To reach the park, drive north from Stafford Courthouse on U.S. 1 to the stoplight at Coal Landing Road. Turn right there and drive until you see a large power transformer station on the left. Park at the lot beside the station.

Follow the paved pathway that runs along the right side of the creek, then loop around the higher land of the "island" and back onto the elevated walkway.

Correction: Several readers quickly caught my mistake last week in reversing the names of Swift Run and Thornton gaps in Shenandoah National Park. It is of course Thornton Gap where U.S. 211 crosses Skyline Drive, while Swift Run Gap is the point where U.S. 33 crosses the same road.

Paul Sullivan of Spotsylvania County, a former reporter with The Free Lance-Star, is a freelance writer. E-mail him at PBSullivan2@cs.com.