Swann Farm

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as though anyone has visited this property since perhaps 2019 when Steve from CTMQ started a hike here. I was able to pull just enough into the parking area to get off the road into the tall grass on my Fall 2024 visit. The kiosk hidden behind a bush focuses on the promising Chestnut tree orchard that doesn’t seem to be as promising in person. Though I am a big fan of the Chestnut tree revival and experiment orchards like this one are valuable even if they aren’t wild successes.

There didn’t appear to be any trail heading off from the kiosk but an arrow on the back pointed into the trees so in I went. Sure enough there was a blue blaze on a tree but zero evidence there was a trail on the ground. I completed the loop using the process of stopping at the tree with the blaze, scanning the woods until I spotted the next, walking to that, and repeating. It was slow and uneventful – climb over a fallen tree here, push through some brush there – thankfully these forgotten trails are pretty rare and usually receive the TLC they need.

The first property acquired by the land trust in June 2001 when Joan Swann sold it to the trust for $365,000.

• CTMQ – NCLT: Swann Farm (2019)