I didn’t think this one through very well. I drove all the way from suburban DC to the north end of the Skyline Drive … and *then* thought about checking to see if the road was open. Turns out that it wasn’t.

The good news is that one trail, Dickey Ridge, actually goes from the entrance road, around the road blocks, and up into the park. There were about a dozen cars parked at the trailhead, so I assume it was legal … if not it was still very popular none-the-less.

Another Conservancy project, the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp in Prince Frederick, Maryland is a great and accessible preserve. The swamp harbors the northernmost stand of bald cypress trees in the United States, making it well worth the trip to Maryland’s Western Shore..

I actually hiked this a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to bring the rechargable battery for my new camera … (stupid new camera). It was good enough (especially down by the water) that I wanted to come back and take some shots.