Scotland Run Park - a Wilson Lake walk before the clocks fall back

Every fall there's one week when I finally notice how good I've had it with the after-work walk. This is that week. The clocks fall back at 2am on Sunday, Nov 1, and by the following Monday the light is gone before most of us are out of the parking lot at work. So before that happens, I want to point you at Scotland Run Park in Clayton, and specifically at the trail along Wilson Lake.

If you've never been, here's how to actually use it.

What Scotland Run Park is

Scotland Run Park sits at 980 East Academy Street in Clayton, and Gloucester County calls it the largest park in the county system. The county's park page puts it at more than 1,300 acres, and other listings say more than 1,000, so it's safe to say well over a thousand acres of woods and water. It's a county park, not a state park, and it costs nothing to walk in.

The middle of Scotland Run Park is Wilson Lake, which the county lists at 80 acres. The county pitches the lake for what it calls passive recreation, like fishing and boating. That's a polite way of saying nobody is going to be blasting a jet ski past you.

The county says the park is open every day of the year from sunrise to sunset, except Christmas. That sunset part is the whole reason this guide is running now.

Where to start at Scotland Run Park

The park has two sides, and it helps to pick one before you park. According to the county, walking trails start behind the Nature Center and also on the lake side of the park, and the playground and picnic area are across the street from the Nature Center. If you've got little kids and only one adult, that matters. Pick the playground side or the trail side and commit.

The county posts a trail map PDF on the park's facility page, plus a separate map of the Nature Trails on its main park page. Screenshot it before you go. Trail junctions in the pines all start to look the same after twenty minutes, and I say that as someone who has walked in a confident circle more than once.

The county lists parking and restrooms, and it marks the park ADA accessible.

The walk along Wilson Lake

The easy outing at Scotland Run Park is a walk along the water. I'm not going to hand you a mileage, because the county doesn't post one for the lake trail and I'd rather not guess. Walk out as far as you like and turn around when the kids or your knees vote to go back.

Wear real shoes. It's a woods trail by a lake, so plan on roots and the odd wet spot near the water, and bring a layer, because it's always cooler at the shoreline than at your car. Go in the late afternoon this week and the low sun comes across Wilson Lake sideways, which is the best light you'll get until spring.

The Nature Center at Scotland Run Park

The Nature Center is the part of Scotland Run Park most people miss, because its hours are short. The county lists it as closed Monday through Wednesday, open Thursday and Friday from 1 to 4pm, and open Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

Inside, the county says you'll find live animals, including snakes and frogs, plus aquatic ecosystems, and it runs environmental education programs for all ages. The county's Nature Center page also says the park's naturalist is Dr. Daniel Duran, an assistant professor of environmental science at Rowan University, who co-wrote "A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada." So if your kid finds a weird bug on the trail, the guy who literally wrote the field guide on tiger beetles is down the hall.

On the water at Scotland Run Park

The county lists a boat launch, a canoe and kayak launch, canoe and kayak rentals, a fishing pier and a handicapped accessible fishing pier in the boat launch area. What it doesn't post online is a rental season, hours or prices. It does post a canoe and kayak waiver form on the facility page. So if a paddle is the plan, call the park first at 856-881-0845 before you strap anything to the roof.

A few more things worth knowing

• The county says one of the two pavilions at Scotland Run Park can be reserved, through a link on the facility page. The other one is first come.
• The county trains volunteers for events and conservation projects at the park, and it says you don't need any experience. The contact is on the county's park page.
• The play structures are listed for kids 5 to 12, so bring the stroller for anyone younger.

How I'd do it this week

On a weekday, go Thursday or Friday. Get there by about 2, do the Nature Center first since it closes at 4, then walk the lake while it's still light. On the weekend, go in the morning, start at the Nature Center when it opens at 10, and you'll be done with the lake before lunch.

And remember Sunday. The clocks go back that morning, and since Scotland Run Park closes at sunset, everything about the after-work plan moves up an hour starting Monday.

The short version

Scotland Run Park, at 980 East Academy Street in Clayton, is the county's biggest park, with 80-acre Wilson Lake in the middle. It's free and open sunrise to sunset. Walk the lake and catch the Nature Center on a Thursday or Friday afternoon or a weekend morning. Get there this week, before the clocks fall back and take your weeknight daylight with them.