Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve

With all of these beautiful mild days this winter we've had to really search for new places to go for family "hikes" (I use quotes because it's virtually impossible to actually hike in the Hampton Roads area, the best you can hope for is a nice flat pretty walk). But one of the prettiest nice flat walking places we've found on our travels is Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, in the Western Branch area of Portsmouth.

Right in the middle of Hoffler Creek revolves is Lake Ballard. A trail that winds around the lake, with littler trails peek off from the main one like spokes. To explore each one would take the better part of an afternoon. During our last visit, we visited the kids trail, where A. had fun looking out for the yellow blazes that marked the path, a bird blind overlooking the river, and the Oyster Pier, where we saw baby oysters resting in protective baskets as part of a restoration project. There's also the homestead trail, leading to the site where the Ballard family used to live, and a Bluebird Trail, which is popular with birders.



Hoffler Creek is set up to get kids excited about nature, offering guides that point out native plants and giving kids the chance to look out for wildlife and mark them on a wildlife sighting map. An interactive play area is in the works. For bigger kids (with adult supervision), kayaks can be rented for a fee.

There are some exciting events coming up at Hoffler Creek this spring, including a volunteer work day (keep our area beautiful!) and a Spring Tasting Tour which will teach you to identify and cook with edible plants around the preserve. Read more and register here.