Beaver Valley Trail
Use	Hiker
North Trailhead	Western Piedmont Trail near Clarksburg Road
South Trailhead	Bennett Ridge Trail, near campground
Distance	0.6 mile
Nearest Parking	0.25 mile, Kingsley Trailhead parking lot on Clarksburg Road
Summary	Compresses three distinct vegetation zones into less than a mile of trail. North end in valley has open meadow and wetland that is infiltrated with NNIs. Forested mid-section of trail on hillside has many downed eastern red cedars as hardwoods begin to dominate. Upper section near ridgeline is a great hike through clean, mature hardwood forest.

Narrative Direction: South from Western Piedmont Trailhead

From its northern trailhead on Western Piedmont Trail, Beaver Valley Trail starts off with a hard right turn before heading straight and flat for about 100 yards through the meadow shown in the photo below.

At a clearing just prior to Little Bennett Creek, there is a huge infestation of mile-a-minute and several other types of invasive vines.

You next come to the pedestrian bridge over the creek depicted below. This is one of the best spots to view Little Bennett Creek without going off trail. There is some periodic beaver dam activity on Little Bennett Creek near this area. Occasionally, it will lead to shallow flooding of this section of the trail.

After crossing the bridge, turn left. Do not be mistaken and take the deer trail beginning to emerge straight ahead at the southern end of the bridge. It is not maintained or an official Park trail.

On your right, you will soon pass a wooden bench surrounded by dead multiflora rose that has been sprayed. This is immediately followed by an old farm plow that sits beside the trail as an historic vestige of the Parks earlier agricultural history.

After this, Moundbuilder Trail veers off to your right. Notice post #6 on your left here; it is part of the Parks orienteering course.

Around the next turn you will cross a small wooden bridge. Built as an Eagle Scout project, it is dedicated to a deceased young Scout named Josh Nazareth.

The Stoneybrook Trail veers off to your left. It follows Little Bennett Creek's South Tributary and eventually comes to the Park's campground.

At this point Beaver Valley begins to climb away from the Little Bennett Creek valley and through a maturing forest of hardwoods and red cedars. For the next 200 yards the trail climbs the side of Little Bennett Ridge and passes through the mass of fallen cedars shown in the photo below. This is evidence of successional reforestation as maturing hardwoods become more prominent on the hillside in place of the shorter cedars which are being out-competed for light.

As the trail begins to level off a little, you will come to another wooden bench on your left. You are entering a more mature hardwood forest. You will pass through it for the last ¼ mile of the trail as it climbs gradually toward Bennett Ridge. This the most scenic stretch of Beaver Valley Trail. Notice that the trailsides are relatively clean and clear. There are only a few fallen pines, and they are much older and more moss-covered than those downed earlier on the trail as shown in the photo below.

You will hike about 200 yards and then come to Acorn Hollow Trail which branches off to your left. To stay on Beaver Valley Trail, follow the sign and bear to your right here. Notice how the trees continue to increase in height as you climb higher up this trail, indicating older forest as you approach the ridgeline.

You begin to see ferns emerge on the forest floor. In another 100 yards Beaver Valley Trail terminates at its Bennett Ridge trailhead not far from the campground.