Hugh Taylor Birch State Park - The Museum Visit

 

On our last visit to this state park, we explored the loop road, hiked a nature trail, and ate at the little restaurant. This time, as planned, we went to explore the museum, rent a canoe, and barbecue our lunch. We also finished the "inner" nature trail, except for a short section that was underwater. I wonder what we'll do next time!

It took less than an hour to read all the exhibits in the museum, and then we rented a canoe so we could explore the little lake nearby. Note that you go into the restaurant to fill out the paperwork, then head over to the rental office.

It took less than an hour to paddle Long Lake - which isn't that long, a little over a mile - and we quite enjoyed the scenery - mostly mangroves, but a few houses along the edge as well. Afterwards we found a picnic table on the Intracoastal side of the park so we could watch the boats go by while waiting for the charcoal to be ready to cook our hamburgers.

The final activity was to hike the remaining three miles of nature trail. What a wonderful way to spend a summer day!

Next time we'll consider bringing our boots so we can complete the last little section of trail if it's still underwater.