Boyhood Nature Trail in Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Length:  .9-mile loop
Time:  30 minutes
Difficulty: Hilly but easy

The layout of the trails at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a northern and a southern loop with a short connector between them. The northern loop is the Boyhood Nature Trail. The southern loop is actually comprised of two trails, with the Lincoln Boyhood Trail being the western side and the Trail of Twelve Stones being the eastern side. To hike the Nature Trail you must hike one of the others, so start out on the Lincoln Boyhood Trail, pick up the Boyhood Nature Trail halfway around the loop, and head back to the Visitor Center on the Trail of Twelve Stones. Total distance is roughly two miles.

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial map (click to enlarge)

A hike on the Lincoln Boyhood Trail starts at the allée across from the Visitor Center. This is the long, grass field flanked by the forest on either side and with a flagpole at the far end. Walk past the flagpole until reaching the Pioneer Cemetery where Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy, is buried. If you keep walking past the cemetery, you will be on the Lincoln Boyhood Trail despite the only directional sign mentioning the Trail of Twelve Stones.

The allée at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

The Lincoln Boyhood Trail ends at the Lincoln Living Historical Farm—might as well stop and see it—and from there it becomes the Trail of Twelve Stones. If I recall, you pass two of the stones before coming to the intersection with the Boyhood Nature Trail connector. There is a directional sign and wayside exhibit about the trails at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial at the intersection.

Intersection of the Trail of Twelve Stones and the connector to the Boyhood Nature Trail at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

As with all trails in the park, the Boyhood Nature Trails follows what is essentially a gravel road. The terrain is slightly hilly, but most of the hills are gradual ascents and descents, so overall it is an easy hike.

Typical terrain on the Boyhood Nature Trail at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

The connector trail is .1 mile long. It crosses over Lewis Street, and just after that is the start of the loop. There is a brochure box (empty when I visited) and a wayside exhibit with a map and a little information about the trail. Unlike the other two trails, the Boyhood Nature Trail does not pass any historical sites or points of interest that have to do with Abraham Lincoln. It is promoted simply as the type of terrain where the young Lincoln walked and played at one time or another.

The loop portion of the Boyhood Nature Trail is on the north side of Lewis Street, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Being a typical nature trail, there are wayside exhibits along the route that point out the different types of plants and trees that grow in the area. Understanding the information on one exhibit does not depend on having read other exhibits beforehand, so it makes no difference which way you go around the loop. Furthermore, the signs were put up a long time ago when the forest was much thinner and the vegetation they point out was obvious (the forest wasn’t even here in 1985). Today the place is like a jungle, and I couldn’t tell what the signs were talking about, making them pretty much worthless.

Wayside exhibits about plants and trees along the Boyhood Nature Trail at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

There is a short section of the trail that is a wooden boardwalk. I did the hike just after a light rain, so the wood was wet. If that’s the case when you visit, be very careful, because the wet wood is slippery as snot.

Boardwalk segment of the Boyhood Nature Trail at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Overall, the Boyhood Nature Trail is not particularly exciting, and as mentioned, it adds nothing to the Abraham Lincoln experience as do the other two trails. If you are in a hurry, stick to the lower loop. If you want some extra exercise, add this to your itinerary. Combined, both loops cover just a little over two miles.

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