Sheepskin Hollow Preserve​

The Sheepskin Hollow Preserve is south of Mt. Parnassus Road, and accessible via Sheepskin Hollow Road, Ridgebury Road, or Woodmont Circle.  The trail system meanders through the property.

Part of the preserve is open water and swamp, with active beaver colonies. The beaver dam is at the southern end of the pond, near where a man-made stone dam was once located. Local legend supports the idea that the pond was mucky, and an entire team of horses was lost in it. The shallow pond is surrounded by buttonbush, alder, tussock sedge, sweet pepperbush, and other emergent wetland vegetation. The pond/beaver dam is part of the headwaters for Roaring Brook, which eventually flows into the Connecticut River at Hadlyme. Roaring Brook is bordered by huge boulders and picturesque cascading waterfalls. 
                                         

Most of the preserve is hardwood forest with scattered wet areas and brooks.  In 2012, Land Trust volunteers completed the construction of a sturdy bridge across Roaring Brook. This bridge joins the west side of the property to the main body of the preserve, allowing access for nearby residents. 

This preserve is part of the Lyme Forest Block Important Bird Area. 

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Counting steps as part of your exercise routine? 
Preserve-like terrain averages about 2080 steps per mile. The length of each trail is listed on the printed maps for each preserve available at the trailheads and downloadable from the interactive trail map and from each preserve webpage.