A rustic, century-old cabin sits tucked away on a hill overlooking a small pond, a beaver lodge sitting in the middle and dragonflies bouncing from lily pad to lily pad. A pair of rocking chairs and a bench sit silently in front of the cabin as if inviting a guest or two looking to rest after a hike. A wood pile seasons in the summer sun behind the cabin, waiting for a cold winter’s night.
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For many who visit, like North Granby resident Jamie Gamble, the 210-acre Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve is love at first sight. Gamble purchased the property in 2006 and donated the preserve to the Granby Land Trust in 2020.
“I walked the ridgeline, saw all of this untouched, hardwood forest, then got to the pond and felt like I was in the Adirondacks,” Gamble said in a trust newsletter soon after donating the land. “This 210 acres of diverse habitat represents a unique combination of woods, wetland, open fields, and ridgeline to be cherished by the creatures living here, and nature lovers exploring the landscape.”
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After writing about Connecticut’s special natural-world places for the past 25 years, I shouldn’t be surprised or fall in love with places over and over again. But I do. And Dismal Brook is not the least bit dismal. It’s a beautiful jaunt from the trailhead along the 3½ miles of trails.
Even the drive to get there is magical as you drive past old barns and farm fields, a journey back to the past without using a time machine. Or as Gamble observed when he first drove down Loomis Road where the preserve is located: “It was like I’d walked through the wardrobe into Narnia. It was this incredible natural passage.”
A good sign of a must-see preserve is a nearly full parking lot on a weekday. I passed a family of birders on my way into the preserve, all with binoculars scanning the tree line and marshes. According to the trust, bird surveys conducted at the parcel since 2007 have documented 134 species including pied-billed grebe, least bittern, sora and little blue heron.
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A short loop trail marked with green blazes takes visitors around a small vernal pool. The main trail, marked with yellow blazes, passes a bird-viewing platform with tremendous views across Dismal Brook and the northern end of the marsh. The trail winds to Stevenson Field and a stunning forest opening that showcases the northern portion of the marsh out to the ridges of mountains in Massachusetts.
The trail continues along Dismal Brook with an option to cross a bridge and explore the preserve’s western ridges. Remaining on the eastern side, visitors pass a small cemetery worth exploring. The burial site marks the final resting place of five members of the Day Family, who farmed the land from 1771 through 1887.
The graves have engraved messages such as “Reader behold as you pass by as you are now so once was I. As I am soon you must be. Prepare for death and follow me” and “Death is a debt to Nature due which I have paid and so must you.” Not exactly a pep talk for the rest of the hike.
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Hikers can see the stone walls that once fenced in pastures and farm fields. There are old foundations and the possible ruins of a cider mill, sawmill and tavern. The trail continues across Dismal Brook to a second birding platform with views across the southern portion of the marsh. The trail returns to the forest and leads to a cabin high on the hill.
According to the trust, Robert C. Glazier, president of Society for Savings and his wife, Mary Skinner Chapin Glazier, purchased the old Day Farm in 1930 and hired Hilding Stevenson, a neighboring dairy farmer, to build a cabin and an outhouse on the property. The cabin still stands nearly a century later and visitors can sit on a rocking chair or bench with a view down to Creamer Pond.
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“Sitting on its front porch, it is easy to imagine what life was like there in 1930. While so much has changed in the outside world, in here — incredibly — not much has changed at all,” the trust notes.
The artificial pond was created by one of the most impressive dams I’ve seen across the state. Stone slabs are piled high and a path runs across the spillway of the dam. A pair of inviting Adirondack chairs sit near a concrete dock, and a short trail marked with orange blazes passes huge hemlocks growing on the edge of the pond as the path winds to an overlook. From the cabin a pair of trails allow visitors to explore the rugged ridges overlooking Dismal valley.
The state has done an amazing job preserving Connecticut. It’s a team effort by governors, city and town leaders, preservation organizations, land trusts and individuals. And those like Jamie Gamble who purchase land and donate it as open space for future generations to enjoy deserve a special honor and our collective appreciation.
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Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve, North Granby
The bottom line: The 210-acre preserve is a combination of woods, wetland, open fields, and ridgeline. Highlights include Creamer Pond and its dam, the century-old Glazier cabin, the north and south Marshes, the Ridge Trail and the mysterious Day Cemetery.
Total mileage: Approximately 3½ miles
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Difficulty level: Most trails are easy, with some moderately difficult climbs along ridge paths.
Directions: Follow Route 189 north from the center of Granby for several miles. Take a right on East Street and the first right on Loomis Road. Follow for a mile and look for the parking area on the left just before reaching the Massachusetts line. Go to granbylandtrust.org/glt/dismal-brook-wildlife-preserve for a map.
Pet friendly? Leashed dogs are allowed.
Things to do nearby
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Clark Farms at Bushy Hill Orchard, The Cidery and the Greenhouse: “One family — three destinations” is how Clark Farms bills itself. The orchard grows apples, peaches on a three-wire trellis, along with an acre of blueberries. A cafe serves pub-style food and ice cream. The cidery has farm-fresh hard cider including B.N.D (dry), Ruddy Wild (cranberry) and Sweet Surrender (sweetened with a local honey blend). Farm and cidery: 29 Bushy Hill Road, Granby; greenhouse: 676 Mountain Road, Suffield, clarkfarmsct.com
Lox Stock & Bagels: Visitors can expect the “freshest oven-baked bagels you’ve ever tasted,” according to the website. Traditional bagels include sesame, plain, poppy, onion and egg, plus specialty bagels such as cheddar cheese, chocolate chip and the double-dipped everything bagel. And you always get a baker’s dozen. The bagel shop also features Colombian coffees and overstuffed sandwiches on bagels, bread, wraps or rolls. 10 Hartford Ave., Granby, 860-844-8110, loxstock.com
Almost Famous Brewery Brewing Company: Beers offered range from What The Helles R U Talking About?, a Helles lager, to A Celebration Of Mediocrity, a New England double IPA, to Stranger Than Fiction, a cream stout. The bar and tabletops are old bowling alley lanes from Blue Fox Rock N’ Bowl in Simsbury and Willi Bowl in Willimantic. The brewery features four taprooms and is looking at producing wine, cider and seltzer. 17 Kripes Road, East Granby, almostfamousbrewing.com