The trail gets its name from the giant flock of passenger pigeons that once roosted here in huge numbers. It stretched from Van Winkle Hollow all the way to the Benton-Madison County line, a concentration of birds five miles in length. The birds became extinct under the pressure of forest clearing from the lumber boom of the late nineteenth century, and from massive market hunting. The last known passenger pigeon died in a Cincinnati zoo in 1914.

This segment represents the first of a two-day backpack trip. It takes you from the trailhead to Campsite #4. There are five designated campsites along the trail...all at the back end of the second loop. They are close to Beaver Lake, with some fall/winter views of the lake below. Lake access is also nearby. Campsite 3 will accomodate to separate tent sites. Campsites 2, 4 and 5 will accomodate up to 3 tents per site with level pads, and 4 and 5 are close to one another for even larger groups. Campsite 1 is for solo hikers or couples, as there is only one tent pad.

This segment will take you past two lake access points and several sinkholes. There are several small foot bridges on this route too. The trail can be off camber on gravel-sized flint rock for long stretches so watch your footing. Deer and eagles are abundant in this area.

Trail was logged using an Endura Sierra GPS with native GPX support.