Jubilee - Suggested Hikes
This page is a collection of recommended hikes to make Jubilee easier to access for anyone who is unfamiliar with the park. The routes are highlighted in green, and maps can be clicked on for a larger view. The maps and descriptions are organized by length of the hike and normal condition of the trails. In general, easy trails are smooth, usually not muddy, and not overgrown. For the easy and rough trail sections I've avoided including trails that cross the deeper creeks; the "creek crossing" trails each cross at least one creek that is more than one foot deep. The "notable species" lists don't include many of the notables that are found throughout the park such as Barred Owl and Kentucky Warbler. If there's a species you're looking for that you don't see on a list and can't find in the park, you can send me an email at emcarlson8@gmail.com.
I recommend viewing the text on this page on a computer, but the maps show up fine on mobile devices.
Short hikes, completed in an hour or less.
Easy Trails.
Notable Species: Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak.
Trail Conditions: Wide, smooth trails around a scenic wooded valley with a nice bridge over a ravine.
Rough Trails.
Notable Species: Black-billed Cuckoo, migrant flycatchers, Blue-winged Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole.
Trail Conditions: Deep ruts in the trail, which is muddy and can have running water after rain. Most of the route runs along brushy, overgrown fields.
Creek Crossing.
Notable Species: Broad-winged Hawk, Blue-winged Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-breasted Chat, Henslow's Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Orchard Oriole.
Trail Conditions: The western of these two creek crossings is the shallowest crossing of Jubilee Creek but is still at least 8 inches deep. The eastern crossing is 1 - 1.5 feet deep. The trail can get quite overgrown in the eastern parts of this route, and trees sometimes block the trail. The route leads through an open meadow and through some wide brushy valleys and mature oak forest.
Longer hikes, lasting 1 - 3 hours.
Easy Trails.
Notable Species: Worm-eating Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak.
Trail Conditions: The trails can be overgrown in the southern parts of the route but usually not bad. The route leads around and through scenic ravines and a wide creek valley.
Rough Trails.
Notable Species: Red-shouldered Hawk, American Woodcock, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Cerulean Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat.
Trail Conditions: Muddy along the trail near the horse camp. Trail through the meadow is wet in the early morning. A small creek crossing is extremely steep and slippery. The route runs through wide creek valleys and a weedy meadow.
Creek Crossing.
Notable Species: Black-billed Cuckoo, migrant flycatchers, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lark Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole.
Trail Conditions: The creek crossing is the deepest in the park, about 2.5 feet deep. Often overgrown with thorns and stinging nettle in the south. Deep ruts in the trail, which is muddy and can have running water after rain. The route runs along overgrown fields, through wide creek valleys, and through some mature wooded hills.
All-morning hikes, lasting 3 - 6 hours.
Easy Trails.
Notable Species: Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Ovenbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak.
Trail Conditions: Wide and mostly smooth, but can be muddy in places the east near the creek and can be a little overgrown in the west. The route leads through wide creek valleys and meadows and a scenic wooded valley with a nice bridge over a ravine.
Rough Trails.
Notable Species: Green Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole.
Trail Conditions: You'll get a bit of every bad condition on this route. There's mud, there's wet fields, there's narrow trails overgrown with stinging nettle and thorns, there's a steep, slippery creek crossing. The route runs through wide creek valleys and brushy meadows.
Creek Crossing.
Notable Species: Red-shouldered Hawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lark Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole.
Trail Conditions: The creek crossing in the north is the deepest in the park, about 2.5 feet deep. The creek crossing in the south got moved slightly from where it is shown on the map because horses kept tripping and falling in it; I haven't crossed at the new spot to know what the new crossing is like. The trails in the northern part of this route are described in the above guide, and the trails in the southern part are going to be crowded with stinging nettles in the summer, as well as being muddy and wet in spots. The route runs along overgrown fields, through wide creek valleys, and through some mature wooded hills.
All-day hikes.
If you're the kind of person who is looking to spend all day hiking the park, you probably don't need route suggestions, but these two would bring you through the most interesting areas and birds of the park.
Drives.
There are few enough roads in the park that it's easy to drive them all in a couple hours (if you're moving slowly). Many good birds can be found from the road, including Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Ovenbird, Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, and in spring and fall, numerous other songbirds. In fact, walking along the main road, picnic areas, and campgrounds is a 3 - 4 hour "hike" that's just as good as any of the routes highlighted on this page.
Thousand Dollar Road, Brimfield Jubilee Road and Savage Road in the northwest of the park deserve a mention though. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Olive-sided Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Wood Thrush, Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lark Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Rusty Blackbird and Orchard Oriole are some of the species I've found from a vehicle while on these roads. American Redstart are especially numerous here. It's possible to hear 10 singing males during the summer from the road, and their numbers seem to be still growing.