
Kathy Schrenk
Hike to a watering hole: LaBarque Creek
Memorial Day was a good day for a one-mile hike to a pool along in LaBarque Creek Conservation Area. This is a beautiful place to hike all year long but it's especially nice in the summer because of the pool made by the creek just a mile from the parking lot.
I've done the three-mile loop here a few times, but since it was so hot we went straight for the pool. Right away we found that there have been some changes since I was last here:

Instead of making a sharp right to hug the creek, the trail now goes up a set of stairs and through the forest to the fork where the loop begins. We headed to the right (west) and hiked through the dense summer green, spotting wildflowers, a millipede, a turtle, and some colorful mushrooms.

Once we got the water we scooted down the short hill and found it was full of giant tadpoles, a cool surprise for everyone.

There wasn't as much water as there has been on previous trips, but there was enough for kids to splash around and enjoy the wildlife.
