The Four Mighty Oaks Clues

fourmightyoaks@yahoo.com

Frying Pan Park

Herndon, Virginia

Placed August 11, 2002

Easy hike, bathrooms, dogs on leash OK, some poison ivy in the woods (wear long pants)

Visit the link below to learn more about the park and to get directions.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fpp/index.htm

Frying Pan Park is hit with young children. It has woods, creeks, pigs, cows, sheep, tractors and hay rides. Take time to enjoy Kidwell Farm, which recreates a 1920 dairy farm and to watch the equestrians in the rinks.

After entering the park, go past the large parking lot continuing to the left of the long, red activities center building and follow the signs to the upper ring passing the horse ring on your right. You can drive your car to this point. Park your car at the back end of the ring and you will see a wooden horse jump to your left with a trail behind it. Follow the wide gravel trail behind the horse jump and you will see three large log horse jumps. Go between the two on the right (kids: go over the horse jumps). Follow the wide gravel trail behind the jumps and go past the large, old oaks. Go right at the fork in the path. Pass the no horses post (oh yea- watch out for horse droppings). At the fork in the trail, take a right. The trail leads you into a pine tree stand (kids: go over the rock in the middle of the path). Continue down the hill. Take the leftmost trail of the three that converge; it is marked with a small yellow square on a tree. You will come to a beautiful creek that was almost dry when we visited so the large rocks where exposed. There are plenty of stepping-stones to get you to the other side of the creek (kids: go through the creek). Directly in front of you on the other side of the creek is a narrow trail with natural stone steps that lead you up into a meadow. The trail curves to the left through the meadow and then curves to the right back into the woods. At the point that the woods begin, take 5 giant grown up (well a short grown up) steps and you will see a round-ish 2 foot high rock to your right and on the ground a few feet from the path. The letterbox is behind that rock under some leaves. I hope you find the stamp amusing!