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