“I could never resist the call of the trail.” Buffalo Bill
Starting at this point on NCR requires us to come early. This small lot fills up fast. It’s 7:30 which I consider late….even though it takes us a 30 minute drive to get here.
Only a few cars present and no one on the trail as far as we can see.
Frogs are our only companions. Ribbit ribbit.
We quickly reach the Phoenix rd. W. bridge. Ok not that quick since Mag smells everything.
Sorry for the graffiti language, some people have too much time on their hands but not enough brainpower.
On the right after the bridge there is a little creek and about 40 feet in my fave tree which I take a picture of in every season. Not today though ’cause of poison ivy. This pic is from 1 year ago.
Ribbit ribbit.
There are also a few crows being chased by smaller birds. Probably nest thieves.
Vegetation is pretty thick in June so I can only get a glimpse of Gunpowder Falls.
I also notice, there aren’t a lot of wildflowers to photograph. That’s a bummer.
Even though I love milkweeds, there are so many pics I can share of them with you before you get bored with it. I wish I could attach the fragrance of the same plant. It’s beautiful.
We are walking through one of the small bridges over a sub creek….
and also reaching the mile 3 post.
After this point there are some small kinks in the path.
Cooling the temperature down on our right are stone formations with filtered water seeping through, wetting the trail with its veins.
On the left, Gunpowder lazily flows beyond the trees and shrubs.
When paying attention we can see an about 80 feet drop ravine on the right behind the trees over the embankment. No need to panic! It’s dropping towards us so it’s actually 80 feet tall.
Years ago in the spring I have seen a brown owl here flying through the woods.
The temps are so much cooler here that the milkweeds are still just before flowering.
If I could get to the seeping water at the stone wall I would drink from it. But swampy soil and plants are in my way.
Heading straight ahead, only stopping for a second to take a pic of my favorite stone which I used in the past to turn around when I was training for a half marathon.
At the 3/4 of this longer stretch of the trail there is a house with this cute gate.
Mag sniffed here for so long I ended up pulling him away.
Sparks rd is not far from here after the bend. If we would wanna go to the 4mile marker, gotta keep walking. It’s another 0.2 miles away, after crossing the rd.
NCR is pretty clear cut so our walk back is uneventful. Except Mag getting in the water at several stops….
Rolling in high grass and meeting a friend (cannot prove the later) ….
Sitting (standing I mean) on a bench….
Checking the creek from up above….
Finding an occupied birds nest….
Ribbit ribbit
And finally taking a picture again of the river, while leaving Mag on top of the stairs.
After photographing the road sign….
we cleaned off and headed back to the city.
As I said in my last post AllTrails is not reliable to measure the distance, actually we only did 3.7 miles.
I would recommend NCR to anyone who likes a nice stroll in nature or want to bike for miles without getting worried about traffic or training for an event or really, anyone. Love this easy, long trail close to the city but far as well thanks for its length.
P.S.: by the way….the parking lot is full inside and outside the fenced area.
The Longest Route 