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 second of a two-day backpack trip. It takes you from Campsite #4 back to the Trailhead. 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 along a bluff overlook view of Beaver Lake, then through large pines and deciduous forest along several ridgetops. After the first couple miles, the trail decends into the Dry Creek loop and back to the trailhead. 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.