User:InspirationPoint/sandbox

at La Rue-Pine Hills
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 * Located in the Shawnee National Forest, La Rue-Pine Hills includes approximately 5 miles of bluff line. One of the most notable locations is Inspiration Point. This beautiful destination is located in the Mississippi Bluffs District within the National Forest Service. It is located approximately 6 miles from Grand Tower off of Highway 3. Inspiration Point includes multiple hiking options.Inspiration is also widely known for its superior bird watching location.
 * "The panoramic view of the Mississippi River Valley and the Big Muddy bottom-lands are well worth the climb. Wildlife is abundant with bird watching at a premium."



The Bluffs
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 * Comprised of Devonian age Bailey Limestone(over 400 million years old.) The bluffs stand erect at 350 feet towering over the Mississippi floodplains. They extend 5 miles along Highway 3.
 * But here putts in some high cliffs the summits of which are crowned with pitch-pine and cedar, these rocks are nearly perpendicular in many places nearly 60 feet, and the height of the hills appear about to be about 120 feet above the banks which forms their base. This was a journal entry from Captain Meriwether Lewis on November 22,1803 while traveling up the Mississippi River with his fellow explorer William Clark.



The Trails

 * There is a 1.4 mile trail White Pine Trail with the trail head located at the base of the bluffs along FR 236. Travel time is approximately 1 hour.
 * Another option is the 3/4 mile trail Inspiration Point Trail with the trail head being further up the bluff across from Clear Springs Wilderness.
 * The trails are covered in gravel and dirt.
 * Both hikes would be considered easy to moderate in difficulty. Upon reaching the rock pinnacle of the trail you will be able to see the panoramic view of the Mississippi River Valley.
 * Trails are open year-round
 * These trails are maintained by the National Forest Service. With help from the Shawnee Volunteer Corp.



Plants

 * Common Herbaceous Species: Greenbrier (Smilax sp.), pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), dittany (Cunila origanoides), Virginia-creeper (Parthernocissus quinquefolia), common poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), Christmas-fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), small-flowered alum-root (Heuchera parviflora), ozark-goldenrod (Solidago drummondii), tuckahoe (Peltandra virginica), lizard’s tail (Saururus cernuus), coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), sand phlox (Phlox bifida), false boneset (Kuhnia eupatorioides), white prairie clover (Dalea candida), copper iris (Iris fulva), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), side-oats gramma-grass (Bouteloua curtipendula).

Animals

 * Common Mammal Species: Shrew (Blarina brevicauda), least shrew (Cryptotis parva), Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans), swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus), fox squirrel (Sciurus niger),gray squirrel (S. carolinensis), golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttallii), woodrat (Neotoma floridana), fox (Vulpes sp), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), American mink (Mustela vison), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), bobcat (Felis rufus).

Birds

 * Common Bird Species: Approximately 175 species of birds have been seen in the area, including the wood duck (Aix sponsa), red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), common turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), and American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).