Here at DeMeritt Hill Farm, we have designed and built over 6 miles of trails throughout the property. This network of trails allows us to play host to many different types of events throughout the year. We encourage you to take a hike, jog or enjoy a hayride through the woods on your visit.
Please click for here for a map of the farm and trails.
The Nature Trail
Our nature trail was opened to the public in the fall of l999. It is a third of a mile long and a very easy walk. This trail is educationally themed for a wide variety of age groups including the toddlers. It is adorned with a series of illustrated signboards that tell a different educational science story each season. For the older kids, many of the different tree species are identified and they can complete our trail worksheet to earn a surprise gift from the store. Young and old alike will enjoy our beautiful Enchanted Forest. Located halfway through the trail this diversion depicts all of the kid’s favorite fairy, nursery rhyme characters and verses.
The nature trail is a wonderful resource for the scouting community for earning badges and school groups studying trees and of course for families who just want to get back to nature and learn more about the varieties of trees that grow in our area.
Oyster River Trail
Currently closed due to renovation
Our second trail was opened in the fall of 2000. This trail is really beautiful because it runs along the Oyster River through the woods. There are several different sections you can choose to walk on but they all end up in the lower part of the farm. This living laboratory of New England wildlife meanders .6 miles along the river and enables visitors to enjoy the engineering skills of an active beaver colony or try to catch a peek of the playful river otters that frequent this section of the river and often explore our ponds. This trail is full of native wildlife silhouettes that can be spotted just off the trail with signboards explaining the significance and role of each creature.
Timber Harvest Trail
This trail was opened on Memorial Day, 2002. This trail is designed to illustrate the practical methods and concepts of the logging, forestry and conversation industries. The story beings in the wild days of logging and moves along to current day practices. Along this .7 mile trail you will encounter examples and explanations of practices intended to sustain this renewable resource, provide valuable timber and by-products while enhancing the eco-system and wildlife habitat within the forest. Many of the buildings here at the farm take advantage of this valuable resource and burn wood to heat each winter. Plans and research are underway to add an additional .5 acre demonstration forest with a facility to highlight the proud history of the often colorful logging industry from its wild beginnings to today’s high technology equipment and practices.
The Dinosaur Trail
The Dinosaur trail starts at the entrance to Mother’s Orchard and runs along the same trail as the Timber Harvest Trail. This trail was cut in 2002 and has been added onto since. We designed this trail for younger children who love to learn more about dinosaurs. The trail features facts and all types of information about dinosaurs. It is also an integral part of the DeMeritt Hill Farm Cross Country course.
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