by Carmen Greger
Strap on your Merrell’s, fill up your Camelback, grab your GoPro, a snack-pack, and a pal, and go hit the local trails. Hiking in Lakeland is such a wonderful, user-friendly, no-nonsense invigorating outdoor experience. The repetitive motion of walking, as your feet gently strike the ground like the soft beat of a drum, creates a soothing rhythm that your entire being benefits from. Add to that an inspiring natural atmosphere where you’re blissfully immersed in a variety of earthy terrain, surrounded by rocks, creeks, lakes, streams, and endless canopies of trees. The fresh air, the beautiful sky… the hawks circling playfully above, and perhaps a close encounter with your personal welcoming committee comprised of some of the earth’s most beautiful outdoor creatures, big and small. You’ll be so in awe of and engaged with your breathtaking environment, that you won’t even realize you’re technically exercising!
Local resident Carl Helton is a very experienced hiker, both locally and abroad. Mr. Helton often hikes the trails in Lakeland and the Shelby County area and says the International Harvester (IH) trails here in Lakeland are some of the best. “IH trails are the best bang for your buck in Shelby County. They are great trails, but they don’t take up the whole day,” he said. He added that wintertime is one of his favorite times to hike the IH trails because of snow and the amount of animals he sees.
He also suggested anyone looking to expand out from Lakeland to other hiking trails should consider Shelby Forest (Meeman State Park). “It’s the toughest trails in Shelby County. They are great but a lot of elevation gain on the 3 Mile loop,” Mr. Helton said. “Herb Parsons is also great but it’s long and it takes several hours to complete the long trail,” he added.
If you would like more information about IH Clubhouse and the trails, you can go to the city website here.
