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Trip Report    

Bridle Trails State Park

My dog and I enjoyed a solo hike counter-clockwise along Coyote, looping around Bridle Trails pond looking for access (for waterfowl) and then continued along Trillium to Raven and back to the parking lot. Beautiful day, only one horse and a hairy woodpecker, 3 ravens, cross bills and kinglets among 18 bird species.

  • Tue, Jan 28, 2025
  • Bridle Trails State Park
  • Day Hiking
  • Successful
  • Road suitable for all vehicles
  • My dog and I scouted this State Park for a possible future Mountaineers outing. Total on the day was 5.6 miles and 289 feet according to AllTrails, 2.6 mph pace. Discover Pass required.

    I didn't realize for horse traffic the park recommends clockwise travel on some routes and counter-clockwise on others; we went counter-clockwise following the "coyote prints" along the perimeter, then branched off from the northwest corner to try to access the Bridle Trails pond (without success) and then continued to Trillium and back along Raven. If I understand correctly, on the smaller branch-off trails hikers are to look for markers to know the appropriate direction to travel, in case horses (who have priority) are approaching. It makes sense to pay attention so you don't get surprised!

    Bathrooms are open, warm, and lit including a shower in the women's. It's nice to not have to go in the bushes after a two-hour outing.untitled-7.jpg 

At 10:15 when we arrived there were 5 cars and 5 dog walkers each with about 10 dogs apiece (I've never SEEN so many dogs in one outing unless they're loose at a dog park). We encountered one horse and rider, maybe 15-20 people on the day. 

My only quibble was the abundant horse poop. Well, if you share the trail you have to expect it. That, and the sound of cars/405 traffic around the perimeter. But once you get off Coyote in the middle of the park, it was simply lovely. We heard 18 bird species on the day including a crossbill, 3 ravens, a vireo, a bunch of kinglets and pine siskens, and a hairy woodpecker. 

I specifically chose to visit Bridle Trails so I could take my dog, visit a new-to-me place, and get some different bird species for my Ebird listing (38 in January so far).

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There are plenty of downed trees but none crossing the trails we visited. And with the recent nice weather, the biggest obstacle is not mud (the ground is frozen) but horse poop. I picked up 3 dog bags and deposited them in the trash cans which ARE available at the parking lot.

Nice park. I'll go back sometime and visit more of the inner quieter trails.

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