Chenes Roches Preserve

Heading downhill from the parking lot the trail passes through a gap in the stone walls.  The wide path is a former woods road that opens to a massive white oak, the ‘chenes’ in the preserve’s name.  From here the trail continues downhill on the yellow-blazed Ether’s Loop.  The trail grazes past large erratics (the ‘roches’ in the name) before rounding back through hardwood forest.

The western edge connects to the 200 ft Ledge Spur Trail, which ends at a small heavily wooded rocky crop.  A few hundred feet away is the start of the Valley Spur trail.  It turns south within sight of a privately owned pond and crosses a small unnamed stream.  The spur ends at the southern property line alongside a fault line ridge not far from the railroad line and the Willimantic River Valley.

A blue ‘Ridgetop Trail’ was added in 2021 and navigates the dense laurel ridge at the western side of the property.  The trail is narrow and meandering, the Trust describes it as “Dr. Seussian”.  The backside of the loop does have a viewpoint but in the summer growth you could just make out some powerlines and maybe a hint of Rt. 32. It its a nice addition to extend the hiking in this beautiful and secluded property and might provide better views in the winter.