Avalonia Land Conservancy launches new trail finder

The Avalonia Land Conservancy has launched a webbased tool that lists every trail on each of the organization’s preserves, along with difficulty levels, mileage, terrain, photos, and detailed descriptions of what hikers can expect.

“It can be intimidating for a first-time visitor to know which new trail will match their needs. With Trail Finder, it makes it easy to know before you go,” said Chuck Toal, Avalonia’s retired director of development, who helped develop the aid with Dale Wilson, an Avalonia volunteer. Web developer Kent Fuller and GIS mapping expert Mike Goodwin also collaborated on the project.

Wilson, a Navy medical officer stationed in Groton who was new to the area, began hiking all of Avalonia’s trails in October. Every weekend, he laced on his hiking boots, grabbed a notebook and camera, and picked another preserve to explore.

It took him five months

— the Stonington-based conservancy owns or holds easements on about 100 properties in eight towns in the region, totaling more than 4,300 acres.

“I have plenty of experience hiking throughout the United States and in other countries; yet after hiking all of the Avalonia trails, I honestly admit that some of the most serene hikes of my life have been on these trails,” he said.

Kim Bradley, president of Avalonia’s Board of Directors who also works as program coordinator for the Connecticut Trail Census, said the Avalonia Trail Finder will be incorporated into a website that includes trails information from state and municipal governments, as well as local land trusts.

“Avalonia is serving as a model for land trust and conservation organizations across the state in developing trail data and information that can be incorporated into the Connecticut Trail Finder,” she said.

To access the Avalonia Trail Finder, visit https://avalonia. org/preserves/