April Roadtrip, Day 3, Montgomery to Meridian

Day 3

April 3, 2026

    Once again, the drive to Meridian, Mississippi should take less than three hours.  There's not that much in between.  

    So, I chose Paul M. Grist State Park.  There's a nice loop trail through the park and around the lake.  It seemed a perfect stop.

     There are trail maps posted at the entrance and by the campground.  They're outdated.  The AllTrails app has different trailheads and routes.  I chose to follow the app.  The newer routes were all well marked with oversized colored blazes that were hard to miss.

    

     The Purple Trail now starts by the dam.  The signs at the new trailhead are nice and clear.

     There's also this one.  It does make perfect sense.

    The Purple Trail simply loops through the woods.  Junctures are nicely marketed.

     Not much to see but trees.  

     The second trail is simply the lake loop. It starts at the end of the dam

   One thing that impressed me, the oversized trail markers are plenty and hard to miss.  No doubt this is the Red Trail.

    

     Eventually, it does work you back to the parking area on the other side of the lake.

     Seven and a half miles to start the day.  But, there was still some driving to do.  

     I rolled into Meridian, Mississippi around 2:30.  Since I hadn't eaten since breakfast, it was a perfect excuse to stop into Threefoot Brewing.

    Across the street.  Been a while...

     I wasn't ready to call it a day.  A search for Walking Trails Near Me brought me to Bonita Lakes.

   The trail around the lake runs 1.2 miles.

     After going around twice, my feet decided for me.  I was done.