Farms to Forest Extension Trail

Farms to Forest Extension in winter

National Park Service

2.7 miles, 4.3 kilometers

The Farms to Forest Extension Trail is a moderate hike through a regenerated forest that was once mostly farm land. This trail takes you to Quantico Creek where you can see beaver habitat and possibly beavers. To access the trail, start at Oak Ridge Campground. From here follow signs for the Farms to Forest Trail, which is blazed with yellow and green. Take the right fork of this trail and walk for 15 minutes. You will then intersect the beginning of the extension trail, which is blazed with only yellow.

 

Trail sign in from of Quantico Creek

National Park Service

Follow along the extension trail for about 25 minutes until you reach Quantico Creek. As you follow the trail along the creek, you can see beaver activity.

Downed logs due to beaver activity provide great habitat for other organisms. Here you can see bracket fungi growing on a downed log. Bracket fungi are found growing on trees or fallen logs in damp woodlands and are formed from basidiomycetes. Brackets of fungi can form only a single row of a few caps, up to dozens of rows of caps. The caps can weigh up to several hundred pounds.

 

Bracket Fungus

National Park Service

A small tributary of Quantico Creek can be found along the trail. Notice the exposed tree roots of trees that line the water's edge, which create even more habitat for different organisms.

After leaving the creek's edge it is only a short five minute walk back to the Farms to Forest Trail and another ten minutes back to Oak Ridge Campground.