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E&A NATURE TRAIL
Elkin, North Carolina
The E&A Nature Trail is a 3 mile section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail which includes the Elkin Recreation Park and a length of the 100-year old Elkin & Allegheny Railway bed along Big Elkin Creek. Portions of this trail had been isolated and undisturbed since the 1920’s, the rails removed and old bridges long demolished. Since 2010, the Elkin Valley Trails Association has rebuilt three large bridges and created many miles of interconnecting trails which host an abundance of native Appalachian and Piedmont wildflower species in every season.
Each year around the last Saturday in February, I begin a series of naturalist hikes on the E&A Nature Trail. Every two or three weeks we encounter a new universe of flowers blooming and leaves emerging. Never the same walk twice! Phenology is the scientific study of periodic or seasonal biological phenomena, like bird migration and nesting, fish spawing, insects hatching. Meander down this page to discover Spring advancing photo by photo, and enjoy!
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