Let’s see – panoramic views: Check.

Well-marked, thoughtfully laid out and exceptionally maintained trails: Check.

Distinctive rock formations, impressive ridges and cavernous valleys: Check

A variety of habitat for flower and fauna: Check.

In short, East Lyme’s Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve meets all the requirements of a superb hiking destination.

“A wonderful preserve,” Andy Lynn pronounced the other morning, while he and I tramped about five miles on Oswegatchie’s paths. High praise from Andy, former executive director of the New York City Department of Planning, as well as a past director of planning for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. A frequent hiking companion, he now divides his time between homes in New York and New London.

Our outing got off on the right foot when we approached a gracefully arched bridge at the preserve’s main trailhead. Crossing this short span into dense woodlands and mountain laurel took us to a place that probably looks much like it did in pre-colonial times, when Nehantic Indians roamed the hills.

The bridge crosses a stream that flows from the south end of Clark Pond, which entrepreneur Byron Clark created about 1900. Back then, fishermen used ice from the pond to preserve their catch.

These days, Clark Pond “offers a safe haven for a healthy, breeding population of wood ducks,” Kristin Lambert, president of the Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, notes on the nonprofit organization’s website.

After crossing the bridge, Andy and I continued on a blue-blazed trail, passing a long-abandoned quarry that more than a century ago supplied granite for New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. We also cut through a section of bedrock that locals call “the lunar landscape,” because of glacial striations formed some 12,000 years ago.

In addition, the preserve supports one of the state’s few remaining concentrated stands of pitch pines and scrub oaks. The preserve’s wetlands also are home to fairy shrimp and spotted salamanders, while species including red fox, bobcats, fisher and deer inhabit forested uplands.

From the 280-foot summit of Mount Tabor, the preserve’s high point, Andy and I enjoyed expansive views of the Niantic River Valley. If a developer had his way, we would have been gazing at hundreds of houses and condos instead of wooded hills.

The 400-member conservationist group The Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve were able to raise $2,840,000 to purchase 420 acres rising from the west bank of the Niantic River, setting the stage for the preserve’s dedication in 2007. Five years later, the preserve expanded to its present size with the purchase of 37 additional acres.

Meanwhile, the group continues to fight plans for a housing development proposed for 236 acres of contiguous land.

The Friends group also joined forces with Save the River-Save the Hills and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment in 2016 to establish the Save Oswegatchie Hills Coalition.

The organization offers guided tours of the preserve on Connecticut Trails Day on the first Saturday in June. Guided hikes for interested groups are also available upon request at info@oswhills.org, and trail maps for self-guided tours are available at the kiosk at the main entrance to the preserve, located on Memorial Park Drive in Niantic, just off Pennsylvania Avenue.

Mount Tabor rises on the east side of a ravine; after scrambling down a rocky slope, Andy and I clambered up a ridge on the east side. We then began hiking south, and veered onto a red-blazed trail that brought us back to the Clark Pond bridge.

Seven miles of trails crisscross the preserve, giving hikers ample opportunities to adjust their routes.

Small, red, metal discs with letters, placed at each trail intersection, not only serve as location markers for emergency personnel, if needed, but also are referenced on new trail maps designed to help hikers stay on course.