Loleta, You Will Never Know...

Maybe you've heard of "Loleta," a recreation area in the ANF, several miles south of Marienville.

Now, for most folks in their late 30s, the word "Loleta" does two things. 1) It reminds us of an old Elton John song, where he croons, "Nikita, you will never know anything about my home." (Nikita. Loleta. They both sound vaguely Russian.) And 2) It reminds us of a controversial novel by Vladimir Nabokov... also undeniably Russian.

I mention Loleta here only because the Loleta Trail makes a way better hike in the fall than in the summer. It's a 3-mile loop that follows the scenic Sugarcamp Run, passes through hardwood gallery forests with very little understory, goes through big, grassy meadows, does a sidespur to a great rock city that could take several hours to explore, and climaxes at an "overlook" that only has views when most of the leaves are off the trees.

I'm not usually one for the trails. I far prefer to hike grassy old forest roads. But I can guarantee that you will have this trail all to yourself. The views on the second half of the loop are broad, looking out over the valley of Millstone Run. But when the green leaves come back, all the vistas will disappear.