Trails in the
Sun, Wind and Woodland Preserve
Distance: 2 trails totaling 1.5 miles
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Special Features: The 129 acre Sun, Wind and Woodland Preserve was purchased by the Land Trust in 1999, utilizing funds from the State of Connecticut’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant and the Land Trust’s Land Acquisition Fund. This property abuts the large Breezy Hill Farm Preserve, thereby maintaining a large, unfragmented area for wildlife and for future generations of Canton residents. There are currently two trails. The Ratlum Mountain Trail marked by yellow blazes and the Tom Perry Trail marked by orange blazes. Each trail is about a mile and a half in length.
Location: Go up Breezy Hill Road until it turns to a gravel road. Continue on until the road turns back to tar. At the top of he hill there is a red house on the left. At the end of the property is a dirt road entrance to Sun, Wind and Woodland. There is a big yellow sign and a kiosk.
Entrance to preserve
Parking for both trails also is available in the old foundation which is all that remains of a 19th century dairy barn. For those wishing to start the Ratlum Mountain Trail at is northeast corner use care parking along the side of Breezy Hill Road. Pull far enough off the road so that you do not impede the progress of the occasional traffic, but be careful not to get stuck or damage the fragile shoulders of this unpaved, rural roadway.
Topographical trail map (courtesy of Bob Burke, 2009)
