We were blown away by the peace and beauty of Edenbrook Conservation Area.

Now, I love playgrounds, and I love neighborhood parks, but I'll be the first to admit, I also really, really love plain old beautiful nature areas. No, they don't offer kids the thrill of racing each other down slides or spinning like crazy on a swing, but they provide so many other things. These serene nature areas offer peace, tranquility, time to think, space to convene with nature, and a chance to connect to each other. I really, really love areas like Edenbrook. We find so many sweet, slow moments at places like Edenbrook.

Once again, I had no idea this place existed, and it is tucked away from the main road such that you'd have to know it was here. Immediately upon arriving here, I felt a sigh of relaxation. We couldn't wait to get out of the car to explore. Parking was easy, and the lot only had one other car in it. The trails here are largely not paved, plus there are also boardwalks to traverse if you go far enough, so it's not a stroller-friendly hike, but it sure is lovely. The day we visited, there was a wind chill of zero degrees, but we were totally undeterred. There's a covered pavilion atop a picnic table when heading up the first hill, with a view of the valley below. I can see this being a really beautiful place for a spring or summer picnic.

The girls couldn't wait to check out the trails and to see what adventures awaited us, and I was excited too. One thing my kids love to do is to take turns being the "line leader" when we hike nature trails, so they happily had their turns leading us into the wetlands. Big girl found some cattails to fuzz and found this to be a thrill, and little one spent some quiet time just exploring.

We definitely want to return to this conservation area when the weather heats up a bit in the spring. I can't wait to see what this winter wonderland has in store when things thaw. I recommend spending some slow time here when you don't have a tight schedule. I also recommend packing a warm picnic lunch to enjoy on the trails. There wasn't tons of signage on the trails, so I also recommend printing out or taking a photo of the trail system before heading out.

After hiking around to your heart's content, head over to Yum! Bakery for a delicious meal or treat for your family.