There’s no Farm Here
Eastfield Farms, East Granby
April 2019
This is a Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy property.
I wasn’t expecting much here. Especially when I parked and noticed that I’d have to traverse a side yard to get going. I never like doing that, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
So I did.
There’s also no farm here despite the property’s name – in a town with tons of farms.
Van Noort was a former director of the East Granby Land Trust
The trail took me into the young woods straight to a left-right split. The trail forms a loop around a fairly unexciting pond that is being overtaken by phragmites. There are a ton of birds at the far end of the property, which is always nice. That’s pretty much all that’s going on here.
The property is actually 42 acres and is largely marshland.
Which makes the fact that it is a very well-cleared and cared for trail a little bit weird. It’s clear that someone gets through here fairly regularly and not only trims back the brush and invasives, but also clears treefall and repairs the bog bridges and whatnot.
A kind neighbor? A Boy Scout troop? An industrious beaver?
The land is mostly flat, with swampy areas and several small ponds, the largest about 500 feet from the street. Most of the property is heavily wooded with red maple, willow and dogwood trees in the wet areas and hickory, red and white oak, pine and juniper trees in the drier areas. The trail includes wooden bridges and benches around the pond. Visitors have spotted waterfowl, songbirds, reptiles, deer, beavers, bears, and moose tracks!
Whoever it is, hats off to them for making this 12-minute jaunt around a stagnant suburban pond more enjoyable than I thought it would be. This property is located just north of Pond Meadow so you can park and walk to both easily enough.
Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy
CTMQ Hikes Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy’s Trails
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