My first trip into the wilderness was to a little preserve in North Georgia called the Shirley Miller Wildlife Preserve. Calling it the wilderness is generous, but it was a great reentry back into the outdoors with two toddlers in tow. It was gorgeous in early April with all the wildflowers in full bloom. Most of the path was on an excellently maintained boardwalk. By the time we got to the end of the boardwalk, where we’d have to do some actual hiking grandma was there to watch the baby. The three-year-old and I ventured forward. We made it to a rewarding and unexpected waterfall. The best part. The husband said I looked like an outdoorswoman from the photos.
Wanna Go?
- You will need a Georgia Land Pass to be on the property. If you are a Georgia resident it is $30/year. If you are a non-resident it is $60/year. You can get a daily fishing or hunting license if you’re not interested in the yearly pass.
- You will find yourself driving down a dirt road, don’t stop. You’re almost there.
- The Wildflower Trail is a 0.9-mile loop.
- There are almost 50 types of wildflowers along the trail. Download your wildflower identifying app beforehand.
- The entire thing is on a well-maintained boardwalk—unless you want to take a five-minute hike to the waterfall.
- My three-year-old could walk to the waterfall, no problem. The one-year-old hung back.
- The Pocket – Walker County, GA – Official Government Site
Toddler Approval Rating:
Grandma Approval Rating:
Who’s ready for an overnight camping trip now?
Flower Dissecting Project:
Being surrounded by so many pretty wildflowers got the boys and myself thinking about pollination. How were all these gorgeous flowers covering the hills here, when the ones in our garden were struggling?
When we got home we got out the book From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons. It has an excellent section about the parts of the flower and how pollination works. We used a big lily so it would be easy to see all the parts without a magnifying glass. They had fun taking the flower apart and identifying the parts.
There are several wildflower books that my boys love to read.
Betsy Hibbett 