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Dennis Farm Preserve
Why You Should Visit
The Dennis Farm Preserve, a forested former farm in Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner,” hosts a variety of wildlife.
Location
Pomfret
Hours
Dawn to dusk
Size
380 acres
Conditions
This preserve offers a two-mile trail—a former farm road—through old agricultural land, most of which is now oak forest. The route passes a beaver pond on adjacent 4-H land and returns by way of grassy Old Kings Highway.
How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see our “Preserve Visitation Guidelines” page.
Directions
From Interstate 95:
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Take Interstate 95 east to Interstate 395 in Waterford; take 395 north.
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From Interstate 395, take exit 93 for Route 101 west.
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Stay on Route 101 to intersection with Route 44. Continue west.
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From Route 44 in Abington, turn north at the stoplight onto Route 97 and continue north for 0.4 mile. (You will also see an entrance to Route 97 in downtown Pomfret—stay on Route 44 toward Abington.)
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Bear left at fork onto Taft Pond Road; take first left on Dennis Road, marked "Dead End."
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Proceed for 0.5 mile.
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Park at the head of Old Kings Highway just before reaching the farmhouse.
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Go right on a path that runs beside the open field, then turn right down a farm lane flanked by stone walls and fields.
From Interstate 84/Hartford area:
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Drive east on 84 to intersection with Interstate 384 in East Hartford.
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Drive east on I-384 to intersection with Route 44 in Manchester.
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Continue on Route 44 all the way to Abington, a western section of Pomfret. Look for intersection with Route 97 and proceed as above.
What to See: Plants
The forest on the preserve is dominated by red and black oaks, with shrubs including huckleberry, blueberry, mountain laurel and witch hazel.
What to See: Animals
Keep an eye out for great blue and green-backed herons as well as painted turtles in the ponds.
Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Colonel Edward B. Dennis donated this farmland to the Conservancy in 1973.
What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The fields are mowed periodically to maintain them for open fields for bluebirds, tree swallows, and other species.
