Tuskinas Creek Trail (red marker), York River State Park
So, today I sauntered Tuskinas Creek Trail at York River State Park. It is a lovely trail to saunter. They don’t allow any bikes or horses on the trail. This trail has four overlooks to gaze at the beautiful marsh, with the possibility of seeing Herons, Eagles, Osprey, and Kingfishers. The trail did have a lot of bird activity: cardinals, blue jays, hawks, etc. The trail has roots on the path, and some elevation change, so be careful.
-length: 2 miles (says the map), 3.3 miles from parking lot and back taking all spur trails. (Loop Trail)
-time: 1hr 40 minutes
-trail difficulty: easy, may be moderate for some
-trail: single file
-3-O’s friendly(Old, Overweight, Out-of-shape): friendly-ish. There is some elevation change. The easiest rout would be to go to Osprey Overlook and then back to the car. There is still some elevation, but not as much as if you kept going or went the other direction on the trail.
-bikes: no
-pets: yes, must be on leash
-wildlife seen: cardinals, blue jays, blue heron, Hawk, red-headed woodpecker, squirrels, Osprey, turkey buzzards.
-amenities: parking lot, trail map, visitor center, playground, picnic tables, grills
-necessities: none, unless you want to use trekking poles
-summary: I think this is a nice doable hike. If you want a little challenge, allow yourself more time and take it slow. A walking stick or poles may help if you have balance issues. I really like this trail. If I’m not able to get to the mountains and want to do something with some elevation change, then this is a good little trail to do that with.
-Check out my video commentary on fb:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/933698274619642/permalink/950769729579163/
-Relive:
Tuskinas Creek Trail
This is the entrance of the trail from the parking lot. If you follow the fence it borders the Horse Trailer parking area. At the end of the fence your off-trail journey begins. The signs state that there are no horses or bikes allowed on this trail. On the back end of the trail I do believe a horse trail combines with this trail but only for a short ways.
The trail will veer to the left and begin to descend, once you cross a little foot bridge it will begin to ascend again. This trail does tend to have a lot of elevation change, but a lot of it is gradual. There are a couple of steep place ascents. Just take your time and rest if you need too. I was able to do the trail with no breaks, but you have to know your ability.
This is the first juncture that you will come to. I took a right. Taking a right will take you down by the water. As you can see the right path leads down, and the left path leads up. It does get steeper if you go left. But if you go left and decide to exert your energy up front, once you get on top and it levels out, the rest of the trail should be a breeze.
These stairs really don’t serve a purpose, unless you want to workout your calves some. You can just take that path to the right, it is an easier way. The stairs just seem unneccessary.
This is your first Overlook. This is Marsh Overlook. You really do have a pretty view from here.
This is Heron Overlook. Still a pretty view. No herons were here when I stopped, but when I got to the next overlook, I saw one fly over to this one.
This is Osprey Overlook. The overlooks are fairly close together. So, you basically have the same view just a different angle. I did see some Turkey Buzzards flying around, but no Osprey. I did see an Osprey later on in my hike though. I would say at this point, if you thought it was challenging to get here, then turn around and go back. The rest of the trail just gets more challenging, and you have pretty much seen all there is to see, if you came for the sights of the Marsh. There are two more overlooks (one doesn’t have much of a view), then sauntering through the woods till you get back to the parking lot.
At this juncture if you go left, you continue down the regular trail (which begins going upward). This will be one of the steepest parts of the trail. If you go right, it leads to the Eagle Overlook. It is the first spur trail you come to. It does rise in elevation also, but the trail is really short (only 0.1 mile to the overlook). A fellow trekker stated that you do see eagles out there, but we both must have missed them this day.
While walking back from the Eagle Overlook, I noticed this path off to the left. You can’t see it , but there are some stairs there, and next to that first tree on the left you can see a bridge. If you don’t want to go back the way you came, you could take this path. You can see it connects up with the trail on the other side. It was just a little muddy past that 2nd tree. Be careful walking it though, leaves always make things slippery, and you can’t really see whats under the leaves either. Go back to the juncture and you can either continue down the trail, or go back the way you came.
As you can see there are some fallen logs on the trail where they have cut a path through. On the second one you need to watch your step. It is not even at all. It’s flat but it is kind of awkward maneuvering across this log.
So when you see this big tree, you can see the trail post just beyond it. At this point you have a choice, you can go left (which leads back to the parking lot), or you can go right which leads to the Kingfisher Overlook. If you choose to go right it’s a pretty easy Spur trail (in and out). It is also 0.3 miles one way.
This is at the end of the trail if you decide to go right. The picture is looking back at the trail you just came down. Behind you is the view you have from this overlook. Not pictured, is a fence to the left of the bench. It appears to be blocking a path that used to be part of the trail.
Note: when spring really gets going, or even possibly in the summer time when the trees have all of their leaves, this could really cut down on the view you get from this overlook.
If you decide to venture beyond the fence, it is a down hill stroll, and puts you next to the water. When you are on this clearing (a nice little penninsula), and inspect the marsh to the right it looks like there is a remnant of what may have been a bridge that crossed over at one point in time. While exploring the Eagle Overlook, it looked like they had done the same thing. If you look at that picture, it looks like the overlook rail extends oddly onto land for no reason. Well it is actually blocking off a remnant of an old trail. At this point you just turn around and go back the way you came.
Note: You should always stay on the trail. I did go down an unauthorized trail at my own risk. So, remember things are blocked off for a reason. If you go off trail, it is at your own risk.
As you continue back down the trail, it should be a very pleasant stroll. The first thing that you will notice is that there will be a gate in front of you (service road), and your path actually veers to the left.
Next, you will come to a nice grassy clearing. On the otherside of the clearing, you will see the trail marker where you should reconnect with the trail.
Finally, you will come to the juncture marker that you saw when you first came in. Just keep going straight, and it will take you directly back to the parking lot.
Pics From the Trail:
