The terrain and trail elevation varies widely throughout Canfield Woods. The Blue Canfield Trail and the Green Long Trail are easy to moderate. The most challenging steep grade is the southeast branch of the Eagle Rock Trail going up from the Orange Castle Rock Trail. Other trails throughout the preserve are generally moderate with a few short steeper sections.
The older forest is filled with oak, hickory, hemlock, birch, beech, tulip, and ash trees. The preserve abounds with deer and fox as well as flocks of wild turkey. Home to a variety of birds, common species seen here include cardinals, woodpeckers, thrushes, vireos and flycatchers as well as hawks and owls.
Highlights include a viewing platform and bench with views of the lower Connecticut River, a massive tulip tree more than 100 years old, and a large boulder inscribed 1840 is on the Essex/Deep River town line. The boulder is also a location for geocaching enthusiasts.
Much of the property is former farmland and the old fields are still delineated by a network of stone walls. Most of the preserve was acquired through donations by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Canfield in 1968 and The Nature Conservancy in 1985. Earl Canfield was an inventor who developed waterproof lighting systems for the US Navy and owned the Sight Light Corp. He owned 322 acres and was committed to preserving his land for future generations. Among the benefits he stated upon donating his land were: a wildlife/wilderness refuge, watershed protection, the forest acting as an air filter to reduce pollution and walking trails. The remains of an old stone quarry can be found in the Deep River section.
There are 4 trailheads, three in Essex at Eagle Ridge Drive, Dennison Road, and Book Hill Woods Road and one in Deep River on Route 154.
To the Essex Trailheads from Route 9 take exit 3, go west on Route 154 about 1/4 mile. At the Shell station, make a right turn onto Dennison Road.
Deep River Trailhead
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