Fountainhead Regional Park – Blue Trail/Canine Trail
Time: 2 hours
Length: Out and Back
Gear: Lots of water, leash and daypack
Difficulty: 2 paws
Scenery: 4 paws
Pack: You and your dog
If you’re looking for a great trail that’s an easy drive, look no further than Fountainhead Regional Park. Even the entrance to the park is lovely as you wind through the woods to get to the parking lot. Because the weather called for another hot day, we arrived early and found only a few cars in the parking lot – mostly cyclists taking advantage of the great trails.
Karma and I arrived a few minutes ahead of Katina and Cannon so I tied Karma to the SUV while I did a little vehicle reorganization. Know where this is going yet? So, yes, another car parks near us and Karma has to great them breaking yet another cotton-web longline! Seriously?! He immediately went back in the truck while I tied knots in the busted leash. Shheesh.
But I digress. Our partners in crime arrived and we head out on the trail in the corner of the lot marked with blue blazes. There is a mapboard in the parking lot and the trail we chose was not the one favored by those on 2 wheels. We did have several runners pass us and saw a few dogs. Happily while the runners were pretty hardcore, everyone we met was polite and friendly.
At the beginning of the hike we passed a graveyard on the left. Turns out it is the Davis family cemetery and was established in the 1860s. The Davis home was destroyed during the Civil War and the newer house that was built in its place is now also gone.
We hiked out and back spending about 2 hours on the trail. You could easily spend as much time as you want but Karma was letting us know he was getting hot. Even Cannon started feeling the impact of the heat in the second half of the hike.
There were several opportunities to cool the dogs in water as much of the trail follows a stream. Even Cannon, who normally isn’t thrilled by water, got in and splashed around with Karma.
When we were done, Katina and I took seats on the picnic tables and chatted while the dogs rested in the shade.
