Hiking through spruce at Walter Nature Park

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Hiking through spruce at Walter Nature Park
David Sibray hikes through a grove of Norway Spruce at Walter Nature Park in Putnam County.

I had the opportunity to walk the one-mile loop trail at Walter Nature Park near Winfield, West Virginia, in Putnam County, a delightful path and wanders through forest and young woodlands in the hills above the Kanawha River.

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If you're looking for a good family trail in western West Virginia, this gets my vote. The route is not too steep, but most importantly it visits plenty of well-marked trees along the way, including paw-paws and a grove of Norway Spruce planted by Esther and Norman Walter in the 1950s.

The Walters deeded the 25-acre parcel near the head of Guano Creek to Putnam County as a nature preserve, and I'm glad they did. If you're looking for a quick outing and respite from the metropolitan reaches of western West Virginia, this may be the ideal trail for you.

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