Events
Cross Country Ski Afternoon
Sunday: Feb. 15, 2025. Noon
Cross Country Ski Afternoon with the Canton Land Trust at the Sun, Wind and Woodland Trails - SNOW PERMITTING.
Autumn YogaChi Hike
Sunday: Nov. 16, 10am
Additional hike added: Saturday Nov. 16, 1:30 pm
(Raindate Sunday Nov 17, noon)
We will explore the Ted Cowles Trail at the Swan Preserve with short stops for breath work and YogaChi style stretches with Mary Ellen Mullins, Yoga, Chi Gong and Tai Chi instructor. Registration is required.
Canton Land Trust Invites You Out For Pizza!
Dine in or take out! Either way, from 5 - 9 pm on Tuesday. October 15. American Flatbread (located in the Shops at Farmington Valley) will donate a share of all pizza sales to the Canton Land Conservation Trust.
The Land Trust safeguards 2,000 acres, maintains hiking trails, and organizes activities so the public may enjoy this natural land and its wildlife.
The Canton Land Conservation Trust is a non-profit conservation organization formed in 1972 to acquire, preserve and protect land of scenic, natural or historic value within the Town of Canton; to maintain this land and its plant and animal life using the best conservation, wildlife habitat and forestry practices available; and to promote public awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the land.
Sundays in the Garden Series at Roaring Brook Nature Center
Sundays: June 30 - Sept 28, 2024
These free programs at Roaring Brook Nature Center are funded by The Canton Community Fund
National Trails Day 2024! June 2nd Events
Birds, Hikes, Picnic!
Choose your adventures on National Trails Day on June 2, 2024 with the Canton Land Trust
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- June 2 (Sun), 7:30 - 9:00 am: Family Bird Walk with Sarah Faulkner at the Sun, Wind and Woodland Trails
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- June 2 (Sun) noon - 2:00 pm: Hike with Nate Cantwell and Sarah Faulkner at Sun, Wind and Woodland Trails
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- June 2 (Sun) 2:30 - 3:30 pm: Self-guided hike on the Waquaheag Trail at Pratt Preserve.
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- June 2 (Sun) 4 pm: FOR MEMBERS ONLY. Annual CLCT Meeting and Picnic at Pratt Cabin in Pratt Preserve.
Kid-Friendly Vernal Pool Hike
Sun. May 19, 2024. 1:30 pm
Join hike leader Terri Kucia at 1:30 pm May 19 to see what life is emerging in these seasonal pools on the Canton Land Trust's Uplands Preserve Trails, North Entrance. Parents are encouraged to bring their kids.
Hikers will see and learn about life in and around these special habitats. Weather willing, they'll see hundreds of larval amphibians as well as many interesting insects and crustaceans.
The hike leader will bring nets, hand lenses, microscopes, field guides and buckets.
This is an easy, fairly short hike - about 1.5 miles with slight climbing. The total time will be under two hours.
Wear sturdy shoes and tick protection, and dress for the weather. Please leave dogs at home. Keep checking our website for updates and in case of bad weather for possible postponement.
Directions: From Rt.179, turn onto High Valley Drive and follow for approximately 1 mile to Westwood Drive on the right. Turn onto Westwood Drive, follow to the end and park in the cul-de-sac. Directions are also on the Uplands Preserve Trails web page (Uplands north directions).
Spring Bird Hike
Sunday May 5, 2024, 7:00 am
Look for migrating songbirds on this hike, led by Canton Land Trust Director and Roaring Brook Nature Center Director Jay Kaplan at the Sun, Wind, and Woodland Trails.
Spring Chi Hike
Saturday Apr 6, 2024, 10 am and 1 pm (rain date Apr 7)
Join us for this special hike at the Mary Conklin Sanctuary Trails, combining a walk in the woods with mindful exercise. Take a break from technology, focus on deep breathing, enjoy the elements of the outside world. We will hike and stretch and tune into our surroundings, become aware of what is above and below and feel the effects of the rising yang energy of spring.
Moonlight Hike
Saturday Feb 24, 2024, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
(snow/rain date Feb 25)
Join us for this popular event! Follow an illuminated Breezy Hill Farm Trail through the woods to a horse barn, where you'll warm up by a bonfire and enjoy chili, beverages, and treats.
Senior Stroll! Tues. Dec 19, 1pm
Are you ready to break from shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking, etc. Whether you're a seasoned hiker or a professional benchwarmer, whether you are a senior or not, please join us for a few hours to enjoy the great outdoors, swap stories and learn a little about the geological history of the area. Please bring water, and binoculars if you have them.
Location: Mary Conklin Sanctuary Trails.
Leaders: Tom Noonan and Karen Manternach.
Directions are here.
"Chi Hike": Hiking, Breathwork and Stretch. Nov 19, 2023 10:30 am and 1 pm
Response to this hike has been so great that we've added another at 10:30 am!
Swan Preserve Trails. Sunday Nov. 19, 2023. 10:30 am and 1:00 pm
The Land Trust invites you to a unique hike on the Swan Preserve Trails! It will feature short stops for breathwork and stretches to increase our "chi" (energy) and lung capacity, fortify our immune system, and take in the season of late autumn.
Join Mary Ellen Mullins, yoga and Tai Chi instructor, as she guides us through a "Chi Hike" incorporating autumn energy practices with gratitude and enthusiasm.
This hike is of moderate difficulty. Wear hiking footwear, dress appropriately for the day's weather, and bring water. Sorry, no dogs.
Swan Preserve Trails Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 1:00pm
Join us for a hike on the Swan Preserve Trails on Saturday November 4, 2023 at 1:00 pm! Fred Swan, a recognized botanist who has studied in numerous countries and taught botany for twenty years will lead the hike.
Meet at the parking lot for the Swan Preserve Trails. The hike will be postponed to Saturday Nov. 11 if it rains; please check the CLCT website.
Directions: Click here or From Route 179 (Cherry Brook Road), turn onto Case Street. Follow it about one-tenth mile, and park on the unpaved parking area on the right – look for the Canton Land Conservation Trust (CLCT) sign. In Google Maps, search for Swan Preserve trailhead.
Invasive and Native Plant ID - Oct. 8 10am
Come join us on a sidewalk stroll to see the fall colors and compare the native and invasive plants along the way.
Meet in the Canton Community Center rear parking lot. We will walk to Mills Pond Recreation Area and return via the rail trail along the Collinsville Pollen Trail. Approximately 2.5 miles, 2 hours.
Karen Berger and Holly Hambleton,
Trail Guides and co-managers for the Collinsville Pollen Trail
The Land Trust Invites You Out For Pizza! Oct 10, 2023
Dine in or take out! Either way, from 5 - 9 p.m. on Tues. Oct. 10, American Flatbread in the Shops at Farmington Valley will donate a share of all pizza sales to the Canton Land Trust Conservation Trust.
The Land Trust safeguards 2,000 acres, maintains hiking trails, and organizes activities so the public may enjoy this natural land and its wildlife.
The Canton Land Conservation Trust is a non-profit conservation organization formed in 1972 to acquire, preserve and protect land of scenic, natural or historic value within the Town of Canton; to maintain this land and its plant and animal life using the best conservation, wildlife habitat and forestry practices available; and to promote public awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the land.
Photography Lesson Plus Hike
Mary Conklin Sanctuary Tuesday, Oct 17 1pm
Join us for a hike on the Mary Conklin Sanctuary Trails, with a twist; a photography lesson! Luke Furtney of Luke Wayne Photography will teach us how to get the most out of our cameras, explain settings, and give general tips on composition, lighting, shutter speed, etc.
Because of the nature of this hike, we need to limit the number of participants. We'll accept the first 10 who send a email request to [email protected] and put the next 10 on a waiting list. Please provide your name, email address and cell number. The hike will be postponed if it rains; please check the CLCT website.
Directions: Click here or From Route 44, turn onto Indian Hill Road. Follow for approximately 1 mile to the second driveway on the left, just beyond the intersection with Spaulding Road. (Look for the big red mailbox.) Enter the driveway and park in the unpaved parking area directly on the right – look for the Land Trust sign. In Google Maps, search for Mary Conklin Sanctuary.
Canton Land Trust Challenge 2023
Now through the end of 2023!
The Canton Land Trust encourages you to take the 2023 Land Trust Challenge, a series of ten hikes, whose total distance is just under 26 miles.
Fall Bird-Watching Hike: Sep 24, 2023 8am
Mary Conklin Sanctuary Trails
CANCELLED DUE TO DAMP WEATHER FORECAST FOR SEPTEMBER 24.
Join us for this leisurely two-hour, two-mile bird-watching hike at our Mary Conklin Sanctuary Trails, jointly offered with the Hartford Audubon Society and led by Land Trust Secretary Sarah Faulkner.
We'll see what birds we can find. Walking is easy on gently rolling trails with minimal elevation, but footing can be uneven. Bug spray is recommended.
We'll be using both Merlin to identify calls and eBird to log our discoveries. Click here for directions.
Hikes in the Works Summer 2023
Hikes in the Works:
- Botany Hike (date TBD): Join the Connecticut Botanical Society for a slow walk and plant ID at Pratt Preserve
- Senior Walk (date TBD): at the Collinsville Pollen Trail, less than a mile
- Clipper Hike (date TBD): ID and snip invasive plants along our trail
Keep checking our website for updates and details as they become available!
Pollinator Pathway Tours - Sat June 24, 2023 10a-1p
Pollinator Pathway Tours: Karen Berger and Holly Hambleton invite you to walk the section of the rail trail between Dyer Ave. and Maple Ave. Come see our “knotweed to native” transformation. Other Master Gardeners and Master Gardener Interns we will be on hand to answer questions.
Canton resident Lisa Newell of Rewild Native Plant Nursery will also be available to offer her expertise on native plants and creating pollinator gardens specific to our area.
Admission: Free
Location: 3 - 22 Allen Place from Dyer Ave. to Maple Ave. Adjacent to Farmington River Rail Trail.
Park in dirt parking lot at 6 Dyer Ave. Do not interfere with construction beyond the tape.
Link to the Collinsville Pollen Trail Flyer
National Trails Weekend! June 3-4
Update: One More Adventure Added!
Birds, Hikes, Picnic!
Choose Your Adventures on National Trails Weekend, June 3-4 with the Land Trust
Sat. June 3, 9-11 am at Elizabeth Park, Hartford: Family Bird Walk led by Land Trust Director Sarah Faulkner. For new, or nearly-new birders. Sarah will bring binoculars. Directions: Meet outside the Pond House.
Sun. June 4, 1 pm at Pratt Preserve. Choice of 3 Hikes:
Choice of shorter or longer hike, led by Land Trust Directors Nate Cantwell and Sarah Faulkner.
Woolly adelgid hike, led by Carole Cheah of the CT Agricultural Experiment Station. She will release a specialist ladybeetle that eats these hemlock-infesting insects.
Directions to Pratt Preserve: Look for streamers at 84 Cherry Brook Rd. Follow dirt driveway to grassy parking area.
Sun. June 4, 4 pm annual picnic at Pratt Cabin in Pratt Preserve. The picnic will follow the brief annual meeting to elect next year's officers and directors. The Land Trust board will provide hot dogs and burgers, and attendees are invited to bring side dishes or desserts. Directions: See above directions to Pratt Preserve.
Kid-Friendly Exploration of Vernal Pools
Sunday, May 14, 2023 1:00pm
Kid Hikers will see as many as three vernal pools and learn about life in and around these special habitats. Weather willing, they will see water in the vernal pools and egg masses left by breeding amphibians, most likely wood frogs and spotted salamanders. Hikers mat be able to catch tadpoles and identify them. The hike leader will bring nets, hand lenses, microscopes, field guides and buckets.
This is an easy, fairly short hike - about 1.5 miles with slight climbing. The total time will be under two hours.
Wear sturdy shoes and tick protection, and dress for the weather. Please leave dogs at home. Check our website in case of bad weather for possible postponement.
Directions: From Rt.179, turn onto High Valley Drive and follow for approximately 1 mile to Westwood Drive on the right. Turn onto Westwood Drive, follow to the end and park in the cul-de-sac. Directions are also on the Uplands Preserve Trails web page (Uplands north directions).
Spring Bird Hike - Sun May 7,2023 7:00am
Look for migrating songbirds on this hike, led by Canton Land Trust Director and Roaring Brook Nature Center Director Jay Kaplan. Meet at 7:00 am May 7th in the parking lot of the Sun, Wind and Woodland property.
Birds that hikers might see include migrant thrushes, warblers and tanagers, and breeding yellow-bellied sapsucker, eastern towhee, and blue-headed vireo.
Tick protection is recommended, and wear shoes suitable for mud. Bring binoculars if you have them. This hike is not geared toward young children, and please leave dogs at home. It will be cancelled in case of rain. Check our website for a rain date.
Directions: From Rt. 44 turn north on Indian Hill Road and follow for 1.4 miles to the end. Turn right on Breezy Hill Road and continue uphill about .5 miles, passing a red house on the left. Just past the red house, turn left into the unpaved parking area.
Moonlight Hike - Sat. March 4, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
(snow/rain date March 5)
Update Friday 3/3 (3:30 PM): The Moonlight Hike is still on for Saturday March 4. We suggest that micro spikes might be a good thing to bring for the hike if you have them.
Follow an illuminated Breezy Hill Farm Trail through the woods to a horse barn, where you'll warm up by a bonfire and enjoy chili, beverages, and treats. The Land Trust will provide the food, but hikers are welcome to bring treats to share.
You can choose a half-mile or 1.5-mile loop. The trail is moderate, with some fairly steep portions. Dress for the weather, bring water, and leave dogs at home.
Begin at the trailhead on Breezy Hill Road after 5:30 pm (no earlier, please). Parking is limited, so carpool if possible. Watch the website for weather-related changes.
The event is free, but donations are accepted. Non-members are welcome.
Directions: Drive up Indian Hill Road to its end, then turn right to ascend a few hundred feet up Breezy Hill Road past the trailhead. Volunteers with flashlights will be there to direct parking. Drive carefully, as there will be hikers heading down the road to the trailhead.
Sweetheart Mountain Hike - Feb 18, 10:00 am
Land Trust Director Stephen Shaw will lead this hike at Sweetheart Mountain as a follow-up to his January talk on winter hiking gear and tips. You don't need to have attended that talk in order to join the hike! However, it's recommended that you watch it beforehand on YouTube.
Shaw has hiked the entire blue trail system in Connecticut. His other experiences include hiking the 100 highest peaks in New England, and the 115 4,000-footers in the Northeast.
The hike will begin at 10:00 am at the Sweetheart Mountain trailhead
Directions: Turn left at 84-98 Dunne Ave. into the unpaved parking lot
Winter Hiking Gear Lecture on YouTube
January 15, 2023
Click on the link below to watch Stephen Shaw's Jan 15 Winter Hiking Gear lecture on YouTube:
Stephen provided excellent tips and recommendations to optimize your winter hiking experience. The lecture covered the following topics:
- Clothing
- Footwear
- What to carry in your backpack
- Food and Water
- Weather awareness
- Preparing for your hike
Don't forget to join Stephen for a winter hike on February 18! The hike will begin at 10:00 AM at the Sweetheart Mountain trailhead. (Directions: Turn left at 84-98 Dunne Ave. into the unpaved parking lot).
The Canton Land Conservation Trust is pleased to present an evening with Land Trust Director Stephen Shaw, who will offer tips and tricks about what to wear – and what not to wear – when hiking in winter. The online talk is Jan. 15, and participants will meet in-person Feb. 18 to put their gear to the test while hiking the Sweetheart Mountain trails.
Shaw has hiked the entire blue trail system in Connecticut. His other experiences include hiking the 100 highest peaks in New England, and the 115 4,000 footers in the Northeast.
The lecture is recorded and posted on the CLCT YouTube Site.
The Feb. 18 hike will begin at 10 am at the Sweetheart Mountain trailhead. (Directions: turn left at 84-98 Dunne Ave. into the unpaved parking lot.)
Summer Photo Contest Winners on Display at Canton Public Library
Now through the end of January 2023
Check out photos from our 2022 Summer Photo Contest at the Canton Public Library! Photos were taken on Land Trust properties by members and friends as part of the Land Trust's 50th Anniversary celebration.
You can also see the top three prize-winning photos, by Laura Benys, Peter Reynolds and Lori Davidson, by clicking here.
2022 Canton Land Trust Challenge
Complete by the end of this year!
The Canton Land Conservation Trust encourages you to take the Canton Land Trust Challenge, a series of nine hikes whose total distance is just over 23 miles.
Hike Our Newest Trail October 23, 2022
Join this hike with a history lesson! Introducing the Waquaheag Trail.
1 pm Pratt Preserve
Report: Land Trust Directors Nate Cantwell and Bob Evenski led a hike of the new Waquaheag Trail on Sunday, Oct. 23. Attended by 15 people, all were treated to an informative hike on our newest CLCT trail.
Join Us for Pizza October 18, 2022
A portion of all pizza sales go to the Land Trust.
5 to 9 pm American Flatbread
Report: Thank You to American Flatbread in the Shops at Farmington Valley and all who participated in our pizza fundraiser!
September 25, 2022 Bird and Nature Walk
Join us for a leisurely walk looking at birds and other living things.
8 to 10 am Mary Conklin Preserve
Report: Sarah Faulkner led a 2-hour leisurely hike for both the Canton Land Trust and the Hartford Audubon Society on September 25th at the Mary Conklin Preserve. Attended by 14 people, all were treated to a sunny, cool and beautiful Sunday morning.
September 10, 2022
Canton Land Conservation Trust Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
We are officially 50 years old!!!
On Sat. Sept. 10, the Canton Land Conservation Trust celebrated 50 years of service to the community. Over 100 members attended the celebration at Ski Sundown.
Thank You!!!
Our 50th anniversary celebration was a huge success at Ski Sundown. Many thanks to the volunteers, members and businesses who contributed to the success of the night.
Summer Photo Contest
The Land Trust turns 50 this year!
As part of the celebration, all are invited to submit photos taken on Land Trust property. Attendees of the anniversary party Sept. 10 (details coming soon) will select the winners. Winners will receive prizes. The entry deadline is Aug. 10.
September 10, 2022
2022 Summer Photo Contest Results Are In!
Photos were pre-judged in late August and 13 finalists were on display for the 50th Anniversary Celebration Party on Sept. 10, where “Best in Show” photos were selected by the attendees in a “teacup vote”.
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