Legion Park Trail

Elevation: 2410 ft., Legion Park Trail is a several-mile long trail that can either form a loop that returns to the park or continues toward Flag Rock Recreation Area. The trail meanders through mixed deciduous woodlands, interspersed with stands of eastern hemlock. In some places, a lush understory of rhododendron and mountain laurel decorates this landscape. This is a good venue for seeing neotropical songbirds that are expected to breed at high elevations. Black-throated green, Canada, and black-throated blue warblers can be found along this trail, as well as dark-eyed junco, scarlet tanager, and blue-headed vireo. Great horned and barred owls are common, and keep in company the hoots of their smaller counterpart, the eastern screech-owl. In spring and fall, this should be a good venue for migrants. This site’s proximity to the city is probably one of its greatest lures; many typically high-elevation birds can be found here, a location that is rather close and easily accessible to visitors in Norton.