Church Farm Preserve is wooded and includes a viewpoint atop ledges that in winter provide a vista of the Mount Hope River valley. After a brief uphill scramble, choose to take a quick shortcut back or stay with the longer, 2 mile trail. This longer trail, The Ledges, is marked with yellow, and goes through mixed hardwoods and pine. The highest point of the Ledges is 480 feet above sea level.
The Church Farm Preserve was donated to Joshua’s Trust by Joe and Dorothy Church Zaring. Abutting property is protected by Eastern Connecticut State University, which celebrated the opening of the Church Farm Center for the Arts and Sciences in May 2009. Both the house, built in the 1700’s, and the barn, built later in 1895, are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Joshua's Trust preserves natural habitats and heritage sites in northeastern Connecticut. To learn more contact:
From Mansfield Center, take Route 89 north, traveling past the stop light at the intersection with Mount Hope Road. Stay on Route 89 for 1.1 miles until it reaches a large yellow farm house with a pond on the left. There is very limited parking at the trailhead entrance near the Welcome to Ashford sign.
Access to the Ledges Trail is on Varga Road where parking is available. Varga Road is 500 feet from Route 89. The trailhead entrance is 100 feet beyond the parking pull-off on the opposite side of the street.
A third trailhead is located on the dirt section of Varga Road. Take Varga Road from Route 89, at 0.3 miles follow left fork, after 0.3 miles road changes from paved to dirt, entrance is a few yards further on the left. Parking is very limited.
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