Earth Day Hike At Devil’s Den

WESTON — One excellent way to celebrate the awesome beauty the Earth has to offer is to take a long hike through the 1,756-acre Devil’s Den Preserve on the Redding/Weston border. One of the den’s most popular yearly traditions, the Earth Day hike, will once again be led this year by Tom Failla, a lifelong Connecticut resident and chairman of the Weston Conservation Commission.

Mr Failla will be joined in leading the April 30 hike by trained Nature Conservancy natural history guide Marci Kendall and trail adopter Sherry Jagerson. The hike will take place from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. It will start from the map shelter in the Den’s parking lot, at the end of Pent Road.

During the 8 to 10 hike around the perimeter of the largest nature preserve in southwestern Connecticut, the leaders will talk about the human and natural history of the Den’s large, unfragmented woodland. The relatively easy hike will follow the west branch of the Saugatuck River along Den trails north, head east out to the Great Ledge for lunch and a panoramic view over the Saugatuck Reservoir, and then wind back down the eastern side of the preserve past Godfrey Pond.

Hikers should bring a snack lunch and water, wear hiking shoes, and call the den office at 203/226-4991 weekdays to make a reservation or to receive additional information.