Avalonia Land Conservancy
Bozrah, Colchester, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Montville, North Stonington, Norwich, Preston, Salem, Stonington
Okay, who took geology in college? You did? Awesome. I did too and while it was just one sort of side class for me I really enjoyed it. And no, “Rocks for Jocks” doesn’t count, I mean a real geology class. UConn has a rather good program; one where we got out into the field and really explored Connecticut’s rocks and dirt and rivers and hills and stuff.
Damian at the Barrett Preserve, 2016
So if you’re still with me, surely you recall Avalonia. I mean, who could forget that it was a microcontinent in the Paleozoic era. But moreover, remember how it developed as a volcanic arc on the northern margin of Gondwana and how it eventually rifted off, becoming a drifting microcontinent? And it goes without saying how the Rheic Ocean formed behind it, and the Iapetus Ocean shrank in front. I mean, duh. But then, as you’ll recall, things got cooler when it collided with the continents Baltica, then Laurentia, and finally with Gondwana, ending up in the interior of Pangea. In the interior of Pangea I says! That’s where all the action was! Anyway, just to button up what everyone already knows, when Pangea broke up, Avalonia’s remains were divided by the rift which became the Atlantic Ocean.
Which means, of course, that bits of Avalonia now make up Newfoundland on down to Maine and the present-day New England coastline. Which includes, you guessed it, the towns that provide the land in which the Avalonia Land Conservancy holds preserves.
Anyway, there you go. Not what you came here to read about. You’re here to see what’s up with Avalonia Land Conservancy’s trails and properties. So let’s get to it.
The Preserves/Hikes:
Generally, only trailed properties listed.
Bozrah
Glemboski-Ous Preserve
Colchester
Colchester Land Trust merged with Avalonia in 2026.
Bulkeley Hill Preserve
Whispering Winds
Griswold
Dutka Nature Preserve
Tri-Town Ridgeline Forest Preserve
Groton
Leo Antonino Preserve
Moore Woodlands
Town’s End
Ledyard
Atkinson Family Preserve/Thompson Brook Preserve
Avery Preserve
Barrett Preserve
Founders Preserve
Pike Marshall Preserve
Pine Swamp Wildlife Corridor
Samuel Lamb and Forsberg Preserve
Montville
Louis and Gladys Bond Preserve
North Stonington
Babcock Ridge
Bell Cedar Swamp
Benedict Benson Preserve
D.R. Henne Memorial & Shunock Brook Preserves
Erisman Woodlands
Mitchell Preserve and Reed Woodlands
Parke Memorial
Richard and Mary Cooper Preserve
Sheets Family Forest
Tefftweald at Birchenturn
Tri-Town Ridgeline Forest Preserve
Yannatos Preserve
Norwich
Cedar Wood Preserve
Hunter Brook Preserve
Preston
Mitchell Preserve and Reed Woodlands
Preston Nature Preserve
Tri-Town Ridgeline Forest Preserve
Salem
Salem Land Trust merged with Avalonia in 2026.
Alf & Sylvia Bingham Preserve
Big Brook Gorge
Darling Road Preserve
Salem Riverside Preserve
Smuggler’s Rock Preserve
Tatson’s Woods Preserve
Walden Preserve (with TNC)
Woodland Warbler Preserve
Zemko Sawmill Preserve
Stonington
Copps Brook Preserve
Dodge Paddock and Beal Preserve
Fennerswood Preserve
Hoffmann Evergreen Preserve
Knox Family Farm Preserve
Knox Preserve
Marcia Woolworth Porter Preserve
Paffard Woods
Parker Brothers Preserve
Pequotsepos Brook Preserve
Perkins Wildlife Corridor
Perry Natural Area
Ram Point (water access)
Sandy Point (water access)
Simmons Preserve
Wequetequock Cove Preserve
White Cedar Swamp & Deans Mill Preserve
Woodlot Sanctuary
Avalonia Land Conservancy
CTMQ’s Guide to Bozrah
CTMQ’s Guide to Colchester
CTMQ’s Guide to Griswold
CTMQ’s Guide to Groton
CTMQ’s Guide to Ledyard
CTMQ’s Guide to Montville
CTMQ’s Guide to North Stonington
CTMQ’s Guide to Norwich
CTMQ’s Guide to Preston
CTMQ’s Guide to Salem
CTMQ’s Guide to Stonington
CTMQ’s Land Trust Trails Page
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