Visitor Information for Trail Wood Sanctuary
Bequeathed to The Connecticut Audubon Society by Pulitzer Prize winning author, photographer and naturalist Edwin Way Teale and his wife Nellie, Trail Wood is located at 93 Kenyon Road in Hampton and is open to visitors daily from sunrise to sunset.
The property is 168 acres with close to 4 miles of trails encompassing mature forest, abandoned pastureland, a three-acre beaver pond, a year-round running brook, and lowland swamps. There is excellent birding, with 88 species having been identified in the sanctuary.
Highlights of a visit includes a screened in observation pavilion over-looking pond, Edwin’s “brushpile study” an outdoor office and observation blind, beaver pond observation areas, Edwin’s insect garden with sundial, and a small rustic information center.
Nature and art and writing programs are offered throughout the year. Edwin Way Teale’s study and writing cabin are open by appointment.
The public is invited to participate at Trail Wood, many volunteer opportunities are available: trail work; repairs of structures; leading walks; or running a creative or nature programs. If you would like to volunteer, please call The Center at Pomfret at (860) 928-4948 for information or email trailwood@ctaudubon.org
In The News!
Edwin’s study is featured in InPaint Magazine! Thanks to everyone who made the repairs and renovations possible!
Osprey Nation report shows 2024 was a good year in Connecticut but Ospreys had trouble elsewhere
Osprey Nation steward Joseph Szalay photographed these Ospreys on their nest in Ashford, one of the most northerly nesting sites in the state.
November 18, 2024—Ospreys in Connecticut flourished in 2024. The successful nesting season shows that the local revival of these previously imperiled hawks continues, although with concerns about a more difficult season to the south.
Volunteers for Connecticut Audubon’s Osprey Nation project kept track of 726 active Osprey nests this year. Those nests produced 1,077 fledglings.
That’s the highest number of nests and fledglings in the history of the project, which started in 2014. The average number of fledglings per nest was a strong 1.48.
The details and an analysis are contained in the just-released “Osprey Nation 2024 Season Report,” written by Scott Kruitbosch, Connecticut Audubon’s Osprey Nation coordinator.
Click THIS LINK to read the report and a full discussion, a summary of the report’s key takeaways, and an overview of the situation on Chesapeake Bay.
Directions
From the junction of Routes 6 and 97: Follow Route 97 north for two miles, through the town of Hampton, turn left onto Kenyon Road. Entrance to Trail Wood is on the left, marked with a sign. Please park on the visitors parking lot.
From the junction of Routes 97 and 44: Follow Route 97 south for 5.2 miles, take sharp right onto Kenyon Road. Entrance to Trail Wood is on the left, marked with a sign. Please park on the visitors parking lot.
