Old Hibbert Property

I parked on the shoulder of Old Colchester Road at the chained entrance to the property.  The entrance trail is surely the properties former driveway which climbs wide and gradually up into the woods with occasional views of Raymond Brook off to the left.  After a curve in the trail it opens to what surely was the former site of a house on the property with a two large clearings, rings of daffodils, and old detritus from the properties former life.

I followed the blue trail up past the clearing, the trail was no longer a wide driveway and instead a narrow but well-traveled trail, passing an old desk chair and a crutch hanging from a tree. I skipped the other entrance trail the winds along a stone wall to reach Northam Road between private property, so I can’t confirm if that works as a secondary parking spot or just community access.

Blazes switched to blue white and the trail returned to a more old woods road style heading downhill.  As the hill bottomed out so did the trail.  I was able to follow a couple yellow blazes which I guess are the start of the ‘Mill Site Path’, but turned around at a flooded section.  I then spotted red blazes, likely the ‘River Path’ and was able to follow the blazes and a faint trail, but I was likely the first person to hike the short loop in quite some time.

I returned the way I came, went past the house site and entered the lower clearing to find a wood platform, picnic table, and a great view of Raymond Brook.  There are rocky cascades, an enormous boulder, and a wide pool that may have once been a nice swimming hole.

In all, trails certainly exist here though likely only the short main loop is used by locals coming from Northam Road and the rest have been a bit forgotten.  I may reattempt the Mill Site Path in the winter, though I’m sure it’s just as easily viewed from the Air Line Trail which shares the southern border of the property.