My dog and I scouted this State Park for a possible future Mountaineers outing. Totals on the day were 5.6 miles and 289 feet according to AllTrails, 2.6 mph pace.
I didn't realize for horse traffic the park recommends clockwise travel on some routes and counter-clockwise on others; we went counter-clockwise following the "coyote prints" along the perimeter, then branched off from the northwest corner to try to access the Bridle Trails pond (without success) and then continued to Trillium and back along Raven. If I understand correctly, on the smaller branch-off trails hikers are to look for markers to know the appropriate direction to travel, in case horses (who have priority) are approaching. It makes sense to pay attention so you don't get surprised!
At 10:15 when we arrived there were 5 cars and 5 dog walkers with about 10 dogs apiece (I've never SEEN so many dogs in one outing unless they're loose at a dog park). We encountered one horse and rider, maybe 15-20 people on the day. Bathrooms are open, warm, and lit including a shower in the women's. It's nice to not have to go in the bushes after a two-hour outing.
My only quibble was the abundant horse poop. Well, if you share the trail you have to expect it. That, and the sound of cars/405 traffic around the perimeter. But once you get off Coyote in the middle of the park, it was simply lovely. We heard 18 bird species on the day including a crossbill, 3 ravens, a vireo, a bunch of kinglets and pine siskens, and a hairy woodpecker.
I specifically chose to visit Bridle Trails so I could take my dog, visit a new-to-me place, and get some different bird species for my Ebird listing (38 in January so far).
There are plenty of downed trees but none crossing the trails we visited. And with the recent nice weather, the biggest obstacle is not mud (the ground is frozen) but horse poop. I picked up 3 dog bags and deposited them in the trash cans which ARE available at the parking lot.
Nice park. I'll go back sometime and visit more of the inner quieter trails.
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