Here in Goshen, I find it a little hard to be fully immersed in nature. The trails are usually close enough to the streets that you can still hear cars, there are almost always other people on the trail near you, and I find that gravel trails break me from my immersion, reminding me that I’m still walking on something made by man and not nature. While I have ventured into woods with no trails in Goshen, I’ve also found some nice trails near the millrace that are still quite nice. I can’t really give you any directions on how to get to these places, but I suggest just going with your instinct when walking in the woods. My favorite method is to close your eyes and go wherever it sounds the most appealing.
The pavilion by the pond at Shanklin Park is a great place to relax at a picnic bench. I suppose it technically isn’t on the trail, and it’s much more industrial than the gravel trails, but I enjoy studying here. I sit at one of the picnic tables in the pavilion facing the pond. I often shoo people away who are trying to harm the geese (BEWARE THE GEESE AND THEIR POOP), and I enjoy the big willow tree that gently sways in the wind.
I don’t know how many people know this but right before where the railing starts before the underpass, there’s actually a small grass path you can go on behind it. It’s a little useless because if you take that path you’ll either have to go back or cross the road, but it’s kind of nice to feel like you’re the only person that knows about it.
There’s a clearing by the Reith Center with a bunch of picnic tables, and this is my favorite spot in the park to study. I like to say hi to the big trees lining the path into the woods, and I can sit around this clearing for hours. It’s a bit of a restaurant for mosquitos, but if you have bug spray, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
From this clearing, you can go down that path I mentioned before into the woods. If you look up as you enter, there are really beautiful trees providing a canopy above the path. The trees have curved, chasing the sunlight, and it gives it such an interesting sight right above your head.
There’s a small riverbank where the small stream gently meets the river. It’s a calm little place where you can watch the opposing waters flow, the light dancing all around them. I often come here to sing, sitting on the fallen tree or on a rock. The acoustics around bodies of water are really good because the water carries your voice, and I think it adds a bit of a fantastical element to your life.
Further down the path, there’s a larger riverbank. This one is nice to walk along and watch the waters flow in separate directions. It also has a nice view of the other side of the river, which I plan to visit someday soon, and the water is clear enough that you can see a lot of the riverbed.
I also found a small path in the pine forest that leads to a small secret campfire ring. The path is so beautiful during the sunset – the golden light comes through the trees, adding little strips of light all around you. I had decided to go down this path, which I had never seen before, simply because I saw it and decided it felt like a good direction to go. I had expected the path to merge back into one of the larger paths, but to my delight, it led me to a campfire ring! I’ll definitely be going back there soon.
Red Tail Farm can be accessed either through the woods or from the Millrace and is really nice on summer mornings. They have cows, horses, and chickens/roosters, and it’s really nice to just watch the animals do their thing. There are also a few cats hanging around the stable, and I always attempt to get one to come closer to me… It never works.
On the way to the dam, there’s actually a small kind of hidden bridge leading across a creek. I think the trail it leads you to gets you back in the pine forest, but the bridge itself is just really cute. I think it’s somewhere near the green bridge outside of Red Tail.
There’s also a little strip to the right of the trail of marsh with some electrical transmission towers lining the middle. Although I think it was a waste of marsh to use it for those instead of putting a nice boardwalk in, there’s something oddly poetic and abstract about the scene. Modern technology meeting nature.
So now I’m at the dam, which isn’t actually one of my favorite places. I do like the way nature is still growing through the concrete strip of shore, though, and there were swans and ducks when I went. Though one of the reasons I don’t really like the dam is because of how manufactured it is, it is still nice to watch the waterfall. The ripples are still natural, chaotic yet somehow still so calm looking. At the bottom of it, there were swans floating right at the falling water, which is oddly funny. I enjoy seeing the birds flying all around the river, light coming through the trees, and the squirrels hopping from tree to tree.
When you take the path on the right into the woods, you eventually come upon a deck in the marsh. It only goes a little bit into it, but it’s still a nice view. It’s nice to do yoga here, or just sit and read.
I SAW A BIRD SNEEZE – sorry, just had to let you know! I also saw a car go across that green bridge, which I’ve never seen before.
So there you have it, some of my favorite places around the Millrace. I hope you’re able to find some of these places, but I also hope you don’t stumble upon me frantically trying to become friends with bunnies.