A friend and I have been on a mission this summer to thoroughly explore as much as possible of our local preserves and forests and their hiking trails. Some locations are fairly easily accessed, some require longer hikes than would be appropriate with the heat and four dogs in tow. Recently we discovered an effective hack that allows us to work smarter and not harder to access trails we couldn’t previously.
A couple months ago said friend had booked a campsite for the weekend in the local state forest. Unfortunately a family emergency kept him from camping, but included in the reservation was an access code to the gate at the front of the park allowing car passage further in and around the forest. We went on an afternoon reconnaissance mission and discovered all the different campsites and locations where we could park and potentially explore in the future. We also found out per the reservation email that the gate code was good for the whole month. Hmmm…so technically for around $16 after fees, we could book a campsite and have access not only to our own parking location for that date, but a way to access the whole area for an entire month? Challenge accepted. This month we will explore to our hearts’ content and if we still haven’t exhausted the trails, we can opt to “camp” again next month, or any really.
Girl with Dog 