Letterboxes placed on Flanders’ Trails

WOODBURY >> Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust offers a network of well-marked and well-maintained trails for year round hiking. Trails at their sanctuaries and preserves are open to the public every day from dawn to dusk.

In an effort to spread the word about and expand the enjoyment of hiking their family friendly properties, Flanders has “planted” a series of Letterboxes at several of their preserves and sanctuaries. Letterboxing, is a popular treasure hunting activity done worldwide. Letterboxers follow a set of clues to find “boxes” that have been hidden on trails and then keep a record of their finds. At Flanders letterboxes are hidden on or near, trails maintained by Flanders. The hikes all differ in length but most are between 30 and 45 minutes long and are appropriate for all ages and hiking skills.

A person or family gets started by acquiring a rubber stamp and stamp pad and giving themselves the “trail name” of their choice. They will also need a map, a set of clues, logbook and pen to record their “finds.” The set of clues will give them a starting point to discovering where boxes are hidden. Letterboxes are placed so that someone walking on the trail is unlikely to find them, but following the clues will get them to the correct location. Once the letterbox is found people will find a logbook inside in which they will record the date and their “trail name”. They will also find a stamp in the box that they can then use to stamp their own logbook.

Those that plan to letterbox at Flanders will want the Flanders Passport. One letter box on each trail will contain a letter. Anyone who hikes at least twelve of the letterboxing trails at Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, stamps the letters from those trails in their passport and presents their passport at the Flanders office will be asked to sign their Trail Name on the Flanders letterboxing “Hall of Fame” poster and will receive a small prize. Complete information and clues to find the letterboxes hidden on Flanders trails, a check list for each trail, trail maps, and Flanders passports can all be downloaded from the hiking trail page of their website at flandersnaturecenter.org. They can also be picked up from the Flanders’ office which is open 9 - 4 Monday through Friday or found in the milk box outside the office door on weekends. Flanders offices are located at 596 Flanders Road in Woodbury. Trail maps are available at kiosks at the trailheads.

For more information on all the upcoming adult and children’s Flanders programs visit www.flandersnaturecenter. org or at their facebook page at facebook/FLandersNatureCenter.