Next up I hit up the yellow trail that was shaped by fire. You could even see some of the prescribed burning that had taken place in the area. It was nice to know they maintain the forest here.

On a few trails I've been to in this state I've noticed clear signs of some kind of fire happening at some point. None of them were as to be so bold to tell you what happened. I always assumed most of them were from prescribed burns but it was nice to see that be confirmed.

Unlike the other trail I had been on in Rainbow Springs this one was not paved. It was at least decently level for a path. There was often some kind of fence in certain sections as well. While other areas were a bit more open.

After a while, I did start to notice quite a few animal trails. I could start to somewhat get why some got a bit lost and wandered off the trail. Once a couple of people end up on an animal trail it can become easier for more and more people to make that mistake.

Even more so with there being a few different paths sometimes. With some of them being other trails. At least I felt like this place was decently marked and not that confusing. I’ve been in some far more confusing places.

They also make it rather easy on you. I’m on the yellow trail so I follow the yellow markers. The reason one of the yellow markers on the tree is off to the side is to tell the hiker the trail turns.

The only issue I could see is there is also a white trail. With how much white fungus and whatever else is growing on the trees. That is perhaps not a great color to be using. On top of that, there are yellow and white marked areas as well. Stuff like that happens with two trails converge somewhere.

It’s kind of a shame literature about a proper reading of trail signs is not more posted about in physical locations. While I feel such things are common sense. I also grew up in the scouts doing all kinds of hiking. So, such things to me are more second nature if anything else.

Despite how busy the other parts of the state park were. This trail was mostly empty. Only a couple of times I'd come across people walking in the opposite direction and they usually had a dog with them. Some of them I was kind of shocked they even managed to get through some of the more overgrown areas.

Then there are times were the trees parted on one or both sides. The forest ground would be a bit more barren. You could tell the park rangers had been here within the past day with some tire marks left on the ground.

For the most part, large sections of the trail were nice and shady. While it was a cool day and not needed. I could see people hiking this trail during the summer and then rushing back to the water for a quick dip into the springs.

Then came the main attraction for going on this trail itself. It’s kind of hard to tell on camera. There is this massive pit with some fencing along the trail to remind you to not get too close to it.

For quite some time a big thing for this area and a few places around it was phosphate mining. That is also a bit of a reason you can sometimes see in places like these almost a wood trail that would have been used for hauling away spoils. With some of them getting turned into trails years later.

While I have no idea if that was the reason for part of the trail that takes you so close to this mining pit. Some maps show clear straight lines marking out some kind of primitive road in certain areas on the map itself.

This trail was also quite lacking in flowers to birds. I have no idea how it is during the summer months here. I just know in the cooler months it’s a quiet place for the most part. I had not even spotted a squirrel for miles.

Out of all the photos I took on this trail this ended up being my favorite. The trees seemed to be like they were planted along the trail like this. They may have been by those who were mining here. Either way, it just looks awesome for how long it goes before the trail turns.

Every once in a while, I'd look at the map I was using to keep ensuring I was going in the correct direction. At one point the trail turned but, on the map, it showed it going straighter. It was also quite clear there was not a clear path ahead and might not have been for a while now.

Sometimes you just have to make judgment calls. I knew as long as I was following the yellow marks on the trees, I was going on the path I needed. The only concern was if I walked past where I started and headed back around for another loop.

This also meant that this trail ended up being a bit longer than I was expecting. Thankfully it was not that long and I had more than enough time and energy for the slight detour it ended up having you take.

Final Thoughts

While there were not a whole lot of things to stop to look at on this trail. I just have fun roaming around the forest. That for me makes checking out new spots the fun part. While it’s cool if there is something to stop and take a couple of photos of. Sometimes just a giant pit from a former mining operation is good enough as anything for me.

Information

Photos were taken and content was written by @Enjar about my personal experiences in the real world away from the computer at home.