Walking Under The Ancient Hemlocks At Salt Springs State Park.

I wanted to explore some more of the natural beauty that is preserved in the State Parks and Forests in our Commonwealth. So I decided to visit the quaint and little known Salt Springs State Park for the first time this past weekend.  Salt Springs State Park is located in Susquehanna County about 90 miles north of my home in Luzerne County.  It is the only State Park operated by a non profit organization, the Friends of Salt Springs Park.  The park is home to a grove of ancient hemlock trees , our State Tree,  some over 500 years old  and many over 100 feet, making them some of the tallest and oldest trees in the Commonwealth.

The park is located in rural Susquehanna County.  I enjoyed driving the back roads past the farms and hills, arriving early, around 6:30 a.m.  It was overcast but  mild  here in Endless Mountains. 

After parking my Jeep I walked past the Park  Office, Visitor Center and Museum located in the historic Wheaton House that was built by Nathan Philip Wheaton in the 1840’s. His family operated a diary farm here from the 1840’s until 1973 when the Commonwealth acquired the property .The Wheaton family also allowed visitors to  the waterfalls on the Fall Brook and preserved the ancient hemlock trees growing along the creek.

I  crossed a bridge over the Fall Brooks and came to the Salt Spring after which the park was named. Native Americans extracted salt from this spring. Later European settlers attempted to commercially extract the salt but these efforts were unsuccessful.

A short distance from the Salt Springs I followed the Woodland Trail up a ridge that took me into the hemlock forest. This forest was on both sides of the Fall Brook gorge. It is one of the last remaining “old growth forest” in the Commonwealth and many of the trees are over 300 years old.

Walking under these ancient trees was like traveling back in time.  Native Americans walked beneath these trees before the Europeans arrived and began clearing the vast forests that covered the North American continent.

It was dark under the towering hemlocks and, although I heard the calls and  songs of many birds in the forest, including ravens, crows, red eyed vireos,  dark eyed juncos , white breasted nuthatches, northern flickers, black capped chickadees and the piercing cry of a red tailed hawks as I walked on the steep, hemlock covered trail. However, it was to dark to even try and photograph them in the tall hemlock trees.

There were not many wildflowers or other plants under the tall hemlock trees, however there were a lot of ferns including intermediate wood ferns

and Christmas ferns.

I also found this beautiful, and edible, chicken of the woods mushroom growing along the trail. It looked so pretty in the dim forest I only harvested a few edges of the  large mushroom for other hikers to enjoy or harvest.

The Woodland  Trail  met the Hardwood Trail and left the  old  growth hemlock forest.  I followed this trail back down the ridge,

seeing some white baneberries,

and wood nettles, both native species, growing along the trail.

I would also see dozens of red efts crawling on the trails on my hike.

The trail took me back down to the Salt Spring and I again hiked back up the ridge and into the hemlock forest, this time on the Hemlock Trail.

I was now along the gorge above he Fall Brook and I could hear the waters rushing below.

I walked past  large fallen hemlock trees and came to a boardwalk, with informative signs, above Falls Brook. There was an observation platform here and I enjoyed the solitude of the old forest, with only the sound of the water rushing below. I saw no one on the trail.

The trail followed the boardwalk and descended the ridge talking me closer to the creek.

Here I heard and saw a Louisiana waterthrush, and, because if the clearing along the creek allowing in some light, I was able to get a few photos of waterthrush.

The Hemlock Trail became the Falls Brook Trail and I followed it to the Buckley Road. I had already accomplished my purpose in visiting  Salt Springs State Park, walking under the ancient hemlocks, and had not made other plans for hiking in the park. I had walked about 2 miles  and decided to walk on the Wetland Trail on the other side of the road.

Along the road I was able to photograph this male cardinal  in the  shrubs along the trail,

along the Falls Brook which ran under the road.

Along the road I also found  a few mid Summer wildflowers in bloom including native evening primrose,

and daisy fleabane flowers.

Blackberry brambles,  with many  ripening blackberries, were also growing along the road.

I began my hike on the Wetland Trail which took me along Falls Brook,

first taking me under some towering hemlock trees,

then through meadows,

of goldenrod, 

milkweed

and bull thistle.

I also saw these amanitas  mushrooms growing along the trail.

The sun broke trough the clouds and there was some bird activity along the creek.  I saw a few gray catbirds,.

black-capped chickadees,

a Canada warbler,

I am not sure if this was a warbling vireo or red eyed vireo, and

 a pair of Carolina wrens singing loudly in the woodlands along the trail.

The Wetland Trail ended and I crossed the creek and followed  the Fall Brook Trail  back to the Buckley road. I wish I hadn’t, since  areas of the trail was muddy and took me through, nestles, blackberry brambles. and thick vegetation.

The trail followed the creek for about a half mile  before entering a grove of hemlock trees near the road. I  saw little bird activity on this side of the trail.    Here is a link to a gallery  on my website with more photos from the beginning of my hike in the park. Salt Springs State Park part 1 August 3 2024.

Near the road I saw some more native flowers ,  including black-eyed Susan flowers

scarlet beebalm flowers.

I next followed the Gorge Trail.

At the start of the trail I came upon this pile of stones,

and and these  stone markers. I believe they are  from when the Wheaton’s owned the property almost two  centuries ago.

The trail took me along  the other side of the Fall Brook and through the hemlock forest.

I came to one of the three waterfalls on the creek,

and watched the rushing waters in the ancient forest,

before continuing down the stream.

I saw a few birds along the way including a white breasted nuthatch,

a dark eyed junco  and

a blue headed vireo.

I decided to finish my hike on the easier Spur Trail since it took me through an open meadow where I hoped to see some more bird activity. 

I didn’t see any birds in the field but there were a lot of milkweed plants and I had  a now rare sighting of a monarch butterfly.  In the past I would see hundreds of these beautiful butterflies. This was only the third one I saw all Summer. The feed exclusively on milkweed plants and are endangered because of loss of both the milkweed plants  in their Summer homes  in the northern United State,  and the loss of their Winter habitats in  the mountains of Mexico. They are one of the few butterflies that migrate in the Winter.

I followed the trail back to the parking area which was now full of cars. I decided to continue my hike on the Silver Spring Trail.

This trail took me on a ridge above the camping area in the park. I enjoyed the voices of  the campers below and the aroma of the smoke from the campfires.

I followed the trail up the ridge through a mixed hardwood/conifer woodland,

until I reached the Border Trail.

Here I turned around and hiked down  to the Silver Creek on the North Creek Trail.

The trail map I got at the park entrance showed the trail crossing the Silver Creek. However, there was no bridge just some rocks in the creek. I was pleased as I jumped from rock to rock across the creek until the last rock. It was very slippery and I took a fall into the creek.

I was lucky,  I only mildly sprained my back and I continued on the trail which took me through a meadow of goldenrod, milkweed and other wildflowers.

There were also old apple trees along the  trail. 

I saw a few song sparrows, 

common yellowthroats,

and red-eyed vireos in the meadow. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos of the birds and other critters I saw on my hike. Salt Springs State Park birds and critters August 3 2024.

There were many scenic views of the creek along the trail.

However, the map again showed the trail crossing the creek. It didn’t. This time I waded trough the cold waters of the creek, and came to the campgrounds on the other side.

I walked back to the parking lot, first visiting the vegetable garden planted by the Friends of Salt Spring,

I then took a quick tour of the historic Wheaton house.

were so many interesting exhibits in the house and museum.

However it was now past noon and I had hiked 7 miles in almost 6 hours and I was hungry and tired and had a two hour drive home. So  I couldn’t spend much time in the house and museum. I hope to return again soon to hike under the ancient hemlocks again. explore more of the park and spend some time in the museum. I was glad I decided to visit this wonderful park that preserves not only the ancient hemlock tree but the history of this part of our Commonwealth. Here is a link to a gallery  on my website with more photos  my hike in the park. Salt Springs State Park part 2 August 3 2024.

“From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of sadness or fear. That’s what I believe, and it was very, very strong in the forest.”   Jane Goodall

fskokoski@gmail.com

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