What a wonderful hike! There are two parking areas, one at the Miller Forest Tract and one at the Peaked Mountain Tract. The second was our choice for our walk. We picked up a map, unusual for us but serendipitous as there are a lot of well networked trails. They are blazed but also numbered at key intersections, which was great. We first headed to the "Valley View" area, and after taking in a snack and a lovely vista, headed to the "Peaked Mountain" area and climbed around quite a bit taking in the view from many directions. A marker indicated the mountain's highest point, and a mailbox jutted out of the side of a pine tree. A journal inside contained memories left by hikers past. A new volume is needed, so if you take this hike you could bring a notebook with you to leave there.
The fact that this park is borded by a wildlife sanctuary (and endless miles of woods) showed itself in the forms of many frogs, croaking away and leaping among the reeds of a small pond we encountered. A larger pond was visible from the top of the mountain, located in the Miller Forest Tract of land. A magical encounter with a fawn was the highlight of our day. For several minutes my family clustered at the edge of a trail, whispering with excitement and peering into the eyes of this graceful and solemn little guy. None of my photos came out, naturally.
This summit was a long hike for our boys, who are quite hardy. I wouldn't choose it for kids who are starting to get used to hiking. But it wasn't too long- we'll do it again in a minute!
Peaked Mountain
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