Rowland Creek Falls

Saturday morning, we woke up and drove to Marion for breakfast then drove to the lower trailhead for Rowlands Creek Trail (#164).  The trail entered Seng Mountain National Scenic Area and in a quarter mile, we had to ford Rowland Creek.  It was tricky with high water but we managed to stay dry and the trail followed the creek on river right.

There were a lot of wildflowers blooming along the creek.

And we found our first trillium of the year.

There were also some beautiful wild bleeding-hearts.

The trail made a really great hike, staying close to the creek for most of the ways.

There were some really nice cascades long the creek as well.

After about a mile, we came to the second crossing and again managed to stay dry.

The trail then climbed up to a ridge above the creek and soon we came to Rowland Creek Falls.  A very steep path led down to the base.

With high water, I had to wade to get a good view of the waterfall.  But its a nice one and worth the cold feet.

After some pictures, we climbed back up and continued on the trail a short ways further to the next creek crossing.  There was a nice clearing and we sat here and had a snack before making our way back.

From here, we headed back to Marion and had lunch at Wooden Pickle.  Then we went over to 36-Fifty brewery to have a drink, since it's dog friendly.  Then we headed back to Hungry Mother State Park and parked near the lake.

The Lake Trail Loop led past the swim beach and park office, following the lakeshore closely.

Some rue anemone were flowering.

The trail on the west side of the lake stayed very close to the lake with many scenic views.

At the end, we crossed over the spillway to the other side of the lake.

This side was more wooded and not as close to the shore.

There was some star chickweed and phlox flowering on the forest floor.

I heard a rustle in the leaves along side the trail and saw a deer looking down at me.

She stayed still long enough for a picture.

Then we finished up the loop back at the north end of the lake and headed back to camp.

It was a chilly evening, but dry at least and we made a big campfire to stay warm.  The couple in the yurt next to us came by to meet Alex.  After dark, we went to sleep.