the Lower Britt Gardens (also the original site of Peter Britt’s homestead) and then parallels the creek and Highway 238.  If you begin your adventure here, you can pick up a detailed map of the area (offered for a donation fee), located in a small wooden box at the beginning of the Zigler trailhead.  I am always sure to bring my BOB Stroller because it cruises along the Zigler Trail without any trouble, plus it allows my little pumpkin to sit comfortably in her “hummer” of a stroller and point and babel at all of the huge trees, flowers, and streams.  This part of the trail is extremely lush with vegetation and is famous for containing Oregon’s oldest living Giant Sequoia tree.  Continuing on the trail and crossing over the creek via a wood bridge will put you right in front of the historic site of the early Municipal Water ways.  A parking lot is located here, just off of highway 238, for those who are short on time and just want a casual stroll.  The entire hike can add up to a total of a 45 minutes, but longer if you let your little one(s) out to explore!

Each season offers it’s unique beauty of flora and fauna.  For example, if you visit during Spring, you’ll catch Jacksonville’s 5th Annual Fritilaria Festival in the Woodlands (the weekend of March 27, 2010, from 10:00am-12:30pm) where you will view the most beautiful and rarest wild flowers. In the Fall, you’ll most likely delight in the crisp air and the beautiful shades of autumn colors.  Not only do these trails offer your eyes a splendid, colorful canvas, but the Woodland Trails also have  plenty of history interwoven along the way; there are clearly marked historical plaques to stop at and read, such as gold mines, or signs of Jacksonville’s early municipal water supply.  The Rich Gultch trail is known for its dramatic contrast of vegetation. It starts out lush, almost tropical, and then changes to more of a high desert variety as you go.  Another parking lot is available at the end of this trail and is a great place to begin your adventure as well.

What good is a great hike without the goal of working off those calories just to put them back on! Often, my group of moms stroll down California Street and stop by a local favorite, the Italian Gelato store.  Wet your taste buds with the homemade mango gelato (my summertime favorite), or if you are in need of a jolt, a shot of espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla gelato. After that, stop by the “Doc” Griffin Park (just off of California Street) and reward your child for being such great explorers and/or being so patient in the stroller!

And if you are looking for that extra adventure to incorporate into your hike, take your child on a treasure hunt in the Woodland Trails.  A girlfriend of mine said she and her husband take their kids on a certain kind of treasure hunt, a widely popular activity called Letterboxing. It is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, navigation, art, and exploration of outdoor places.  The basic idea is for someone to hide a waterproof box somewhere, preferably in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location. The box contains a logbook and a rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. Written clues or a map provide directions to the box.  Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry a pencil, his own personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook.  When the hunter successfully deciphers the clues and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box’s stamp. The box’s logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found in their personal logbooks.  Visit here for more details about this fun, interactive, and educational treasure hunt!

The Jacksonville Woodland Trails offer a wonderful and exciting place to take your child along with your friends and family, so get out there. Go add some adventure to your life!

*An important note — There are no public restrooms on the trails, so you might want your child to use the restroom before the hike. For a map of the trails, parking lots, and restroom facilities visit here the Jacksonville Woodlands Association.