Trail Talk
BOO! TO BAD BEHAVIOR – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – August 2026
IT’S A frustrating reality that we have to once again consider the insidious occurrence of vandalism in our local woodlands (Jacksonville Woodlands and Forest Park). Since the first of the year, […]
MAKING TRACKS LIKE COYOTE – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – July 2026
COYOTE WAS GOING THERE, making tracks, making tracks… We continued along the trail less traveled, hopping the occasional log, pushing through the overgrown brush, because we understood that there were sights […]
FOR YOUR TRAIL-USE PLEASURE… – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – June 2026
SUMMER IS UPON US, and our intrepid Jacksonville Woodlands and Forest Park volunteer trail crews are happy to present our trail-using public with well-maintained trails for their hiking, running, and biking […]
ABUNDANCE ON THE TRAILS – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – May 2026
LATE SPRING finds trails in prime condition for some welcome time in the woods. Our disappointing winter season left little residual snow, so high country trails will be accessible much earlier […]
SPRING ON THE TRAILS… – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – April 2026
SUCH AN INTERESTING winter season. In general, temperatures stayed above average, though a few frigid nights were experienced. Rainfall was sorely missed after such a promising start, and little snow materialized. […]
EAGER TO GET OUT ON THE TRAILS… – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – March 2026
AS THE SPRING SEASON rolls around in our local woodland areas, we find ourselves eager to get out to enjoy the trails. How lucky we are to live where trails abound […]
THESE TRAILS BELONG TO ALL OF US – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – February 2026
AS TRAIL PEOPLE, we are wont to point out that trails are as organic as the hillsides and canyons they traverse, climb, descend, and generally meander through. No more permanent in […]
GIFT OF THE SEASON – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – December 2025 / January 2026
“The only goal for man is beauty, and beauty is found only in harmony, and this harmony of nature is a dazzling complexity” ~ Tony Hillerman, Dance Hall […]
HARVEST SEASON IN THE WOODLANDS – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – November 2025
When the white eagle of the North is flying overhead
The browns, reds and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead
Remember then, that summer birds with wings of fire flaying
Come to […]
THESE WOODLAND TRAILS ARE YOUR WOODLAND TRAILS – by Bob Budesa
Jacksonville Review – October 2025 Issue
THE WOODLAND TRAILS enjoyed by thousands of people every year are a valuable asset to our community. Whether they’re used for exercise, as a way to escape the everyday hustle […]