Horseshoe Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Wildlife

This would be a nice quick jog through the woods but for the rutting on the hills, particularly on the eastern side.

This is usually the first trail everyone does at Bowie Nature Park. It begins and ends at the Nature Center, which is certainly worth seeing, and it gives you a nice introduction to what is essentially an urban preserve (no, seriously, Fairview is rapidly becoming an urbanized city.) No, it's not remote, and yes, the park's trails run immediately adjacent to a major thoroughfare and a department store parking lot. But it does get you away from civilization JUST ENOUGH to allow yourself a quick break from the bustle.

The inner section (the westernmost bit) is particularly pleasant and well groomed; bits of the rest suffer from rutting and there's usually a little trash, so if you go, do bring a trash bag or be prepared to fill your pockets. It's still worth seeing, and it's a good place to stretch your legs if you live in the area, which I do.

Plenty of birds, a few wildflowers in season (recently saw a couple of nice gray coneflowers) and enough critters to keep it interesting.