#Middlebury #MiddleburyLandTrust
Dainty flowers such as those on this bunchberry dogwood (cornus canadensis), a petite ground-hugging perennial, delight those walking woodland trails in early spring. This one was spotted near Lake Elise, but they thrive throughout Connecticut and the Northeast. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo)
By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY
Here we are with yet another month of social distancing. Tired of your own yard – despite it being lovely and getting better all the time as you take care of it? Finding the Greenway too crowded for your liking? The Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) properties are here for you!
Listed below are MLT properties that have hiking trails, along with how you can find the trails. If you would like a map for reference, find one on the MLT website, middleburylandtrust.org. Click on “holdings.”
Lake Elise is the best known. Enter across from the cemetery on Long Meadow Road.
Sperry Pond (aka Juniper Hill, No. 11 on the MLT map) is the largest at over 130 acres. A new safe and easy entrance replaces the old one on Straits Turnpike. Heading towards Watertown on Straits Turnpike, turn onto Park Road extension just past Middlebury Edge. At 312 Park Rd Extension, on the right, enter the dirt driveway that circles Sperry House. Park there – off the driveway – and follow the trail to Sperry Pond and the trail that goes part way around it.
Larkin Pond (aka Fodder’s Folly, No. 3 on the MLT map) includes a farmed field you can see from South Street. The entrance on Long Meadow Road includes a recently improved boardwalk. At the pond, take the path to the right along the field or go left and clamber along the rocks bordering the pond on that side.
Enter the Hetzel and Clark Preserves at the Hetzel Preserve (owned by Flanders) entrance on Breakneck Hill Road just east of Mirey Dam Road. A red house stands between the parking area and the path. This trail runs right into the trails on the Clark Preserve (Middlebury Land Trust Nos. 15 and 23) making this one of the longer hikes.
The Tuttle Preserve (Nos. 5, 19 and 25) comprises three contiguous properties with a total of 55 acres. You can access the trail from the north side of South Street near the intersection with Sandy Hill Road, where two stone pillars flank the trail near its start. There are dense thickets farther in.
Turtle Pond (Nos. 13 and 14) is right at the juncture of Whittemore and Wheeler Roads. There is only a tiny trail along Whittemore Road, but a bench at the southern shore of the pond makes a lovely spot for quiet contemplation.
Crest Road Trail (No. 59) offers a couple of loop trails on the seven-acre property recently developed and improved by Eagle Scout projects. Enter on Crest Road via the trail across from the north entrance to the Middlebury Public Library.
Whittemore Sanctuary/Flanders nature preserve is not an MLT property, but it is conserved by the MLT and is right next to Middlebury. It has extensive, marked trails. The entrance is on the north side of Sherman Hill Road/Route 64.
No matter where you decide to walk, wander or ponder outdoors, please remember social distancing, and now that spring has sprung, prepare for mud and take tick precautions – tuck your pants into your socks, use permethrin on your clothes or a DEET-containing bug repellent, and do careful tick checks when you get home or before bed.
If you’re interesting in volunteering with the MLT to “adopt a trail,” help with trail work, or have questions, please contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com, or the MLT administrator at mltoffice06762@gmail.com, or visit the MLT website at middleburylandtrust.org.
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