Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve 2021
Wolf Creek 2021 will be different this year due to COVID-19 precautions. We will make every effort to protect our volunteers and all who choose to visit. The official opening date is not yet set, but we anticipate the public will be welcome after the first week of February.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wolfcreektroutlilypreserve/ or our website https://www.wolfcreektroutlilypreserve.org for our official opening date. Once we open to the public the gates to the Preserve will remain open. Use our hashtags (#wolfcreek2021, #troutlily2021).
COVID-19 EDITION
The Volunteer Board will make every effort to keep YOU safe while still offering the magical experience of this year’s bloom season at the Preserve.
COVID-19 precautions include:
- Avoiding close contact (6-foot distance between you and others)
- Wearing a face mask (we will have extras available)
- Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces (we will have disinfectant)
- Clean your hands often (we will have hand sanitizer)
We will not offer guided tours this season to limit groups of people on the trail at one time. We ask visitors to respect personal space and right of way on the trails. We will have volunteers available to address questions, particularly on the weekends. The interaction may be different this year, but the reason you visit remains the same.
ABOUT the TROUT LILY & MORE
Each Dimpled Trout Lily flower opens in the late morning or early afternoon follows the sun and closes at dusk, so to see the open flowers go in the afternoon. If it is raining heavily or very dark and cloudy in the morning, the flowers may stay closed. Each individual flower re-opens for several days, with overall numbers of flowers in bloom beginning gradually, increasing, peaking, then declining over the course of a few weeks. Depending on the winter weather the overall bloom may be anywhere from three or four weeks long, usually throughout February, rarely into March. Other spring ephemerals you may see- Spotted Trillium, Spring Coralroot, Southern Twayblade Orchid, Green Fly Orchid (blooms later), Bloodroot, and Jack-In-the-Pulpit.
HIKING TRAILS
All trails are marked with a colored tape and signage is visible along all the trails.
Our Primary Trail highlights the best views of the trout lily. It makes a loop down a slope, onto the lower trail, which carries you to a lovely view of Wolf Creek, then continues uphill to the upper trail or where the visitor can exit out the driveway. The Upper Trail offers overlook views, tiny twayblade orchids, bloodroot, and several other plants of interest. There is an Orchid Loop, off the primary trail to the left as you go down slope, with two species of orchid plants, which are visible but may not be blooming. The trail does include other interesting habitats and plants not found on the main loop. The orchid loop ends at the bottom of the primary trail. Visitors may walk on the South Trail below the parking area towards Trillium Creek. This is a fairly open area with some large patches of trillium and rain lilies (not blooming yet), but very few trout lilies. The small creek is quite delightful, and this area is quiet and peaceful. This trail is a great hike if you arrive in the morning before the trout lilies open for the day.
SAFETY & ACCESS
The trout lilies grow on a slope, so visitors need to wear boots or shoes WITH TREADS that may get damp or muddy. Bring a walking stick if desired. We offer Sparkleberrry walking sticks for visitor use. You can purchase one with a $10 donation. The trails may be slippery when wet, so please proceed with caution.
There is minimal access for people using wheelchairs or with limited mobility who cannot complete a walk of several hundred yards on a slope. If you have minor limitations, our upper trail will provide all the magic you would expect.
PARKING, DO & DON’TS
There is a parking area inside the gate. Vehicles are not allowed on the property beyond the designated parking area. We have signage for parking.
The following are prohibited at Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve- cutting or removal of any plants, leaving trash, and pets on any trail, other than service animals.
Visitors are asked to sign in with the volunteer greeters near the kiosk. We maintain laminated maps for use or visitors can download the AVENZA app. Instructions are posted on our website for the app and a PDF of our brochure is available for printing.
COME ENJOY THE MAGIC!
