Sunday, February 7, 2010

Berry Springs Park and Preserve







My wife and I took advantage of the first sunny day in what seems like over a week of rainy cloudy days. We went out and explored a park just outside of Georgetown, Texas. The park is on a creek and is made up of an old pecan orchard and rich bottom land. It has these beautiful springs that bubble up out of the ground into crystal clear ponds. These springs were the power for a grist mill in the 1800s for the community. The park is lined with gravel base hiking trails and areas for bird watching. Yesterday we saw a Kingfisher, Red Shouldered hawk, Blue Jay, Crows, Grackles and tons of smaller birds that I could not identify. There were turtles out sunning and squirrels feeding on the abundance of pecans. We found a den tree on one trail that the entrance to the hollow was worn slick from a raccoon slipping in and out of the hole in the hollow tree.

The park has an overnight camping area, nice picnic tables and a couple of covered pavilions for groups. Some of the old structures from the original gristmill and house are still standing. There is a fishing/observation deck and viewing benches throughout the park. All fishing is catch and release only. This is a place that natural beauty abounds and a great place to take the kids. A playground has even been built for the younger group. It is worth the drive to get out and explore. You can learn more about Berry Springs Park and Preserve at the following link. Wild Ed


http://www.wilcogov.org/CountyDepartments/ParksandRecreation/BerrySpringsParkandPreserve/tabid/808/language/en-US/Default.aspx



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an awesome place to layover for the weekend.

Betty Saenz said...

I was at the park today. I found out it was open to horseback riding so I went to check out the trails. Riders have a specific set of trails to ride on. Hikers and bikers have separate trails. People were out there picking up pecans. It is a beautiful park. I love the old homestead, the Berry Springs and the crystal clear lakes they feed. The 2 donkeys were so friendly! I love equines!