Gypsy Hill Park & more Montgomery Hall explorations

Dwight Peck's personal website

Winter 2025-2026

A photographic record of whatever leapt out at us

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Gypsy Hill Park & more Montgomery Hall explorations

late October 2025

The Gypsy Hill Park entrance sign (in summer)

The Gypsy Hill Park railroad for the kids (25 October 2025)

We've never been around long enough, or at the right season, to see this thing in operation.

Wait, are those kids?

Parents, perhaps, with kids, or just serious tiny-railroad fans

Well, we'll have to try it someday.

The Duck Pond at Hutchens Lake . . .

. . . with geese into the bargain.

Walking back home to the Old Y, we're passing a fine restoration job on this formerly-old wreck of a house on Lewis Street.

Next door to another that could use a fine restoration job

Another walk through the Montgomery Hall Park jungle

We're starting out on the easier Yulee Trail. 26 October 2025

We've been roaming all round in this jungly park for so long that we've learnt to mix-and-match portions of the trails, and we can make our own itineraries when we wish.

Rule Number One: stay on the path

The Yulee Trail trail mark is red.

Coming down to the Red/Yellow crossover to the Montgomery Hall Park ('MHP') Expressway . . .

. . . which is much more convoluted all about, and therefore much longer.

We'll be following this to the Fern Gulley, for a liaison with the Scout Trail.

Fewer ups and downs along this stretch

A lonesome car fender, apparently -- we're at the top of the unofficial (and somewhat dangerous) section of the Fern Gulley.

Which we're skipping today, and watching carefully and unsuccessfully for a seldom used unmarked liaison that emerges by the tepee.

The Xpressway leads round a long curvy section to . . .

. . . a descent to . . .

. . . the top of the groomed Fern Gulley (now without its beautiful sign, we don't know why). It leads down, and the upper track convolutes its way all round down to the baseball fields at the northern end of the forest.

Braving the ferns down to join . . .

. . . the Scout Trail (blue markers), and the nasty forlorn pink park bench, apparently contributed by some park fan with a strange sense of humor.

Up the hill a bit, to . . .

. . . the remains of the tepee landmark. Cruelly demolished.

There's the fine tepee in its former glory, when last we saw it. Sorely missed

So sad. We plod despondently back up and over the Black Dog Mountain to the car.

The tiny study in the Old Y

It's a kind of 'cubbyhole', as it were.

A nearby wall ornament (probably of Capri)

Along the narrow corridor above the stage (i.e., presently the kitchen) to the little guest room, a photo of Deirdre on our cross-Switzerland hike (1982), Marlowe exploring the caves of Rochers de Naye (1992), and a sample of the Fribourg custom of the Poya art on barns, non-perspective scenes of the seasonal cattle parades (the désalpe) down from the high pastures to their villages.

Poor old Squirrel upper left, Alison as a youth above right, and a nostalgic Swiss glacier painting.

Back to the Montgomery Hall trails

From the carpark by the baseball fields, we begin along the Scout Trail . . .

. . . joined by a branch of the Expressway on the left, but we persist . . .

. . . more or less alongside the New York to Chicago railroad tracks off to the right. 1 November 2025

Turning up into the Fern Gulley and . . .

. . . then up the unmarked upper part of the Fern Gulley

-- Oh, come one. You can do it!

Not as easy as it used to be.

Back down to the Expressway and back toward the ball fields, in and out of . . .

. . . all the winding loops

With a few little uphill sections

This is only about a 20 minute section of our itinerary.

Now out to the northern end of the park, and our 'Toyota Crown Signia' (!!) for getting home with.

Evening descends

Cats at rest

Church row along Augusta Street

Staunton sidewalk art: 'America is fascist'. 'Liar'.

Montgomery Hall Park trails: Scout in blue, convoluted Expressway in yellow, and simple Yulee in red (a few unofficial crossovers & the Fern Gulley are not shown).

Next up: A few more autumn forest hikes

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