The Trails of Sunshine Hollow
Over eight miles of pleasant walking trails are laid out through and around Sunshine Hollow. Most are in the protected natural area where giant trees and many forms of wildflowers and native azaleas exist and about a mile are through the main sun Gardens. Here is a description and pictures of each.
Hollow Ridge Trail
This trail traverses the ridges of the entire Hollow for two and one-half miles. Many types of native hardwoods, shrubs, and wildflowers can be seen along the trail plus lots of native Muscadines. The trails summits and follows the ridges that form the Hollow and at one point, in the winter, the visitor can see the foothills of the Appalachians and the many ridges of the Great Valley plus beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
Azalea Trail
The two-mile Azalea Trail circles the interior of the Hollow pretty much on the contour to give the visitor a chance to see the literally thousands of native Azaleas that have found the Hollow an ideal place to live. Many native shrubs, wildflowers, and ferns can also be seen. The interior of the Hollow has many large trees, especially Tulip Poplars and White Oaks, many of which are over one hundred feet tall and growing taller all the time.
Big Cedar Trail
This one-half mile trail travels from the main garden around a very steep hillside above Moonshine Creek and by a very tall Eastern Red Cedar that's around 80 feet tall. Native Azaleas, ferns and other wildflowers are found along its route.
Fern Gulley Trail
The Fern Gulley trail currently traverses through the upper part of Moonshine Creek past the spring that heads the creek to intersect with the Azalea Trail. Plans are to make it a one-half-mile loop through more of the extensive fern area in the Hollow. Many types of native ferns occur here such as Cinnamon fern, Royal Fern, Lady Fern, Maidenhair Fern, Sensitive Fern, and others. A huge Beech tree grows about halfway up the trail that is over one hundred feet tall and probably very old.
Fred Lee Rhyne Nature Trail
This trail traverses the Creek area from near the center of the Gardens to the end of the Hollow for about one-half mile one way. Many wildflowers are found along its path, including red trillium, yellow trillium, foam flowers, wild geraniums, spring beauties, bluets, violet wood sorrel, wild ginger, cardinal flower, obedient plant, jewelweed, red buckeye, yellow buckeye, ground cedar, and many others.
Margaret Tipton Rhyne Shade Garden Trail
A one-quarter mile loop trail near the center of the Gardens circles a wooded area filled with giant Tulip Poplars and showcasing Hosta, Hydrangeas, Lily of the Valley, Dwarf Buckeye, a giant Sourwood, Annuals and other plants.
Vicki Lynn Trail
About a mile or more of contoured flower beds and trails surround the home area and lake. These were built with various pieces of equipment and also by hand. Two sections of trail, the one below the house to the dock and from the dock to the Dam area, were built using a troybilt tiller and hand tools. Two of the flower beds along the South side of the lake were built with a backhoe. Others on that side were built with a Skid Steer loader. Most of these were back-sloped by hand with a tool called a Pulaski and another called a Fire Rake. The Garden beds on the north side of the lake were constructed with a High Lift loader. All of these have been graveled with half-inch gravel and stabilized with Meyer Zoysia to prevent erosion.
The Vicki Lynn Trail starts at the center of the Gardens and makes a half-mile loop through the main Gardens and around the Lake back to the center of the main Garden. This trail allows the visitor to see almost all of the Sun Gardens of about ten acres. Five hundred Daylily cultivars, one hundred fifty varieties of Tall Bearded Iris, Hydrangeas, Azaleas, Crepe Myrtles, Peonies, Butterfly Bushes, Rhododendrons, Roses, Weigela, perennials, and annuals are displayed along terraced trails.
Juanita Breneman Trail
A loop trail on the north side of lake that leaves the Vicki Lynn trail. It has large Poplars and Oaks, Royal Ferns, Christmas Ferns, Native Azaleas and other wildflowers. About one quarter mile in length.
Sammeg Trail
One of four trails that tie the main Gardens to the Hollow Ridge trail. It leaves the Gardens near the southeastern end near the Kyker Garden. It crosses the Fred Lee Rhyne Nature Trail and joins the Hollow Ridge trail near the southeast end. The trail follows the path of the Garden's largest Dwarf Crested Iris patch. About one-tenth mile in length.
Rajodi Trail
The Rajodi trail leaves the Main Garden area on the south side and traverses up a hollow to intersect with the Hollow Ridge trail at a saddle in the ridge on the south side of the Hollow. About one quarter mile in length.
AnnaMellisa Trail
Another one-third-mile trail traversing from the Gardens intersecting with the Hollow Ridge Trail on the western side near the middle of its two-and-one-half-mile length.
JessKamonty Trail
This trail leaves the main road on the north side of the lake and gains elevation to the top of the ridge intersecting the Hollow Ridge Trail on the northwest side of the Hollow It crosses the Azalea trail near the midpoint of its length. About one-quarter mile in length.
