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:

New bridge and stairs at the start of the loop.

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.

If it's rained recently there's a small waterfall here.