It was a beautiful winter day. The kids were off for winter school break. We all needed a day outside. Away from devices. Away from Christmas clean up. It was time to find another pandemic family hike.
I had put Blue Heron Nature Preserve on a hike bucket list, so decided today was the perfect day to leave our Milton nest and head out into the city wilderness. The preserve is located in Buckhead. It has been YEARS since we have been into Buckhead, I thought this would be a different area to explore nature.
We reviewed the trail map and decided on the Woodland Loop Trail, mainly because we could tell there was a creek on this path.
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The preserve is 30-acres of green space in an urban environment. There are four habitats on the preserve: meadows, wetlands, riparian, and woodlands. We were able to explore the wooded forest and see Nancy's Creek. The boys always love climbing trees, skipping stones and yes, one always falls in the water. And for the record it is always the same kid...
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Also, as part of the path -- we encountered a community garden, a man-made beehive, murals, free library and many birdhouses. We did not see any real species, but my guess is that winter isn't the right season to view animals out at the preserve.
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What struck me as unique is this beautiful natural environment is surrounded by city life. You could hear cars and see houses and we even crossed a road. It was the perfect urban park vibe and I enjoyed the different hike.
As we were driving out of Buckhead, I thought maybe we should take the boys by the old "fishing" pond I spent way too much time at in my 20s... LuLu's Bait Shack. But, then I remembered it closed long ago and well, those fishing stories are better left untold... So, we turned the minivan back up 400 North and headed to the suburbs.
To read about other pandemic hiking adventures, click HERE.
Tips:
- Parking in Buckhead always makes me nervous, but rest assured there was ample easy parking.
- The public bathroom is closed during COVID, so "go" before you go.
- Take a look at the trail maps before heading out on the trails. At some point we ended up by a busy road, not sure we were in the right place -- so we just turned around and went the other direction.
- Kids always love wading in water, so wear old shoes for some creek play.
- There are picnic tables, so bring some food and make time for an outdoor snack
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