Properties & Trails

The Wolcott Land Conservation Trust currently owns eight properties throughout Wolcott and proudly protects over 200 acres of land and water. You can browse a complete listing of each of these properties below. For some properties, such as the Hitchcock Lakes and Finch Brook Preserve, we offer more detailed information that we encourage you to explore.

Please note that with each property comes unique considerations. Some of our properties, mostly our smaller parcels, aren’t especially suitable for public visitation at this time.

Hitchcock Lake

Hitchcock Lake (aerial)Acquired: 1986 & 1992
Size: ~138 acres
Features: North and South Hitchock Lakes, open water, some land along the lake periphery
Trails: N/A

Hitchcock Lake is not only the largest property owned by the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust, but it was also the first parcel we acquired. The bulk of the lake came under WLCT ownership in 1986 as a 116-acre property of mostly open water. In 1992, we received an additional parcel of roughly 22 acres that included the dam and some adjacent land. The lake is leased to the Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association, which jointly manages the property with WLCT.

» Click here to learn more about Hitchcock Lake

Finch Brook Preserve

Finch Brook Preserve (trail)Acquired: 1997 & 2012
Size: ~64 acres
Features: Oak-Hickory Forest, Finch Brook, riparian habitat, wetlands
Trails: 2.45-mile blue-blazed

Comprised of quiet, rolling woodlands in southwestern Wolcott, Finch Brook Preserve is the largest parcel of land owned by the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust. We received most of this preserve in 1997 as a roughly 61-acre parcel and it’s since been enlarged with a subsequent acquisition in 2012. Finch Brook Preserve is also a recreational gem, offering a loop trail of nearly 2.5 miles.

» Click here to learn more about Finch Brook Preserve

» Click here to view and download a trail map of Finch Brook Preserve.

Mary’s Meadows: The Urban Cordeau Sanctuary

Acquired: 2018
Size: ~18 acres
Features: forest, meadows
Trails: ½-mile

Donated to the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust in late 2018, Mary’s Meadows (formally the Urban Cordeau Sanctuary) is an 18-acre preserve in the north of town with a trail of approximately 1/2-mile that invites hikers to enjoy both meadows and woodlands alike during a short, relaxed hike.

» Click here to learn more about Mary’s Meadows & download a trail map

Russell Preserve

Russell Preserve (GIS parcel map)Acquired: 1998
Size: ~8.2 acres (not including an additional access easement)
Features: Oak-Hickory Forest, pond with wetland buffer, small brook

Comprised of more than 8 acres of forest and a small pond, the Russell Preserve was donated to the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust in 1998 by Sylvia Russell, an active presence in the community and WLCT director until her passing in 2012.

MacCormack Drive Property

MacCormack Drive Property (view of the Mad River)Acquired: 2003
Size: ~0.4 acres
Features: Mad River, riparian habitat
Trails: N/A

Our MacCormack Drive Property may be small, but it’s a valued piece of preserved waterfront property on the Mad River, Wolcott’s chief watercourse.

Midwood Avenue Property

Midwood Avenue Property (GIS parcel map)Size: 0.36 acres
Features: N/A
Trails: N/A

Our Midwood Avenue parcel is a smaller property associated with Hitchcock Lake Brook, the stream which exits from the northern half of Hitchcock Lake and flows west to its confluence with Lily Brook.

Simon Drive Properties

Simon Drive Properties (GIS parcel map)Acquired: 1988
Size: ~3.44 acres (two parcels — 1.87 acres & 1.57 acres)
Features: forest

Our Simon Drive Properties consist of two wooded parcels along Simon Drive in central Wolcott. These parcels enable us to protect some of the forested watershed of a small brook which eventually drains into the Mad River less than a mile to the west. They also help to maintain some measure of a woodland aesthetic along Simon Drive.

Forest Lane Property

Forest Lane Property (GIS parcel map)Acquired: 1994
Size: 0.43 acres
Features: forest

Our Forest Lane Property protects the half-acre of forest at the interior of the Forest Lane neighborhood.

Garrigus Court Property

Garrigus Court Property (GIS map)Acquired: 1988
Size: 1.61 acres
Features: forest

Our Garrigus Court Property preserves a tract of woodlands nestled amidst the suburbs between Garrgius Court and Todd Road. At 1.61 acres, it’s not quite large enough for hiking, but helps the WLCT ensure that woodlands will always be a fixture in this area of town.