Carrington Preserve

The Preserve is surrounded on the east, north and west by a combination of open fields, wetlands and woods. Some of the features in the Preserve include hardwood upland forests of oaks, hickories, birches and maples, a stream that empties into wetlands shared with Bethany Farms, and stone walls that cordoned the property when it was used as pasturage. Habitat features include large trees for nesting raptors; cavity trees for sheltering wildlife; rock outcrops which offer shelter for small mammals and possibly unusual plants; an abutting stand of eastern red cedars which provide shelter in winter and a valuable source of berries; oak and hickory trees which provide hard mast like nuts. 

Trails:

Trails in the Carrington Preserve maintained by the Land Trust connect with those in Whispering Pines, Bethany Farms and Hidden Brook. Part of the historic Naugatuck Trail courses through the property.

• A trail (1.17 miles, moderate) leaves the Atwater Road parking area into the Preserve and climbs into the uplands, where a connecting trail (0.07 miles; easy) leads to Whispering Pines. The trail continues down a slope, crosses a streambed and eventually splits, with one ending on Farm View Road and the other at the Bethany Farms Road cul-de-sac. A portion of the historic Naugatuck Trail leads onto private property.
• Another connector (0.1 miles; moderate) leads into Bethany Farms.
• From the northern entrance, the Wopowog Trail (0.4 miles; moderate) connects Atwater Road to Whispering Pines through Carrington Preserve. Named from the indigenous word for interconnected, the trail runs along a stone wall that borders the Hidden Brook Preserve, passes an entrance to the Falling Waters Trail and then courses down into Whispering Pines.
• The white Falling Water Trail (0.2 miles; moderate) leads from Wopowog Trail to the Sisyphus Trail at Hidden Brook and continues through Carrington Preserve to Whispering Pines. Water cascades from Hidden Brook to form Bladens Brook near the junction of the Falling Water Trail and the Sisyphus Trail.