North Fork of the Pound & Phillips Creek Recreation Area

Elevation: 1611 ft. (water level).

The North Fork of the Pound includes 5000 acres of extensive lake and streamside habitat that can be enjoyed by nature enthusiasts at several locales. The lake may be of greater interest during migration when congregations of shorebirds and waterfowl are at their peak. However, only the Phillips Creek Recreation Area offers a complete trail that traverses a diversity of habitats. The Phillips Creek Loop Trail wanders through mature hemlock and hardwood forests, dense rhododendron thickets, and uphill towards oak and hickory woodlands, with the occasional presence of shortleaf or pitch pine. The trail forms a loop at about 1 mile. This site is perhaps best known for producing the elusive Swainson’s warbler during the breeding season. Look and listen for this bird along streamside rhododendron thickets. Other birds you’ll likely find along this trail in the summer include scarlet and summer tanagers, hooded, Kentucky, Canada, black-throated green, and black-throated blue warblers. During migration, neotropical passerines should be plentiful. This is also a good spot to look for salamanders. Turning over rocks and logs in moist forest floors or around water’s edge can produce northern slimy and northern dusky salamanders. Red eft crawl alongside colorful millipedes along the forest floors while their aquatic stage, the red-spotted newt, can be found in shallow edges of lakes, ponds, and streams.

Notes:

• As with all Virginia Bird & Wildlife Trail sites within the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, please visit the Alerts webpage to check this location’s status before heading out.