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Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation – White Trail, Red Green Trail, Lean-To Shelters

  • 5.6 mi
  • 554 ft gain
  • 02:41:41
  • 26 photos
  • 1 video
Trail Map (PDF)
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation – White Trail, Red Green Trail, Lean-To Shelters

Two friends and their dog joined me on this hike, so I chose Ward Pound Ridge Reservation due to its variety of trails. There’s something for the beginning hiker through the advanced hiker.

They were running late, so while I was waiting, I got about 2 miles in by myself. I started at the Michigan Road parking lot, picking up the White Trail Connector, which led to the White Trail to Camp Site Connector. Then I had a short walk on the White Trail before turning onto the Leatherman Loop Trail. I took that until hitting the Red and Green Trail, to meet my friends back at the parking lot.

The second part of the hike started on the Red and Green Trail then onto an unmarked just south of the Leatherman Loop trail. The unblazed trail then led into the Leatherman Loop trail, which we took up to another unblazed trail that follows Old Schoolhouse Road. From there, we caught the White Trail and made a stop to check out lean-to shelter #4. Next, the White Trail to Camp Site Connector led us back to the Red and Green Trail and back to the parking lot.

This was one of my less demanding hikes, but the beautiful weather and company of friends made up for it! It was the first day of spring and the temperature peaked in the low 60s in the afternoon.

Photos

GPS Route & Elevation

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610 ft546 ft482 ft

More hikes

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation – Leatherman’s Cave, Joe’s Hill, Green/Red Trail

  • 3.77 mi
  • 515 ft gain
  • 02:02:26

I took a friend from New York City out to explore Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, starting from the Michigan Road parking lot. We followed the green/red trail south and west to Leatherman’s Loop, passed the outlook, then spent time at Leatherman’s Cave, where we found a geocache with a few goodies inside. From there we continued west, picked up the unmarked Blue Moon trail, skirted partway up Joe’s Hill, and looped back to the green/red trail for the walk north to the car. A good hike, even if hiking with friends meant I barely took photos along the way.

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation – Cross River, Kimberly Bridge, Deer Hollow

  • 5 mi
  • 577 ft gain
  • 02:40:10

There's something special about the Cross River in the warmer months, but nothing compares to seeing it weave through patches of snow and ice. I was super impressed with how well my crampons performed on the ice-covered trails. Throughout the day, I encountered icy inclines, icy declines, and ice so smooth it looked like panes of glass. Never once did I feel any sort of slippage or instability in my walking. Temperatures were in the low 20s with very little wind, so as long as I was moving along, I barely noticed the cold.

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation – Deer Hollow, Cross River, Kimberly Bridge

  • 4 mi
  • 453 ft gain
  • 01:42:45

The views of the partially-frozen Cross River and the snow-covered scenery gave a new perspective of the park. After some initial frustrations at the start of the hike, I made some adjustments to my gear and attire to get comfortable and the rest of the hike was enjoyable. I'm still getting used to using trekking poles. I've got a good rhythm with them now and am ready to try them on steeper terrain. Overall, I think I've become more acclimated to winter hiking and am ready to tackle some longer, more challenging winter hikes in the coming weeks!