After walking along a meadow fence line, you enter a wooded area passing several other trails and follow the TAM down toward Otter Creek. Cross the Dan & Peggy Arnold Bridge and continue south into the New Haven section of the Otter Creek Gorge Preserve and Wright Park. A short spur open for hikers and jog strollers only starts a few hundred feet north of the main entrance and continues down to a lovely pool and protected shore of Otter Creek. Jog strollers need to return along the same route. Hikers can continue on to Belden Falls; as you walk upstream there are excellent views of the deep and narrow Otter Creek Gorge. Hike this in the spring and hear the water thundering in the gorge!
Previously, this land was the main holding of a separate land trust; whose three trustees, Willard T. Jackson, Linda O. Johnson, and Steven Rockefeller; gifted the preserve to MALT. The Preserve is an important natural heritage site that showcases Champlain Valley ecosystems. The three predominant natural communities are: valley clayplain forest, transition hardwoods limestone forest, and limestone bluff cedar pine forest. In addition, the open fields and meadows are currently used for agricultural purposes. Protecting the preserve's ecological integrity is our primary stewardship objective. Guided natural history walks are scheduled annually. Enjoy the diversity of plants and animals living in the preserve.
Visit Middlebury Area Land Trust online for more information or contact:
Parking area on Horse Farm Road, 0.2 miles north of the junction with Hamilton Road.
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