PICNIC AND HIKE AT WHISKEY SPRINGS

We enjoy camping during the summer, but for various reasons, all our camping trips got squeezed out this year. Needing a taste of the woods, but not able to get away for an extended period of time, we settled on a day long picnic near one of our regular camping locations: Whiskey Springs.

Whiskey Springs has no whiskey. Apparently, the old miners enjoyed naming the various streams in the area after alchoholic beverages.

What Whiskey Springs does have is a very pleasant 1 mile trail that loops around the campground and back.

the trailhead

Interpretive signs explain some of the sights

This picture does not do justice to the gorgeous fall colors of the trees and bushes. Nor can it capture the sound of the brooks and streams that crisscross along the trail. Since it was October, there weren't a lot of campers and picnickers, so it was relatively quiet.

Beaver Pond

The other neat thing about Whiskey Springs is its natural habitat for beavers. An observation deck along the trail overlooks the beaver pond. Since beavers are nocturnal animals, there's not a lot to see in the middle of the day. But I've been camping at Whiskey Springs in years past and have ventured forth on a cool, foggy dawn and saw the little critters swimming around and diving under what looks like debris (but what is, in actuality, their home).

Overall, a very nice day.