Barrett Preserve

Description

Barrett Preserve is a beautiful, short hiking trail located in the Gales Ferry neighborhood in Ledyard that offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors on a well-marked trail with yellow trailheads. Immediately upon entering the preserve, you are welcomed to finely groomed grass paths with bird boxes and houses spread throughout. The grass paths are only a short portion of the preserve, as it quickly turns into a wooded area (down a hillside of oak, hickory, and black birch). Further on the trail is a wetland area, featuring a large stand of giant tulip trees. The trail also offers two stream crossings, a rich understory of mountain laurel, and carpets of hay-scented fern. Don’t miss out on the bench that overlooks the stream, a scenic treat. It is not uncommon to see half a dozen to a dozen different species of birds (bluebirds, woodpeckers, hawks, owls, etc.), in addition to many ground animals such as squirrels and chipmunks. You may even see the white tail of a deer flashing as it bounds away. The trails are a series of two interconnected loops, in a bow-shaped fashion. Total mileage is approximately 1.6 miles with the largest loop being 0.93 miles and the smallest loop being 0.67 miles. The combination of grass and meadow paths and packed earth and dirt trails offer diversity on the hiking boots, with an easy to moderate difficulty and an elevation gain of 197 feet.

Other Information

Please adhere to the following guidelines when visiting the preserve:

• Barrett Preserve is open to foot traffic only.
• Dogs must be leashed at all times.
• The preserve is open dawn to dusk.
• Please stay on the marked trails.

This property is part of Avalonia's Hike & Seek Program scavenger hunt program, start your adventure here! 

Open field, mature upland forest with laurel stands, towering tulip trees, rock ledges and intermittent streams. Portion was burned in a forest fire in 1989. Forest management plan to encourage early successional underway.

Trail Manager

Avalonia Land Conservancy preserves natural habitats in southeastern Connecticut by acquiring and protecting lands, and communicating the value of these irreplaceable resources. Learn more on their website or contact info@avalonialc.org.