The Wilderness

The Wilderness is an amazing tribute to Olmsted's skills as a park developer.  Winding paths cleverly laid out around hillocks and rock outcroppings, and through stands of oaks, hemlocks, and pines create the feeling that the park is bigger than it is.

Stroll through the Wilderness, past the 99 Steps, a picnic area, and Ellicott Arch.

The Franklin Park Coalition has been focusing on two challenges in The Wilderness.  First, invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and catbriar, have taken over many sections of The Wilderness.  FPC holds regular volunteer events to cut back the invasive species and enable natural plants to grow.  The Summer Youth Crew are also a big help in controlling the invasive plants.

A more important threat to The Wildnerness is the lack of young trees to create a new generation of forest.  The invasive plants have been smothering saplings, leading to a beautiful forest which contains mostly older trees near the end of their life spans. To ensure The WIlderness remains a treasure for future generations, FPC developed the Woodlands Restoration Campaign, to study the forest and raise funds to propagate new trees.