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Trails
Narrative Direction: South from Browning Run Trailhead Pine Knob Trail connects Browning Run with Loggers trail. It has virtually 100% forest cover its full length. The north trailhead (shown in the photo below) is off of Browning Run trail at the edge of a large meadow near the upper end of Clarksburg Road. Pine Knob trail immediately enters full hardwood and pine canopy as it climbs rather quickly out of the meadow.
After about 200 yards it mounts a small hilltop. It then makes a hard left turn south, paralleling Clarksburg Road. You notice immediately why this is called Pine Knob trail as there are several large mature pines atop this small knoll (or "knob"). But what is even more prominent is the very large number of huge, mature dead pines strewn about the forest floor here. For the next 100 yards or so the trail is surrounded by fallen pines. It seems odd, too, that there is little moss on most of the fallen pines. This indicates that they may have come down fairly recently, too soon to start decomposing. You can view this part of the trail in the photo below.
Fortunately, however, the remaining pines have been joined by several maturing hardwoods. And other than some stiltgrass along the trail edges, the area appears to remain largely free of other NNIs. Still, the number and density of the fallen pines, many of which remain stacked on top of one another, is such as to prevent any off-trail bushwacking in this area. This is one of the few areas of the Park where routine bushwacking is impractical. Gradually you exit the fallen pines area to full canopy, clean hardwood forest with few NNIs other than the seemingly ever-present stiltgrass along trail edges. Soon you will begin a gradual uphill climb as evidenced by four waterbars in the trail tread, as shown in the photo below. Note also the exposed ledge off the trail to your left. And there is a good-sized pile of loose rocks along the trail ahead, possibly left by a farmer clearing this land for planting.
The last ¼ mile of Pine Knob trail continues its gradual uphill climb (see photo below). There is 100% canopy the whole route and few NNIs, though there are a lot of fallen and slowly decaying trees.
Pine Knob Trail helps shorten the route from the northern part of the Park to the Kingsley schoolhouse core. It is a peaceful and soothing, if not awesomely scenic, trail and a less-used one, too.
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