Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area

What a beautiful park! Pretty hike thru the pine trees, along the creek to the rocky shoreline of the waterfall! Gorgeous area with the fall leaf colors. Water was slightly low but was great for rock scrambling. I will def be returning in the spring.

Went with a large group and enjoyed the experience as a novice hiker. Some areas were steep and there was a missing bridge, but we saw many young children on the trail, so it’s definitely doable. Lots of scenic areas to explore, and the breeze felt nice. One of the beginning paths contained shattered glass. We had dogs with us and had to lift them over, but the pieces could be hard to see. We went in the early afternoon, and parking was tricky. We essentially created our own spots in a corner. Someone warned of a snake in the area at left-most trail when first entering the acre from the parking lot.

Nice walk, but the bridge is out that takes you to the waterfall. Wish there would have been a sign at the beginning. I see from previous reviews that there was one at one time but not during our visit. The scramble down and up the embankment is doable for some but we had some older folks so we decided to turn around.

Since I moved few miles from here, this past year, and first went, I am absolutely in love with this place and its beauty, and I always see something new each time I missed the previous times. Got to take my husky for the first time today, and she couldn’t get enough of it. She was able to get herself around and up and over many of natures little obstacles. The creek is just breathtaking, I also love hiking up into the woods where it gets to be just me and nature. It’s my therapy. I wish tho they can get some set up in the area where bridge is out, since the rope is even gone now. I have seen people having to turn back bc they can’t get across due to age,health,etc. And I also would think dog parents of all dogs, know that your dogs need to be on a leash, friendly or not. It protects them and also other dogs. Even the most friendly dogs may not like just one dog on the planet and it may be the one it passes off leash. And also dogs can have great recall all the time, until the one time they don’t, and it’s a very serious situation. I’m saying this because I love animals, dogs all dogs, deserve to have adventures and make memories. And just want them all to have humans making the right choices to keep them safe. There isn’t a big restroom but there is a Porto potty, it’s not the nicest smelling but not the worst. And please if you bring trash in, bring it back out! Especially see it happen when ppl come from out of state and are more carefree and in vacation brain. This is our home all year, and actually the animals real home. If I see it, I’ll call you on it. And wish others do that too. I actually liked hiking here way better then Hickory Run, easier to navigate and just scenery is gorgeous, my husky likes it better too.

We where close by so decided to check it out and glad we did. Besides the awesome views and the sound of water the park is very beautiful and has many of amenities and a great trail.

Took a stroll early morning. The sounds of the water flowing was calming. The bridge was out along the trail. Easy climb down and up. There is a rope to help. Saw a 🐻 on the way out. My first time seeing one on a hike.

This is a nice preserved area with pine woods and a creek with waterfalls. The entrance has a pavilion with tables and a port a pot. There are several trails, the red, the orange, and the blue, each with varying terrain and with benches along the way. There are exposed roots and rocks, and there are wet spots along the way. How muddy the trails are is dependent upon prevailing conditions before you get there. One downside during our visit is the harsh winter conditions have brought down a lot of trees along the trail. Until trail maintenance occurs, be prepared to take some evasive action to get around them. Now for the bad part, several sections of each of the trails had missing or broken trail markers. This left some sections very poorly marked, and the current ground conditions made it very difficult to see if we were still on trail or not. I was frequently turning around to see if there were trail markings in the opposite direction that would confirm we were still on trail. I question the wisdom of using plastic reflectors as trail markers as they are easily broken, and many were. The blue ones were difficult to see from a distance. There is a missing bridge along the red trail. We bypassed this missing bridge by taking the orange trail and reconnecting with the red. It adds time and distance, but is worth it. Trail markings and downed trees aside, the location and scenery were beautiful, and we took advantage of the many scenic spots along the way, especially along the creek and near the falls. There are tables and benches at the overlook, and I took some pictures from there. My own favorite spot was some large rocks along the red trail. I was debating giving only 3 stars as the poorly marked trail sections might oft put novice hikers, but decided to bump to 4 as the adventure is worth it.

Sooo beautiful. No restrooms, which sucks, especially because so many families here, and there is a big picnic area.