Our third hike of the year ... January 15, 2024
We returned to Pleasant Ridge County Park We started by the upper parking area near the lake and went by the Old Moonshine Still before reconnecting with the JFA trail. Which is when I remembered that this trail is directional, and I had no clue which way I was supposed to be hiding! Note for future... if you're planning on hiking the JFA- drive through the lower parking area first to check on the direction for the month (it changes every month) - there's a tall metal sign with arrows pointing the way (hikers & bikers) that you can see without getting out of your car. After, googling/hatching my previous trip video by the trail ... we finally got the information we needed and headed clockwise around the loop. Just before getting to the lower picnic/parking area - we decided to walk through the old campground area (which is a small loop itself. You can see the old remnants of the campsites (water spigots and electrical outlets- along with the old bathhouse (unfortunately the doors were locked).
After rejoining the JFA, we continued along it - dodging oncoming bike traffic (it doesn't seem like a lot of people hike here ... most people bike it). We got to see the lake where wed parked through the trees - it was nice to see it full (last time it was really low) which was allowing people to fish. As daylight started to diminish and the park closing/locking their gate in 20 minutes. we decided to cut the loop short and shortcut by some cabins back to the parking area. We made it back to the parking area with 10 minutes to spare - so with half that time I decided to fly the drone and get some nice aerial footage of the park and surrounding area. We also made a quick trip - down to the fishing pier too! We made it out of the park with about a minute to spare!
Things to note... check the hiking or biking direction that's displayed in the lower parking lot. On our visit ... the bathrooms in the picnic shelter were locked and the water fountain was off. There's a nice playground that overlooks the lake and several people fish along the lakeside (there's rules for fishing up at the picnic shelter). The trails still aren't super well marked/labeled - but the main trails are (IF & Sassy's Pass). Also, this is not a good trail to wear headphones/earbuds or to zone out - you need to be aware of oncoming bike traffic so you don't get ran over. If you hike this with kids/dogs _ make sure they're also aware and paying attention. There are bike repair stations along the JFA (in a couple of places) and what looks to be a first aid kit (but those looked used up - so don't rely on those).
For photos...
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