Doe Farm Trails (part 2)
When I first visited Doe Farm Trails back in October and wrote part 1, I took a left at the sunny clearing and explored the somewhat messy but beautiful trail ahead. Naturally, I was eager to make a return trip to explore more of the Doe Farm Trails. This time I brought my husband, who was eager to find the island identified on the map, along for the adventure.
We, again, began at the parking lot on Bennett Road. This time when we reached the clearing, we took the trail to the right and it did not disappoint.
The winding trails on this side of the farm were not lacking in interesting things to check out, beginning with a small, likely historic graveyard.
We quickly came to another fork in the road, but luckily we had the time to explore both! First, in search of the island, we headed left. In no time, we found what we assume is the location of a future bridge connecting the forest to the island.
We also played on the not-quite-frozen ice quite a bit!
We crossed over to the island and found a clearing with a very beautifully built bench, a fire pit, and a barbecue grill!
Next, we turned around and followed the Lamprey River to the train tracks.
I am a sucker for graffiti and creepy bridges, so this is my favorite part of the trails.
Winter is indeed coming! It is only a few days away, in fact.
As I wrote in part one, the Town of Durham is working on improvements to the Doe Farm Trails. Planning improvements include:
- Replace or build five new bridges to improve water quality and trail experience.
- Construct two new trail sections to improve trail layout.
- Improve signage and trail blazing on trails, at parking area, and at river pull outs.
- Replace kiosk with post-and-beam design consistent with other Durham conservation lands.
- Improve trail connections between Doe Farm and neighboring lands used for winter recreation.
- Establish two new riverside day-use picnic areas, accessible by trail and Lamprey River.
- Improve designated Stewardship Campsite area to accommodate use by groups (with permit).
Find out more about Doe Farm, learn how you can help with the improvements, and get a trail map on the Town of Durham website (here) and check out Celebrate Durham's Doe Farm guide (here). Check back often and see the progress for yourself!