This is a panorama of three different pictures of the Upper Falls

BJ and I met at the Lower Falls parking lot around 10:00 am on 6/29/2016 with the intentions of crossing the river and walking the trails on the other side. We walked across the huge granite slab leading to the Lower Falls only to discover that the water was much higher than it had been the week before and that crossing the river was an impossibility. We even walked downstream for quite a ways but the river was running much too high for any sort of crossing. It was not just the wet feet we were concerned over it was actually getting our feet swept out from under us the river was running that strong.

Our friendly Great White Egret was doing his thing in the river where Williamson Creek and Onion Creek join. I wonder if it is the same one?

We decided that we would hike the three lower trails that are between the Upper and Lower Falls and figured out a way to do this and end up in the parking lot near our cars. Unbeknownst to us, the middle trail, the one that leads past the rock overhang where it is reputed that early inhabitants used for shelter many hundreds of years ago and which also leads past the very big and old Spruce tree, has been washed out and technically, the trail was closed at this point.

Rock Overhang.

It appeared to us to us that many people had ignored the barricades and had simply gone around them so we decided to do the same. The only problem that we could see is the bridge has lost it’s handrails but otherwise, it presented no difficulty. BJ took a picture of the Spruce on her IPhone and was able to stack one picture on top of the other to make an upright panorama. I am not sure if my Lightroom software can do that.

Very Old Spruce Tree. Biggest tree in the park.

Her picture  turned out pretty good.

The three trails are the usual type trail that we all know and love with rocks and dirt and grass in some places. At one point, we came across a large Red Eared Slider Turtle that was on the path. he stayed in his shell until the humans had gone by.

The view from the lower of the trails is next to the river albeit at least fifty feet above it, maybe more with some nice views of water.

We completed walking along the three trails and still felt like we needed more so I suggested that we walk the Hike and Bike trail as it is pretty easy going. BJ agreed and we set off and completed the whole circuit. The guys that had been repairing the path the last time out had not made too much progress and they still have a lot of work to do.

On the slab of rock that slopes out of the water at the Lower Falls, four large turtles were sunbathing.

Finally, another panorama of the swimming hole at the Lower Falls.

As with all of these groups of pictures, if you click on any one of them, they will enlarge. You can then use the side arrows to move along. Use the “Escape” key to get back to normal.