Connecticut Trails Day Guided Hike

The public is invited to explore the sanctuaries and preserves at Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust during a series of free Saturday hikes, under the guidance of members of Flanders’ Land Management Committee. During the hikes, leaders will provide information about the terrain, habitats and history of the properties. Hikes are non-strenuous, begin at 10:00 a.m. and last approximately 1.5 hours.

            The first hike is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 to mark the statewide observance of Connecticut Trails Day. Flanders’ Geoff Whan leads a hike of the trail system at the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary and the Fleming Preserve in Woodbury, including the new connecting trail between the two properties. Hikers should meet at the Sugar House parking lot.

            Located at the corner of Church Hill and Flanders Roads in Woodbury, the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary’s landscape is marked by dry-laid stone walls and many architecturally significant buildings, most of which comprise the campus of Flanders Nature Center. A network of well-marked and maintained trails traverses the natural habitats of the Sanctuary, which support a great diversity of wildlife species.

            Fronting on Cowles Road in the north central area of Woodbury, the 28.5 acre Fleming Preserve consists of forest land, containing sugar maples, meadows, an overlook, a former apple orchard and numerous stone walls. The preserve is the site of the original Flanders Sap House and maple sugaring operations.

            Other hikes take place on August 6 at the Hetzel Refuge, located on Breakneck Hill Road, near the intersection of Mirey Dam Road in Middlebury; and on October 15 at the Whittemore Sanctuary, located off Route 64 in Woodbury.

            For more information on any of the hikes, call Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, (203) 263-3711 or visit www.flandersnaturecenter.org.