Wilderness Hiking in the Inner City

For quiet some time now I've been wanting to hike to the top of Cochran Hill Tunnel.  Just to see how to get up there and what it looks like on top of the Interstate.  Today I decided to do it.

I drove around the park and around the hill trying to find an access. I thought there would be one around the dog run on Cochran Hill Road, but I couldn't see any.  I stopped in the parking lot and looked around, but couldn't see that there was any paths.  So, I parked in the little lot off Lexington Road and decided to walk around to see if I could find a way up there.  Walking up Lexington Road there was a 10' high chain link fence just off the road, but as I walked along, the fence ended.  I decided to go cross country.  So, I headed up this steep bank and into the woods.  Ah, this will be an adventure.

I made my way through the trees and underbrush, not always in the direction I wanted to go, but in the direction the openings would let me go.  So, after a short while I'd been turned around so many times I knew I'd never find my way back in the same direction I'd come.  So, in the true adventurous spirit, I pressed on.  Back in the trees I found this area that hand sandbags and erosion curtain.  They were laid out in squares and rectangles, not like they were holding anything back, but like they were sectioning off plots.  I wondered if I'd stumbled on someones private 'Pot' farm.  It really kind of worried me, as nobody knew where I was or what I was doing.

There were also a lot of these red plastic cups turned upside down, like the were covering some type of plant. None in rows, but just scattered randomly around, all the same way.  I didn't disturb them.  I was tempted to look under one, but decided I'd better just leave them alone.  Not knowing what the heck this area was, I also decided it might be best if I just got the heck out of the area.

I started making my way up hill, as openings would permit me, and I could see a clearing through the trees, so I worked towards it.  I came out onto a path.  So I followed it to the right, I thought 'away' from Lexington Road, and I came out on top the Cochran Hill Tunnels!

I took this picture, but I don't know if you can see the roadway down below. I tried to catch cars coming by so it would be more visible, but with my delayed action camera I couldn't be sure of when it would actually snap the picture.  But, you might be able to see the roadway on the 'wide screen'.

The path I was on was directly behind the 'dog run'.  So I followed the path a little ways, going away from Lexington Road to see if it had an access near the dog run.  It seemed to just go further into the park, so I turned around and headed the other way.  At this time I met several bicyclist mountain biking through this pathway. It was a nice path, but seemed pretty hard to bike.  Lots of roots, rocks, little turns, up and down steep hills.  I'd rather be walking.  So I followed the path I assumed was leading me towards Lexington Road area.  I was right!

After following the path for several hundred yards it came out onto Cochran Hill Road, right at Lexington Road.  There was this sign at the head of the trail, which I failed to notice when I'd driven by earlier looking for an access.

So, now I know how to get to the top of Cochran Hill above the tunnels.  If anyone wants, I can lead an expedition.