Saturday, January 22, 2011

Gwinnett County: Little Mulberry Park – Miller Lake Trail

Little Mulberry Park is located north of Dacula, Georgia; between Hog Mountain and Fence Roads. Several trails – the Miller Lake, East Meadow, West Meadow, and Carriage trails are multi-use, paved trails. The Ravine Loop and East Mulberry Equestrian trails are unpaved.

Trail maps may be available at the Hog Mountain Road entrance but not at the Fence Road entrance but can be downloaded at the Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation website.

I parked at the Hog Mountain parking lot to walk the Miller Lake Trail. I walked the trail – 2.2 miles long - counterclockwise.

Looking east to one of the fishing docks.

The lake extended west of the trail at the upper end of the trail. Ice hadn’t melted from the surface of the water since the recent snowstorm. Water extended into the woods in the Karina Miller Nature Preserve.

Distance markers were located at each 0.1-mile interval along the trail. The Carriage Trail to the meadow trails branched off at the 1.0-mile marker.

Houses on the north side of Hog Mountain Road were visible from the trail on the south side of the lake. Although Hog Mountain Road runs along the north side of the park, traffic noise is only noticeable along a short section of trail that runs beside the road.

One of a pair of Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) that were hunting insects on the eastern slope of the dam.

A view west from the dam to a fishing dock on the north side of the lake. Some of the flock of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) were making their way across the lake.

The shoreline on the north side of the lake near the dam.

Four Canada Geese had rounded the point in the previous photo in a straight line but had broken formation by the time I took this photograph. The flock made its way over and settled on the western slope of the dam to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

A tree trunk conspicuous with fruiting lichens (Cladonia sp.). This tree, or its lichens, must be well-known. As I was photographing it, I could hear somebody drawing his companions attention to the lichens on the tree.

A small island created with the lake was formed. I’d seen photographs of the lake from a distance but didn’t realize that their had been a dwelling on this knoll. I was surprised to see a concrete path leading down to the water.

A close look showing the foundation for a building – probably a cottage – almost hidden at the upper end of the path.
Click on an image to view a larger image


Resource:
- Gwinnett Parks and Recreation: Little Mulberry Park

2 comments:

KaHolly said...

What a nice hike through Little Mulberry Park. Thanks for taking us along. And thank you for commenting on my blog. It's great to be visited by someone new, creating an opportunity for me to explore a new site. I look forward to perusing your archived posts during some down time. You mentioned the Bur Oak acorns as being perfect for crafting...I had those same thoughts. I gathered quite a few, although my daughter abscounded with some for house decorating purposes. I would be happy to send you a few if you would like to tap your creative energies. ~karen

JSK said...

Thanks for stopping by Karen. I'm looking forward to going back and walking different paths although I do love water and tend to gravitate to ponds and streams. :-)