Ben Farnsworth Road

Ben Farnsworth Road is off North Mason Road, approximately one mile beyond the transfer station. It is an easy walk with only a few wet spots and slight inclines.

Although  the  first  part  of the  road  is now developed, continue  to the last  house  on the road to park and begin your walk. Be careful not to block the trail when parking. The first  part  of the walk is about 1/2 mile along a slight  incline  to a hilltop. Much of the trek  is  under a  canopy  of mountain laurel  which towers over  either side  of  the  road.  The  scenery quickly changes  at the crest  of the hill to open areas adorned with beech and oak trees  of impressive size. The nuts  of these  trees  are great wildlife forage.

If  you take a left at the first fork, you enter Dupaw-Gould Road, which goes straight through to Mason Road. It can be rough  walking at times, but there are cellar holes a short  distance from the fork and plenty of stone walls to admire. Laurel is high in many  areas and there are a fair amount of large hardwood  trees.  Trails from this road are mostly on the west side and generally dead-ended.

To stay on Ben  Farnsworth Road, bear right at the first fork. Easy walking for 3/10 of a mile leads you to beautiful old  foundations and a majestic stand of maple trees. (One of these had a girth of 133 inches on May 30, 1994.)

A mile into the road will bring you to the wetlands behind the airstrip. A narrow trail here backtracks west to Mason. An abundance of berry bushes promises great fall birding.  Continue 2/10 of a mile to the next trail for yet another access point to the airfield on the right  and another brook, easily crossed for the final stretch of 3/10 of a mile to Mason Road.

The  curious  walker  will  probably  find that this two or three  mile  stretch can  easily  fill the  better part  of a morning or afternoon. Do take time  to linger and enjoy it!

(From Our Place, July 1994)