Porter West Preserve

Dogs Leashed

Features Historical Significance · Spring · Wildlife

"Dogs are welcome if leashed at all times. Please be prepared to clean up after your dog." - Sycamore Land Trust general rule.

Bottomland segments can be muddy, no surprise.

The start and terminus are mowed grass, wide enough to walk abreast. Most of the trail is singletrack and meanders through the woods. Due to this combo, you can expect to see a great variety of life.

You can never quite escape the sounds of the road, but it's important to respect the importance of an "island" of nature such as this. The trail gets quieter for the north and west stretches of its length. Going clockwise means you'll get most of the "road noise" over with sooner. The noise isn't that bad, don't let it deter you from the heart of this beautiful place.

There's a historic cemetery off the southern length of the trail very close to the trailhead.

There are two different connectors which serve as shortcuts along the loop. The provided map does not differentiate between these trail segments by name, so the parenthesis bit in this trail's title on Hiking Project is not official. You'll notice on the map that there's a long white gash in the otherwise green preserve territory, this is where power lines cut through the landscape.

"Wildflowers, purple finches, indigo buntings" - Sycamore Land Trust. There are many hardwood trees with thick trunks well worth admiring here.