Photos

Description

Ernie Boothroyd Nature Preserve & Bellante Preserve

Northern Connecticut Land Trust

94 acres in Ellington, CT

Parking:

East Side: Shoulder parking near 50 Tolland Turnpike, Tolland, CT
West Side: Small lot near 68 Charter Rd, Stafford Springs, CT

Trail Map            Trails: 1.75 miles         Rating: ★★☆☆☆


I stumbled across the Boothroyd Preserve while driving between two other planned hikes so I turned the car around and parked along the shoulder of the Tolland Turnpike and quickly set off into the woods on the Balanced Rock Trail.

Boothroyd Preserve

The red blazed trail quickly forks.  Taking the left fork will reach the balanced rock faster but I chose to take the right fork and hike the loop first.  The trail was well blazed and easy to follow even if a bit unused.  It meandered through a couple stands of thick mountain laurel.  After meandering through some uneventful forest the trail splits again following the red blazes completes the original balanced rock loop for about a 1.4 mile hike.  Taking the right the blazes switch to blue and head into the newer Bellante Preserve.

Bellante Preserve

The trail gradually descends among some mountain laurel to a marshy corridor between private property.  Hopping a small stream leads to the east side parking off Sandy Beach Road (Google Maps lists the address as Charter Road). Following the blue trail to complete the loop hops over a couple small rocky outcrops and an old forest road or two before reconnecting with the red trail in the Boothroyd section.

History:

The property name commemorates Ernest William Boothroyd, Jr., (1944-2005). Ernie was a former Northern Connecticut Land Trust president and served on the Board of Directors for many years.

First preserved in March 2010 when the trust acquired the 58-acre Moseley property in Ellington, costing $185,000 shared by the State of Connecticut, the Bafflin Foundation, the Fields Pond Foundation, the town of Ellington, and the land trust.

In 2019 the land trust purchased the Bellante property (the land was appraised at $364,760, but was offered at a “bargain price” by the Bellante family ) with the help of $36,000 state grant, the Bafflin Foundation, and the town of Ellington.


Links:

CTMQ – NCLT: Ernie Boothroyd Nature Preserve (2019)

The information shown here is for general reference purposes only. exploreCT.org gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or reliability of this data. Parking in all areas, whether designated here or not, is at your own risk. exploreCT.org is not responsible for any damage or loss to vehicles or contents.
Last updated November 15th, 2021

Visited 1083 times, 2 Visits today

Related Listings

Culver Pond

★★☆☆☆

42.021249, -72.392792

Culver Pond Nature Preserve Northern Connecticut Land Trust 118 acres in Stafford, CT Parking: Shoulder parking near 252 Gilbert Road, Stafford Springs, CT Trail Map     …

Mallory Schneckenburger Preserve

Unexplored

9 CT-39, Sherman, CT, USA

Mallory and Schneckenburger Preserves Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy 120 acres in Sherman, CT Parking: Small lots near 9 CT-39, Sherman, CT Trail Map         …

Dunn Preserve

★★☆☆☆

41.862530, -71.921684

Dunn Preserve Wyndham Land Trust 32 acres in Killingly, CT Parking: Shoulder parking at the gate near 149 Lake Rd, Dayville, CT Aerial Map         …