Three Bridges Trail - Carter Caves State Park

I only had time to explore one trail at Carter Caves last week and I picked a good one!

Three Bridges trail is a 3.5 mile loop that is mostly level with a few ups and downs near the natural bridges themselves.  First up was Fern Bridge which was the most picturesque.  I had it all to myself so I was able to easily set up some tripod shots.

Fern Bridge

I'd love to share some geological information with you, but I couldn't find anything online, not even much information available on Wikipedia.

Don't forget to look up!  The crack above was pretty impressive.

On down the trail I encountered Raven Bridge which was much smaller but still worth a look.

 underneath Raven Bridge

A set of stairs led upward to the top of the natural bridge and a spur trail along the ridge.

A nest along the stairway was a bit of a surprise.  Cliff swallow maybe?

Once at the top I walked out onto the ledge.  Another hiker was there ahead of me who didn't speak English but was very expressive about how foolish he thought I was for walking out and looking down over the edge.

view of top of  Raven Bridge 

Turns out his view from the trail was much better, I didn't see much from up there!  However, I did see some interesting fungi a little further along the trail.

Smoky Bridge was located just behind the Lodge where tantalizing smells from the restaurant made it difficult for me to want to finish the loop!

But, unlike the other folks who just walked down from the Lodge I only had a short time to explore the very large bridge.  It was so big you could have driven our fifth wheel through easily, if you installed a road first of course!

under Smoky Bridge

The ceiling was a lesson in itself and I could easily imagine more pieces falling off in the years to come, expanding the "bridge" even more.

Smoky Bridge "ceiling"

Just across from Smoky Bridge was a short waterfall which made a welcome spot to cool down before finishing my hike.

Best of all?  Not one mosquito or tick. Here's a two minute movie in which I even make a quick personal appearance:

 Wayne spent the weekend in central Wisconsin on a quad trip with his buddies and reports that the ticks are active here as usual.  I'll find out myself over the next few weeks as my Wisconsin hiking season gets underway.  Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend!