Oak Hickory and Lost Chestnut Trails

Oak Hickory Trail length: 0.5 miles
From Visitors Center to trail: 0.1 mile
Lost Chestnut Trail length: 0.3 miles
Round Trip: 1.1 miles

The entrance to these trails is off of Valley Road, just above the Visitors Center. The Oak Hickory Trail takes visitors through the oak and hickory stands which are the dominent trees in this forest type. Oaks include, white oak, red oak, black oak, and chestnut oak. Some of the dominant hickories are shagbark, mockernut, bitternut, and pignut. Before the chestnut blight destroyed most of the American chestnuts, this type of forest was dominated by oak and chestnut. Since the chestnut blight was gradual, the hickories slowly took over where chestnuts had died.

The Lost Chestnut Trail is a loop off of the Oak Hickory Trail. This trail provides an opportunity to observe surviving traces of the once abundant and majestic American chestnut tree. The only reminders today of this once magnificent forest tree are the old decaying stumps and logs.

At the end of the Lost Chestnut loop, walkers can rejoin the Oak Hickory Trail. The Dwarf Conifer Collection is along the route back to the Visitors Center via Valley Road.