Parks and Recreation

Cardinal Path

P.V.P.O.A. & P.V.G.&C.C.
Open Space Lands

DIRECTIONS:  Let me start by reminding you that there are two Cardinal Drives in Panther Valley.  You want to go to what is called “short” Cardinal Drive. This “short” Cardinal Dr. is located off of Bald Eagle Rd. West of Lake Eagle Rock. This road is the length of about 10 houses and then the macadam ends, pull off onto the dirt and park. If you look right you can see the golf course behind some trees and look straight ahead you will notice a path through the weeds with a metal post rail across the path. That is the starting point of this walk.

TRAIL INFO:  This is a very easy and pleasant walk.  The path is actually a service road which can be used by PVPOA and PVG&CC vehicles when needed.  There are also several important factors that make this a nice walk for all ages.  First there is no grade throughout the entire walk just nice flat ground.  The other nice feature of this walk is that you are in the shade of woods for most of the walk except for one section that crosses a field.  I haven’t checked the exact distance of this walk but I think it is about ½ to ¾ of a mile from the metal gate to the trails end at one of the greens on golf course.  This green is located under the large cliffs that you see all the time you travel within the valley.

INTERESTING FEATURES:

Your entire walk is a trip along the base of the ridge and cliffs that form the northern border of Panther Valley.  Once you begin your walk you will notice one very interesting point about this path, it literally forms a boundary between highland features and wetland features. Just off the path to your left is your steep, rocky and tree covered hills leading up to the ridge and cliffs.  Just off the path to right you will see flat tree covered area leading quickly to a swampy area. This is the stream that flows into Lake Eagle Rock. On the other side of the stream is the golf course.

The fact that there is such a difference in the terrain and natural features visible to you from one path I think is rather nice feature of this walk.  You don’t even have to leave the path to get a good look at these different natural features.  The path will now exit the woods and you will be walking across the old ball fields.  You are now in an open field with a nice visual of the cliffs and an opportunity to look at the many wildflowers and insects that live here.  The stream is now out of sight behind the tree line across the field.  Keep in mind now that you are in another totally different natural setting and you really haven’t walked all that far. 

Having crossed the field you now enter back into the cover of the woods.  At this point you will notice that off to your left is now the base of the cliffs with many huge boulders and if you look right it is still wet but you will start to see the edge of the golf course through the trees.  The path now enters one of the greens on the golf course. If you look right you can almost trace you walk following the tree line to the right heading towards Lake Eagle Rock in the distance.  Now it is time to turn around and head back. If you were to cut across the golf course here you would be at Cardinal Drive (the long one).

One other feature of this walk is that you can usually observe several springs along or on this path and it doesn’t have to be a wet season!!  August 2003, which was a very hot and dry summer, I am walking along this path and heard a splash looking down I observed a frog in a pool on the path. The water came from a spring about 10’ off the path and believe me everything was parched!!

I hope this short description of ‘Cardinal Path’ will give you enough information that you may want to visit and see for yourself one of the many beautiful and interesting places set aside as Open Space for you and your family, and think it is located almost in your own backyard!

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