Woodstock Meadows

The only reason we know about this park is that we lived in this neighborhood 16 years ago. The park is secluded. We didn't realize it was there for the first few years. 

It was dedicated in 1996. It's 9.47 acres. It is roughly divided into three areas. It has a large natural area devoted to large native trees, a swampy area that you can cross on a boardwalk and an area with grass. There is a walking path of .38 miles looping through the natural area. There is no pond here. 

One day, I mentioned to a neighbor that I saw a lot of geese and ducks in our neighborhood. She said they were flying to the Turner Pond. What pond? If she hadn't told me how to find it, it would have remained a mystery. It's totally surrounded by houses and can't be seen from the street. You can see it on the map. It was once the pond for a farmhouse. It's a very coveted place to live even though the houses are old and mostly unattractive.

The accessible walkway to the park is at the end of the parking lot. 

The boardwalk is in poor shape so it's a little bumpy. The grass was at its highest so we couldn't see much of the water. 

After the boardwalk ends there is a natural area of trees. I heard birds but I couldn't tell what they were. 

After the natural area, you can cross over a little bridge to the playground, pavilion and restrooms. 

The restrooms are handicapped accessible. They are open from dawn to dusk in the spring/summer/fall season. They appear to be locked all the time but you just need to push on the door to get in. 

We enjoyed this little park when we lived here. We felt like we were out in the country and could see the land as it looked before it was built up. 

Temple Quarry Trailhead

On Aug 5, 2018, we explored this quarter mile paved trail. There was smoke from forest fires that made the vistas a little blurry. It's easy to miss the turnoff here at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. You can't see this sign until you have already turned in.

There is one handicapped parking place and about ten other spaces. The others were all taken by the time we got there at 9 a.m. on a Sunday. By the time we left at about 10 a.m., there were three open spaces. 

There is a handicapped restroom for men and one for women. They are quite good but don't have running water. 

There are signs all along the trial to orient you to what you are seeing. This is called Temple Quarry because this is the area where the Mormon pioneers took the granite to build the Salt Lake Temple about 1862. 

Most of the people who visit the Quarry are expected to be Mormons, some of whom had ancestors who dug out the rocks. 

This is a picture of the way the area usually looks in the summer at this location (borrowed from the church's website). However, right now it's bone dry. 

Water was important in the quarry process. There was a barrier across the stream at one time. It looked like the drawing. 

Now it looks like this:

There are other things to note here like the V shape of Cottonwood Canyon. V shaped canyons were formed by flowing water and U shaped canyons were formed by glaciers. 

Another thing to note is that mountain goats have been transplanted into this area. I have been to three viewing parties each April and have yet to see any. If you do see them, it is from a great distance. They are just little dots moving on the sheer cliffs. 

I took a picture of my husband near a beautiful tree. 

And, that's all, folks!