Wednesday Hiking Adventures!

I hope everyone is having a fun October and preparing for Halloween accordingly! Now that the weather has FINALLY cooled down, our sense of adventure has been in need of a new place to hike. On Wednesday (while Connor, our son, was in school), Patrick and I decided to check out Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, GA.

This nature center has excellent maps of all their hiking trails! (I now refuse to go to places that fail to provide maps...no, my phone doesn't work out in the middle of nowhere, so don't put your maps only online!) Anyway, the trails were all pretty short (1-3 miles long), and they also have an interpretive trail which was pretty cool and informative.

We loved the nature center and the turtles, fish, and snakes they had. It's geared toward children but adults can also have fun learning about the animals. Our trail we chose for the day conveniently ran right into the nature center.

Fall color had just barely begun to progress as we walked along the small pond covered in lily pads. The winter migrants of Sandy Creek's pond have yet to arrive. The extent of pond birds we saw included...drum roll....a Belted Kingfisher and a Canada Goose. I could barely contain my excitement! Haha

We DID, however, hear a few Northern Flickers, Red-Bellieds, and saw a perfect-looking, newly-plumaged female Downy Woodpecker. (We love our woodpeckers!)

Sandy Creek Nature Center is a great place for a short hike. If you're ever in Athens, GA, and looking to get in touch with nature or just want to learn more about the local animals, I highly recommend a visit here!