Happy spring! 

Lord Hill is all colors of green today.  A bit more mud now that the ground has warmed up and isn't frozen anymore.  I saw a trio of Hooded Mersangers at Dragonfly Pond and a Mallard with the prettiest green head I've ever seen.  Lots of singing birds and the frog party has started too.  There were ribbets and croaks at all the ponds but Hidden Pond was really something.  The Midway is in great shape.  Nice to see skunk cabbage blooming in the marsh.

This is just a heads up for the regulars that frequent the Midway.  Someone has changed the intersection with the Ewe Tube. I didn't like that crossing anyway. It now has a more natural flow. It's a lot nicer. Like, a lot...

This is a big deal, because it's the last change to the Midway. The Midway Footpath now goes all the way from near the boardwalks up north, to the old Quarry Bowl down south. One continuous footpath. Other than some little tweaks here and there,  I believe this is the final route.

Therefore, I unofficially declare the Midway Footpath Project complete! Just in time for Spring 2018!  Enjoy!

Kind of a historic day, really...

( the pics were all taken on the Midway in spring.)

Drove to Old Tester Road and was surprised to find the gate heading up closed. Just past the gate was a new sign stating motorized vehicles prohibited so it seems there's no longer any option to drive up to the south parking lot. At least it's a short hike up the road to where the trails start. Trails mostly clear, easy to bypass the mud. Only saw a few folks today.

Easy early season leg stretcher with my son.  Did 5 miles total.  Easy peasy.  Trails are fine.  Park is nice.  Not too many people.

We started at the south lower parking area and started climbing straight away up the driveway towards to south parking and then right up the steep beginning of the Pipeline Trail which cuts the park in half south to north.  After passing the Crossroads Pond we took a right on the Temple Pond trail.  It was our intent to make a counter-clockwise loop around Temple Pond but we made a wrong turn on the southeast portion of trail and ended up on the Marsh Lake loop (which we didn't realize until it was easier to go forward than go back).  After rejoining the Pipeline Trail we headed north once again until we got to the Cutoff Trail leading to the viewpoint which I believe is the highest point in the park.  Views were okay but nothing spectacular.  After that we kept northwest on the Cutoff Trail until intersection the Main Trail which we took south the the River Cutoff Trail.  From that trail we connected up the the Quarry Trail all the way back to the Pipeline and back down to the car.​

Map of the hike here:

http://www.fiftytwoswitchbacks.com/bloghike-reports/lord-hill-regional-park