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Carley-Grant
Public Access: Yes
Parking: Park on Range Road and walk down the drive road that serves the Knapp and Pollis-Reed properties. The Preserve Property starts where the drive road forks to serve these two residences.
History and Description:
The Carley-Grant Preserve is located off of Range Road next door to the Trust's Frog Pond Preserve, the open space area surrounding the Idlewood Subdivision and across the road from the Rines Forest. The property was given to the Trust as a gift of the Carly Grant family and is owned in fee by the Trust.
It is comprised of approximately 13 acres of undeveloped mixed forest and forested wetland area. The first stands on the property are of varied ages and include the typical spruce-fir, white pine and mixed hardwood areas with beech, hard maple and birch stands. Old fence lines and pasture pines show that the southern and eastern portions of the property were probably once in pasture. The wetland areas, approximately three or more acres in the area, include hummocked pools with sphagnum moss and black spruce and stands of red maple forested wetlands. The back line of the property is part of the Falmouth town line and is demarcated by old trees with original blazes and a magnificent stone wall probably built in the early 1800s. There are some remarkable old growth pines and open lichen-covered ledges in this area.
The property is traversed by part of the area trail system connecting the trails and power line right of way behind the Falmouth Country Club to the trails that connect with the Rines Property and Blueberry Mountain (and the Trust's Bruce Hill Preserve). Our area snowmobile clubs maintain this trail.
The Trust has plans to create a loop trail on the property for pedestrian and non-motorized use that will make a wonderful family-friendly hour hike and add to the already popular trail system used by snowshoers and cross country skiers. The property also has tremendous linking potential to undeveloped lands in neighboring Falmouth.
Rob Crawford