The Nature Conservancy owns 65 preserves in Connecticut, ranging in size from the 1,850-acre Sunny Valley Preserve in New Milford and Bridgewater to the 12-acre Pratt and Post Coves in Deep River. The organization promotes 12 of its most prominent properties through an interactive map on its website, but if you know where to look, you might discover a hidden gem.

Rock Spring Preserve, Scotland

One of the 12 highlighted properties is the 450-acre Rock Spring Preserve in Scotland. David Gumbart, director of land management for the Connecticut chapter of The Nature Conservancy, led a guided hike on a recent spring morning.

As we set out from the trailhead on Route 97, the sound of a crowing rooster from a nearby farm was replaced by the sound of birds singing from the treetops. Gumbart paused occasionally to point out the calls of the eastern wood pewee, the worm-eating warbler and the ovenbird.

A three-mile trail network crisscrosses the preserve, and most intersections are posted with painted wooden signs indicating the way toward points of interest. We went first to an overlook at the northwest corner of the preserve, where a stone bench stands in memory of David Shoemaker, who donated the land for the preserve in the 1970s.

We then descended into a valley, leaving behind oak and hickory trees to walk over the soft fallen needles of white pine. As the trail followed the bank of the Little River, Gumbart called attention to signs of beaver and possible otter activity.

After climbing one steep incline, we encountered an esker — a long ridge created when water flowing under a melting glacier deposited gravel and debris thousands of years ago. We climbed the esker and followed its crest before descending to the spring that gives the preserve its name.

The spring itself is capped with a stone structure engraved with the words “Old Bar I Indian Spring.” If you follow the water as it trickles toward the river, you can see places where more water bubbles up from the sand below.

As we completed a round trip of a little over two hours, Gumbart said “some Nature Conservancy preserves are lovely, and worth the visit, but don’t offer extended hikes. Here we’ve got a couple of miles of trails and you can really get out for a couple of hours and enjoy.” 

Milo Light Preserve, Montville

You won’t find the Milo Light Preserve listed anywhere on the Nature Conservancy’s website. To find any information, one must turn to Susan D. Cooley’s 1982 book “Country Walks in Connecticut.” (A copy can be found at the Gales Ferry Library.) The book describes a 300-acre preserve, donated by William and Anne Alquist, with six numbered trails totaling two miles.

Perhaps due to the scarcity of information, the preserve appears to be little used. There is room for just one car at the trailhead on Herschler Road in Montville, and the first 50 feet of the trail are completely overgrown. Beyond the initial brambles, the trail is not clearly marked, but is mostly visible despite numerous trees across the path.

Just as I was wondering if the disturbed leaves on the trail were signs of wildlife and not human hikers, a young deer sprang up from under a fallen tree not 10 feet away and sprinted down the trail away from me.

The guidebook’s main trail is easy enough to follow, while the other five seem to have been reclaimed by the forest. The book’s hand-drawn map shows a loop trail, but on my visit the right fork seemed to lead into someone’s back yard.

Following the left fork, one can do a nice out-and-back hike in just under an hour, passing stone walls and an old stone foundation under a towering canopy of trees. Following the little-used trail between parallel rock walls, there is a sense of discovery as you stumble upon a long abandoned homestead — a reward for perseverance in the face of fallen trees and sharp thorns.

The trail spits you out at a power line right-of-way. Cooley’s book instructs hikers to follow the power lines, but says “you may have to bushwhack a bit.” If bushwhacking was required 30 years ago, it’s probably more prudent to retrace one’s steps until the rest of the trails are cleaned up.

ABOUT THE PRESERVES

ROCK SPRING PRESERVE

Town: Scotland

Directions: Take I-395 to exit 18 and go north on Route 97 for 11.5 miles. Trailhead is on the right after the Spignesi Wildlife Management Area.

Where to Park: Dirt parking area on the east side of Route 97.

Description: A 450-acre preserve with a three-mile loop trail and several shorter cut-off trails.

Regulations: To maintain the ecological integrity of the preserve, the following activities are not allowed: collection of plant or animal specimens, camping, fires, fishing, hunting, bicycling and use of motorized vehicles. Pets are not allowed on Nature Conservancy preserves.

Amenities: None.

Natural Features: An overlook of the Little River valley, bird and beaver habitat, and spring bubbling up from the ground.

Fees: None.

Owned by: The Nature Conservancy.

More information: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/connecticut/placesweprotect/rock-spring-preserve.xml 

MILO LIGHT PRESERVE

Town: Montville

Directions: Take Exit 11 off I-395 go west on Route 82. After five miles, turn right onto Route 163 and take your second right on Herschler Road. The trailhead is on the right after the church.

Where to Park: There is room for one car in the grass at the trailhead.

Description: A trail approximately one mile through the forest and past the foundation of an old homestead. Other side trails may have vanished in the woods.

Regulations: To maintain the ecological integrity of the preserve, the following activities are not allowed: collection of plant or animal specimens, camping, fires, fishing, hunting, bicycling and use of motorized vehicles. Pets are not allowed on Nature Conservancy preserves.

Amenities: None.

Natural Features: Mixed hardwood forest and wetlands along the edge of Trading Cove Brook.

Fees: None.

Owned by: The Nature Conservancy.

More information: See Susan D. Cooley’s 1982 book, “Country Walks in Connecticut.”