BETHLEHEM FARMLAND
Swendsen Farm Preserve is a working farm, outdoor recreation area
In this week’s Nature column, Peter Marteka explores Swendsen Farm Preserve, a working farm and outdoor recreational area in Bethlehem.
The Bottom Line: A series of trails takes visitors around a farm field, along the banks of a farm pond and through the woods at the top of a scenic ravine. Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate Total Mileage: The main trail around the farm field is about 2 miles long. But there are shorter trails around the pond and through the woods bordering the farm. Maps are available at the trailhead.
Directions: Route 63 to Route 132 into Bethlehem. Follow for several miles and look for the farm on the left shortly after passing Woodland Road.
Pet Friendly? Leash and clean up after your pets.
Bees and butterflies bounce and float from goldenrod to clover on the edge of a farm field. Pumpkins in various shades of orange ripen in a dusty field on top of a hill. A great blue heron, startled by an approaching visitor, flies across the rippled surface of a farm pond.
Welcome to Swendsen Farm Preserve in the little town of Bethlehem. The preserve is part working farm, part recreational fun for hikers, cross-country skiers (yes, winter will be here soon), horseback riders and mountain bikers. And the rules are simple: enjoy the preserve, but don’t interfere with the farming operations while you are there.
The trail design makes that rule simple as the paths wind around the edges of the field. Visitors can also follow the old farm roads between this summer’s crop: pumpkins in patches. Although the trails are unmarked, they are easy to follow as the town mows the paths regularly.
From the trailhead along Route 132, visitors immediately get immersed into the farm life, passing a large community garden full of late summer blooms and fruits. A handicapped accessible boardwalk takes visitors to the edge of the farm field with panoramic views of the preserve. The garden produces food for residents who rent plots and also for the area’s needy.
“Over the past eight years, the community portion of the garden has produced between 1,200-1,500 pounds of organic produce per year,” according to the Sam and Dot Swendsen Community Garden website. “The produce has been distributed at the Bethlehem Food Bank, the affordable housing center, and to individuals known to be in need. Weekly produce excess has been shared at the soup kitchens and food banks in Waterbury and Torrington.”
Visitors can start their journey by taking a path down to the farm pond or out into the fields. Thousands of pumpkins can be seen along your journey this year. The paths run along the edges of the fields and are hilly in places. The views from the top of the fields showcase the area’s farming heritage with nearby farms poking out along the horizon.
Although the large field makes up most of the preserve, there are more than a halfdozen smaller fields to explore as the trail loops around the edges. The path enters the woods several times, including a trip along the top of a spectacular gorge. Huge trees, untouched by the farm activity, grow along the sides of the deep gorge where East Spring Brook runs creating a spectacular effect as you hike past.
The trail around the farm pond is a level, easy hike with plenty of spots to bird watch. There are three bird observation spots where visitors can sit and watch birds come and go from the scenic pond, its banks lined with reeds and cattails.
According to the town’s website, the Bethlehem Conservation Commission “works diligently to care for the Swendsen Preserve and to encourage residents to experience its natural beauty.” Farmland is disappearing in Connecticut, but on this visit to Bethlehem, I found a preserve where farming is thriving and you can see it in action.
Peter Marteka can be reached at pmarteka@courant.com.