One of my happy places is being in the woods, especially if I’m with a dog.

Barbour Woods, Fall 2021
There’s a sense of freedom and hope surrounded by all the beauty where I can’t help but feel comfortable and connected to something greater than myself.

Barbour Woods, December 2021
For most of our time in Norfolk, the Barbour Woods was my go-to spot for being in the woods. I started walking Dodger there in 2017 and then in 2020 added Annie (and occasionally Fergus) to my walks.

Barbour Woods, June 2020

Barbour Woods, Winter 2023
The Barbour Woods has 10 different trails, all with their own woodland charms. For example, the Old Carriage Trail has the Kilarney Bridge, the Swamp Trail has vernal pools, and the Beechwood Loop Trail has a view of Haystack Mountain.

Barbour Woods, October 2022

Barbour Woods, October 2021

Barbour Woods, Spring 2022
There are few places in this world where I’m happier than the Barbour Woods.
So it gives me great pleasure to announce that the Barbour Woods is a finalist in the 3rd Annual Readers’ Choice Awards from Rural Intelligence for Best Hiking Trail.
If you don’t mind sharing your name, email address, zip code, and gender with Rural Intelligence, you can vote for the Barbour Woods every day through November 13 by clicking here.
Yes, you can vote every day in each of the categories. No, you don’t have to vote for any other category if you don’t want to.
I’ve had a lot of professional and personal disappointments these past few months, so I’m throwing myself into campaigning for the Barbour Woods to win. As a board member of the Norfolk Land Trust and Co-chair of their outreach committee, I have access to our social media accounts. I’m posting daily reminders to vote on our Instagram Stories. It’s fun because it gives me an excuse to go through my photos and find my favorites of being in the woods.
I know it’s not much, but when there are so many things out of my control right now, it feels good to have a plan: post every day on social media and remind people to vote.
So please vote for the Barbour Woods!
Even if you’ve never been on a trail there, you can take my word for it that these woods are AWESOME.