Hartland: Nature, Trails and Water

Hartland offers many reasons to spend time outdoors, from a wetland with rare plants and trails for a variety of activities to recreation areas by a river and lake. When planning your trip, it’s worth considering which places focus on nature observation, exercise, winter sports or picnicking.

Natural Areas and Trails

Eshqua Bog on Garvin Hill Road is an important habitat for rare plants, including showy lady’s slippers (Cypripedium reginae). The area features a 480-foot ADA-compliant boardwalk, four viewing platforms and three benches. If you’d like to focus your trip on a special habitat and plant observation, Eshqua Bog is a specific place to consider.

The Cady Brook Trail is in southwestern Hartland and is two miles long. It’s suitable for hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, biking and birdwatching. The two trails offer different experiences: the Cady Brook Trail is notable for its length and range of activities, while the ADA-compliant trail in 17-Acre Wood leads to a plateau and then to a lower level.

For a picnic, Jenne Town Forest has a simple area near the brook. At Foster's Meadow, you’ll find several ball fields and a disc golf course. These places add more ways to enjoy the outdoors alongside the trails, depending on whether you’re looking for a picnic spot, ball games or disc golf.

Winter Trails and Activities

The Hartland Winter Trails network includes about 25 kilometers of groomed trails that cross around 30 private properties. During the winter season, Hartland Winter Trails may use these trails exclusively for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The main parking lot for the Hartland Winter Trail network is across from the fire station at 50 Vermont Route 12. Use only the right-hand, east side of the parking lot, marked with yellow HWT signs.

In winter, Summarsell Gateway Preserve offers opportunities for sledding. The Timotheus Pohl Conservation Area has hiking and ski trails, farmland and viewpoints year-round. Hartland offers a variety of ways to plan time outdoors, from winter sledding to an area with hiking and ski trails, fields and viewpoints.

Water Destinations and Historic Traces

Sumner Falls Recreational Area includes a picnic area and is popular with anglers, canoeists and kayakers. A portage trail at Sumner Falls lets boaters bypass the falls. You can also find traces of earlier use at Sumner's Falls, including a former dam, a mill and numerous other buildings. Visitors interested in history can explore these remnants alongside the opportunities for recreation on the water.

North Hartland Lake is in Hartland and Hartford. North Hartland Lake Recreational Area encompasses 1,700 acres of land, including 215 acres of water to explore. The lake also has a nature trail and ranger-led programs. The size of the area and the activities available at the lake are useful points of reference when exploring Hartland’s water destinations and nature experiences.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Cavendish, Ludlow, Plymouth, Hartford, Windsor, Bridgewater, Weathersfield, Brownsville.

For the regional travel overview: Windsor County.