Pine Grove Trail
Use	Multi-use (Hk, Bk, Eq)
North Trailhead	Horsetrailer Parking Lot
South Trailhead	Western Piedmont Trail near Earl's Picnic area
Distance	0.7 mile
Nearest Parking	Horsetrailer parking lot (adjacent to trail head)
Summary	Northern end of trail curves sharply and then proceeds downward through a small hollow that has a lot of NNIs and vines. At about ½ mile, the trail enters the largest mature pine grove in the park. Here the trail twists through a beautiful cave-like pine setting for about another ½ mile. Note the pine needles underfoot and ferns dotting the forest floor here. Several moundbuilder anthills populate the clearing near the trail's southern trailhead.

Narrative Direction: Generally South from the Horsetrailer Parking Lot
The northern end of this trail originates behind the kiosk at the edge of the horsetrailer parking lot near the end of Prescott Road. For the first hundred yards or so, the trail parallels the gravel road through a nice meadow setting.

Soon, however, as the trail twists down hill you come to a stretch that can be quite rutted, particularly during wet periods. A contributing factor to this is that Pine Grove is the principal equestrian feeder trail into the park.

Note also that recent spraying has killed many multi-flora rose and non-native invasive vines along the trail here. You will see further evidence of Park efforts to control these proliferating invaders as you move along the next ½ mile or so of the trail. See the photo below.

Despite the apparent success of the spraying that was done here, this area remains one of the main NNI challenges along all the trails in the Park. For example, an infestation of mile-a-minute weed was recently spotted growing up among some of the dead multi-flora rose bushes.

About ¼ mile into the trail, Timber Ridge trail veers off to the left. Timber Ridge descends steeply into one of the Park's many hollows and ultimately intersects with Tobacco Barn trail.

After that, Pine Grove Trail begins to descend toward the Little Bennett stream valley. You will soon reach a point where the trail appears to divide into left and right branches. You can take either (they are reconnected about 150 yards further on) but the Park would prefer that you use the longer passage on the left. It was constructed recently to bypass the right hand trail segment that gets very muddy during wet conditions.

Shortly after this, Pine Grove Trail enters the stretch of mature pine forest for which it was named, and through which it passes for about ½ mile, as seen in the photo below.

When hiking along the trail here under many 80-100 foot mature pine giants, the scent of pine is intense and refreshing. It is one of the most beautiful trail segments in the Park as suggested by the following photos taken along Pine Grove Trail.

To the right down below is a hollow while to your left a forested hillside. Several fern patches can be sighted, and as the trail winds down toward Western Piedmont Trail, ground cedar can be spotted. Meanwhile, underfoot the trail twists and turns through a network of exposed tree roots and pine needles.

As the trail begins to reach its lower end, it passes through an area where its logger road roots are clearly evidenced by the cut-and-fill methods used to make it.

Near its southern end, the trail opens into a small clearing where several mature moundbuilder anthills are seen.