Nature walk is one of the best ways to beat the blues , and rejuvenate yourself. "After a day's walk, everything has twice it's usual value ." - G.M. Trevelyan . A walk in the nature not only improves your physical health , but also refreshes and clears up your mind .It can even enhance and bring out the creativity in you, undoubtedly the best therapy one can ask for. This summer has been without any vacation travels and get-a-ways .But thanks to the beautiful trails and nature here, we do not feel deprived of travelling as much .
We are grateful to be surrounded by scenic greenery and trails all around . It is quite common to spot squirrels, rabbits or turtles often when we go for a walk or hike. If we are lucky , a deer can cross our paths as well.It is gratifying and a welcome diversion to see the animals in their natural surroundings .Sometimes we try and drive a bit further to hike the longer trails .One such trail we enjoy , is the American Tobacco trail. Today's post has some mobile captures from this trail . It is a short drive from our place.
History
While looking up , I gathered some interesting facts and history of this trail . The trail is said to be about 22.6 miles (36.4 kms ) long and follows an old abandoned railway line .In 1970 s, the rail line was used to transport tobacco, from the local farms to the American Tobacco Company in Durham .In 1989 , Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy was formed to take care of preserving the railway corridors and building the recreational trail.
About the Trail
There are many entry points to this long trail.It extends from the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham, to Chatham County ,and to Jordan Lake in Wake County, near U.S. Route 64. Basically , it passes through three counties Durham, Chatham and Wake with each county managing their own trails. It is wonderful to see , that they have managed and maintained well , even with shared partnership.
The trail is very scenic and peaceful. The shaded and wooded path , makes it a great place to hike ,even in the peak heat of summer .When we visited on a weekday , there were hardly a few people, in most part of the trail. The weekends however , can get a little crowded but not that much. Most people usually walk, run, bike, roller blade or walk their dogs. There are also occasional horse back riders at times. However, I did not see any horse back riders , in the few times I have been there . There is a sign which basically says "to give way to the horses" when you cross the bridges , so I figure there might be some of them walking the trail at times.
Most of the trail is paved , but there are some unpaved areas as well. You can see turtles basking in the warmth of the sun, from the bridges.There are rest rooms and enough parking near the entry points of the trail. We completed one part of the trail from the New Hill entry point, which took about an hour and a half . Hope to cover more distance, in the upcoming visits . It is indeed a great place to hike if you are in this area , and I highly recommend it.
Below are some more captures from the walk in and around our neighborhood. My kids were excited to capture a big turtle walking to a nearby creek . The rabbits and squirrels are usually very commonly seen.
Finally , some beautiful and thoughtful quotes on nature walks .
"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees." -Henry David Thoreau
"A walk in nature walks the soul back home." - Mary Davis
Hope you enjoyed this post .Have a wonderful day!
Stunning captures as always Nisha !
Thank you so much Smitha!
Beautiful pictures Nisha. A walk in nature rejuvenates for the whole day!!
Truly Deeksha!! Could not agree more .Thank you for stopping by .
Just lovely, Nisha!
Thank you so much Jennifer!
Woww, love these pictures, so nice
Thank you so much Nisha!
Oh Nisha, my heart sighed just looking at your stunning photos. I used to live near that area on the Virginia side and miss it more than I could ever describe. I hope to return to the area in the near future. As you say, there is so much nature there to be enjoyed and appreciated. This stunning American Tobacco Trail is certainly no exception!
I loved reading the history of this trail too. Very interesting! What struck me most of all was how the 3 counties work together to maintain such a beautiful piece of land. It made me think of how much better we as a people would be if we all chose to work together as one, too! Such a wonderful thought that is....
I am so grateful you chose to share this with all of us. ♥ I needed this natural beauty tonight. It's just the cheer I needed after a couple of tough days. Sending love to you my friend. You are amazing! 🤗
Oh! wonderful to know that you used to live around here Holly .It sure is a place one would miss .I have lived mostly on the west coast for many years. But after moving here a couple of years ago, I don't think I can move from here especially for the natural surroundings 🙂 Hope you can definitely come visit again ! Yes ,we need to give credit to the counties for maintaining this trail ..I agree working together can really make the most difficult things work. So glad to hear that this post cheered you up . It really makes my day to hear that . Thank you so much for all your support and kind words .Hope you have a fantastic day and week ahead !