Hidden Valley Nature Center — Attraction in Jefferson

The Crossbill Loop trail was well-maintained and clearly marked, with illustrated story panels for kids along the way. I loved the bog with plenty of carnivorous plants, and it was magical to find breeding Canada Warblers and Northern Parula, which are my favourite warbler species. Beware of bugs (at least in mid-June): I went on a cool day in the middle of the day, and had to slather on several layers of permethrin, picaridin, and lemon-eucalyptus oil, as well as take a citronella wristband…and I got the feeling that I would still have been swarmed by insects if I hadn’t been wearing full sleeves and pants. There are no amenities, no phone reception, and no real “nature center” here. I only encountered one human who was doing carpentry work on what’s probably going to be a nature center one day, but I’m a birder and enjoy isolated spots and it was perfect for what I was...

I’ve been hiking and staying in these cabins for years now. The hike in to the cabins is great, and a very wide trail. The cabins are rustic with plenty of privacy. Recently though, I’ve noticed they are not being maintained as well as they used to be and the price per night has doubled. I just stayed in Pond Cabin and all of the windows downstairs could not open because the cranks were broken. The battery in the smoke detector was dead, so needless to say I didn’t sleep at all the first night. If you’re going to have a cabin with a wood stove as your only heat source, you need to make sure the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are frequently checked and have extra batteries...

I had a nice hike along the Crossbills Trail and Moose Alley. I saw and heard many species of birds and for the most part the trails were well marked, but where Moose Alley joined with Coburn Hill things got a bit confusing and there was one junction where 5 trails came together and there was no clear indication of which was the way back to the parking lot. I figured it out on my own and made it safely back, but a wrong turn would have sent me far out of my way and I was already tired. Still, I will go back again. This is an amazing place and I am so glad they have...