River Trip Recap, Part 2 - Nature Hike

Just one more post on our quick little River trip over Spring Break... On Wednesday, my mom, the kids, Lucy, and I went to the Bush Mill Stream Natural Area Preserve for a nature hike. We did this last spring break, and it was a lot of fun. It's also a reasonable (read: not terribly long or difficult) hike for the kids. You start up in the woods and end up down at Bush Mill Stream in the marshy area.

From Trails.com:

Though not long, the trail at Bush Mill Stream is a valued resource for denizens
of Virginia’s Northern Neck. Bring binoculars for bird-watching or a picnic
lunch to enjoy on your leisurely descent through mixed forest to the marshy
banks of the preserve’s namesake Chesapeake Bay tributary.

For those of you back at work, take a moment to relax and join us on our nature hike.

Here is the start (pets allowed on leash - that's good, since we have one!)

Trail "map" Blue = easy. Orange = just a little longer with an extra view overlook.

Most of the trail is through the woods. Lots of mountain laurels. I would love to see them in bloom.

This is where we go though the marsh at the end. Usually we look over the walk and see little animal tracks down in the mud by the grasses.

We took the orange trail back and had this as our view at the overlook. Isn't it beautiful?

If you are ever in Virginia's Northern Neck, you should stop by...