Continued from the previous page. PIONEER LOG CABIN
Here's another map section that shows the log cabin, wildflower trail
(#6 on the map), and the Holly Trail (#5), which I didn't hike. There is plenty
of parking along this one-way road from the cabin to
the road going back to the butterfly center.
I marked my short driving route from the Discovery Center to the log
cabin in pale orange:

The entrance to the Holly Trail
is catty-cornered across the road from the pioneer cabin.
This small old cabin was built from hand-hewn longleaf
pine logs circa 1830 in a nearby county and moved to this location in
1959:


It's hard to believe that as many as 15 people lived
inside this little cabin in the early 1900s!
This sign explains more about the history and
construction of the cabin:

This attractive garden area lies between the pioneer cabin and the
entrance to the wildflower trail, where we're headed next:

LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER TRAIL
This unpaved, natural trail is relatively smooth and easy to walk but
isn't as suitable for wheelchairs or strollers as the flatter paved
paths at Callaway Gardens. There are two sets of steps, some stepping
stones, and several wooden footbridges to cross water along the way.
Here is a trail map from the trailhead kiosk:

This trail features rare, threatened, and/or endangered native plants,
some of which are identified with signs. I'll include photos of some of the
plants and flowers (and identify the ones I know) but many more were
blooming in late March than I'm including here.
This trail is less than a mile long. It winds through the forest and
curves around a pretty pond with a stream and small waterfalls:


Rue anemone

Red buckeye trees grow on
several of the trails I hiked at Callaway Gardens.


Above: May apples, ferns,
and some tiny white flowers; the small flowers of
the May apple (below) are underneath
the "umbrella" leaves and difficult to see.

Trout lily
Trillium
Spidorwort comes in various
shades of white, pink, blue, and purple.

You can make the hike shorter at the far end of the pond by
crossing a small wooden bridge over the pond outlet (shown above) and
completing the lolly-pop loop back to the cabin:


Blue irises (above) and white
lilies (below) thrive in wet soil by the pond
and lake.


Or you can do what I did on my second trip to the Gardens and double the enjoyment of this trail by tunneling under the park
road and doing a second loop on the south side of the road. It will
bring bring you back to the reflection pond:

The loop on the other side of the road includes a
gazebo, a low waterfall near the stepping stones, and a long wooden
footbridge across part of Mountain Creek Lake:





Both loops are shown on the map at the beginning of this section
(shorter is red line, longer is red + orange lines). You can walk
clockwise or counter-clockwise on either loop.
Continued on the next page: touring the spectacular Day Butterfly
Center
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Casey-Girl, and Holly-Pup
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© 2019 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil