Hunger Games Fans – Arena Sites – Dupont State Park, Part II
We spent our second day at DuPont State Forest hiking to Bridal Veil Falls. There are quite a number of hiking options from the Visitor’s Center, but we were sticking with our desire to see the setting in the arena when the careers find Katniss in the pool of water just after her leg is burnt during the exploding trees forest fire.
This 2.2 mile hike is fairly easy with only gentle hills. The overwhelming majority of the path is gravel road, which hikers share with bikers, horses, and the occasional vehicle. The hike took us about 45 minutes, including some picture stops along that way.
The Covered Bridge Road was our first picture stop. Located .6 miles into our hike, we enjoyed a short rest and some pretty scenery.
The next leg of the journey was a bit longer. We hiked 1.1 miles until we reached the crossroad and turned on to Bridal Veil Falls Rd. The road was very clearly marked. You couldn’t miss it!
The final leg of our hike was .6 miles and then we reached the beautiful falls.
After stopping at this observation spot, we headed to the bottom of the falls. Of course, as with all of the waterfalls in the state forest, the danger is very real.
We didn’t have a tour guide on this one, so I don’t know any exact locations, but I do know that they had to re-route the water coming down the rocks to create the pool of water that Katniss jumped in to relieve her burnt leg. This meant that the rocks were slick in spots for the careers as they came over the rock face. When you watch this scene, you will notice that they sort of “hop/skip” instead of run toward Katniss. This was for practical reasons because the rocks were freshly slick!
We began our hike up the rock face, exploring the various pools created in the rocks. It was a beautiful climb.
At the top, we were rewarded with an up close view of the “bridal veil” part of the falls. This section doesn’t appear in the “Hunger Games”, but it is seen in “Last of the Mohicans”.
It was beautiful. We were fortunate that a few nearby hikers helped us climb behind the falls.
On our way down, we relaxed on the rocks a bit longer. The entire area is just so beautiful, but we knew that we had one more Hunger Game sight to see, so we took off for a little more exploring.
Our next goal was to find the approximate area of the fire and exploding trees in the Hunger Games. We were told that it was directly across from the bike rack. We have no doubt that we found the EXACT section of woods because it was very clear that we aren’t the only ones who discovered it.
Just take it all in. Katniss nearly died here.
This discovery was particularly exciting for Kayleigh because she has a souvenir necklace, given to her on our tour of District 12, made from a ring of the gas piping used in the explosions in the forest.
We began the 2.2 mile return hike with sad hearts. It had been a wonderful Hunger Games weekend, but it was time for it to end.
Of course, we might have returned to Triple Falls one more time. And District 12 on the way home.
She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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