Bear Hill Preserve

1. From the parking area (see “Directions to the trailhead” below), head over to the wooden booth and settle your debts (see the “Cheapskate alert” above). On the day we visited, a sweet woman named Corinne greeted us, chatted us up, and offered us bug spray.  The kids and grown-ups were all in agreement: Corinne is super cool.

I also wasn’t really expecting a human to be inside that booth, and I kind of jumped a little when I saw her through the camera. So, you know, be ready for a human in there. A very cool human.

2. Time to get crackin! Just to the right of the wooden booth, follow the well-trodden trail around the Bear Hill Nature Preserve sign and the bronze plaque that both mark the trailhead. (There aren’t any trail markers here, but the trail is obvious enough that you won’t need any.)

3. Hey, a boardwalk! You can’t get cheese fries or tacky T-shirts here, but it’s still a nice place to stroll. Also, TOAD!!! Toad! There’s a toad down there, everybody. Stay cool. Toad.

4. From the boardwalk, just follow the trail, which alternates between having a deep-woods vibe and feeling like you’re walking through someone’s backyard.

If you see smaller trails splitting off, as you will to your left in ten minutes or less, just keep heading straight. For best results at Bear Hill, always choose the larger trail.

5. About twenty minutes from the start of the hike (walking at toddler pace), you’ll come to a fork with a “DO NOT LITTER” sign. Turn left here. (Also, don’t litter.  Better yet, pick up a piece or two.)

After our hike, I inquired to Corrine about what happens if you were to turn right at this junction. She said that’s the old entrance to the preserve down that way, not another viewpoint, so you can scratch “checking out what happens if you turn right here” off your to-do list.

6.  In just a few more minutes, the trail begins to ascend toward what feels like possible awesomeness.

Indeed, that’s what’s up there.

(As you leave the trail to ascend the rock face, check behind you to make note of where the trail and rock meet – you’ll need to find this spot again later, and it is possible to get disoriented with several unmarked trails departing from various points.)

7.  After marinating your eyeballs in the view, look for a trail that heads back into the woods, parallel to the cliffs, to your left (assuming you’re facing the view).

Hop on that trail, and then almost immediately turn to your right, heading downhill for a moment. After that turn, off to your right, you’ll start to get a hint of the chasms to come.

8. The trail descends into a rocky bowl-shaped area, with you in the bottom of the bowl. Feel free to take a moment here to (carefully!) explore some of the interesting rocks.

9. Down at the bottom of the bowl, on the right-hand side, you’ll find a curious gap just behind a tree.

Go ahead, check it out.

10. Turn the corner and: Duuuuuuuuuuuude.

Duuuuuuude!

I can’t find mention of it anywhere online, but Corinne called this place the “Grapefruit Squeeze.” Or maybe “Grapefruit Squeezer”?  In any event, this is a prime place to get your squeeze on.

When you get down to the bottom, there’s a field of boulders, and not much else. You’ve seen the main event, so feel free to carefully explore down here, then head back up when you’re ready.

11. After you emerge from the Grapefruit Squeeze, the great news is that there’s still more to see. Wait, MORE?? I know, get out, right?

With the entrance to the Grapefruit Squeeze at your back, walk a short way toward the trail you came in on. Instead of following that trail back up to the right, though, look to your left, and find a way up that little rock embankment (if you go almost all the way back to the trail, you’ll find an easy spot to hop on top of the embankment, much easier than the path my kids blazed in the picture below).

12. On top of those rocks, once again: duuuuuuuude. Holy cow, this place is amazing.

Take it in. Eat a granola bar. Snap some pictures. Keep your kids from falling off the cliffs.

13. When you’re done checking out the extensive views and cool rock formations all along these cliffs, retrace your steps back to the first cliff you visited today, then, with the cliff’s dropoff on your left, find the return trail straight ahead and downhill. Hop on the trail and retrace your steps back to the parking area, being sure to turn right at the junction with the DO NOT LITTER sign.

Bang! You did it! What an awesome place, right?

If you know of a better way to spend five bucks, please share it with the rest of us in the comments below.  Now, who’s thirsty for some fresh-squeezed grapefruit?