The “ Diabolical Double” – the feature event of the Garrett County Gran Fondo, the Diabolical Double is a true, extreme epic on par with European climbing classics such as Etape du Tour, la Marmotte, and the classic Italian Gran Fondos. The roads are marked in yellow and click here for ride cue sheets One of the most fun rides, in my opinion, but feel free to set out on your own throughout the spring or summer. Emergency medical care may be delayed or not available. Cell phone contact is generally not available. Note to Hikers: You are in the Back Country. Several reptiles and amphibians, including eastern garter snake, red-backed salamander, and American toad, may also be found. Wild turkey, ruffed grouse, a variety of birds of prey, woodpeckers, and many species of songbirds may be seen or heard. Two common larger mammals that may be encountered are white-tailed deer and black bear, and smaller mammals such as chipmunks and squirrels can often be seen. The bedrock under the recreation area consists primarily of sandstone and shale resulting in soils that are typically rocky and acidic.Ī variety of wildlife can be found along the Fork Run trail system, although many species are not readily observed. The consequence is a climate more similar to that of the Great Lakes or New England and a species list that includes plants and animals more commonly found several hundred miles to the north. The higher mountains also intercept moisture-laden air masses moving into the region from the west, so this area is wetter as well. The higher elevation of this region results in temperatures that are cooler than those of lower areas to the east and west. Ranging from 2100-2700’ in elevation on the west side of Marsh Hill Mountain, the Fork Run Recreation Area lies in the Allegheny Mountains of Garrett County – the highest region in Maryland. Other rarities are hidden away deep in the bog, like the Endangered creeping snowberry ( Gaultheria hispidula). Rare plants like the Endangered American larch ( Larix laricina), a conifer that loses its needles in the winter, can be observed near the boardwalk. Rare species also abound, including the Endangered southern water shrew ( Sorex palustris punctulatus), several birds such as the diminutive northern saw-whet owl ( Aegolius acadicus) and the increasingly rare Nashville warbler ( Vermivora ruficapilla), as well as many dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies. Red spruce and white pine trees have been restored by the thousands and the Natural Area now supports thriving populations of wildlife such as American beavers, bobcats and American black bears. Cranesville Swamp is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy.ĭeep within the bog, small pockets of virgin forest remain, somehow missed by the logging locomotive named the Swamp Angel that passed directly through the wetland in the late 1800s. This protected area is one of the few boreal bogs still remaining in the southern United States and was one of the first National Natural Landmarks to be designated by the National Park Service in 1965. The trail through the forest leads to a boardwalk that takes visitors through the swamp where Endangered bog copper butterflies ( Lycaena epixanthe) rest on the shrubs of Threatened small cranberry ( Vaccinium oxycoccos). Visitors may hear the croak of a common raven flying overhead or see golden-crowned kinglets flitting about the branches. ![]() Nestled in a mountain valley bowl known as a frost pocket, colder conditions still prevail enough for plants to whisper of the past.Ī trail hike through spruce and larch forest reveals the diverse character of the animals and plants that call Cranesville Swamp home. The climate warmed and the glaciers retreated but many of the boreal plants remain to this day. ![]() The swamp formed 15,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, when glaciers inched close but never reached Maryland. Since that time, the Conservancy has acquired more than 600 acres which will be held in trust in perpetuity.Ĭranesville Swamp is a boreal peat bog relic left behind from the Pleistocene Epoch. This site was protected by The Nature Conservancy in stages, beginning in 1960.
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