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Gellert and Valentine Preserve

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Gellert and Valentine Preserve offers a rocky hiking trail that is home to a variety of wildlife and vegetation and connects to the Air Line State Park Trail.
Trail Activity
Hiking Walking
Length
1.0 mile, Loop
Difficulty
Easy
Town
Pomfret
Surface
Packed Earth/Dirt
Pets
Permitted on leash
Fees
No

Description

The Gellert and Valentine Preserves form part of a large forest block in Pomfret that is important for forest nesting birds. The two preserves protect 168 acres of woodland and farmland and abut both the state’s Air Line State Park Trail and the 167-acre New England Forestry Foundation’s Kimball preserve.

The trail starts in the parking area on Ayers Road through the Gellert Preserve down to the Air Line Trail. The trail continues along the Air Line Trail for 300 yards before cutting back up the hill and back to the parking area. (Ayers Road is just south of We-Li-Kit Ice Cream on Route 97.)

The properties were logged in 2019 to remove dead and diseased trees, and the resulting open canopy and brushy understory provide attractive habitat for migrating and nesting birds, such as the Indigo Bunting, Prairie Warbler, and Eastern Towhee.

Other Information

History

Theodore Gellert donated his 125-acre property to the land trust in December 2007, and the land trust acquired the 43-acre Valentine property from siblings Robert Valentine and Mary Feathers in 2015.

Trail Manager

The Wyndham Land Trust aims to conserve nature in Windham County.

Wyndham Land Trust, Inc.
P.O. Box 302
Pomfret Center, CT
06259
(860) 963-2090
https://www.wyndhamlandtrust.org/

Trail Tips

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Find out about and follow any local regulations and respect landowners’ property.

Trailhead Information

From I-91 North:

Take I-91 North towards Hartford/Middletown/CT-66. Take exit 29 towards US-5 North/1-84 East towards Hartford/Boston. Stay on I-84 East. Take exit 69 for CT-74 towards US-44/Putnam/Willington. Turn right on CT-74 East. Turn left onto US-44 East. Turn right on CT-97 South. Turn left onto Ayers Road, destination on the left.

From I-95 North:

Follow I-95 North and I-395 North to CT-97 North/Taftville-Occum Road in Norwich. Take exit 18 from I-395 North. Follow CT-97 North to Ayers Road in Pomfret.

Parking:

Park on the left side of the road in front of the gate. Walk through the gate and continue on the trail.

Legend
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