Duke Forest Hikes

Saturday was going to be hot, but I wanted to get a hike in before it got too bad.  I headed to the Al Buehler Trail in Duke Forest.  This trail is on Duke Campus and technically not in the forest, but it's maintained by the forest.  From the parking area off NC-751, I hiked clockwise around the loop.  The trail first passed through a wetland area where stream restoration is underway.

Just off the trail was a wildlife blind, though I didn't see anything in the wetlands.

Shortly past here, the trail crossed over a dam that created a retention pond to improve water quality.

A connector trail led to a short fitness loop and then I got back on the main trail.

It makes a big loop around the golf course and eventually back to the trailhead area.  It was still pretty early so I drove north a mile or so on NC-751 and parked near Gate 3.  Hiking in on Gate 3 to Gate 7 Road, I took a short detour on Pine Thickets Forest Trail and then looped around to Gate 7.  There were some sundrops blooming along the trail in open, sunny areas.

I made a loop on the Gate 5 Road and then headed back.  Before leaving, I hiked Gate 2 to Gate 4 Road, making a detour on each of the little spurs.  It was around noon when I finished up and had really gotten hot by this point.