Fuller Farm Preserve
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A combination of support from individuals and foundations helped create the gorgeous 220-acre parcel of land that is known as Fuller Farm Preserve. The outstanding support merely points to the fact that everyone understood that the sheer beauty of this place had to be preserved, and this is what brings me back year after year.
The serene 2.5 miles of trails available at Fuller Farm Preserve are free to the public, and open 5am to 9pm year-round. Although there are no facilities (such as restrooms) here, it’s an ideal location for a quick run with your dog, an afternoon stroll with a loved one, or an educational field trip with the kiddos. Once a working crop and livestock farm for over a hundred years, the fields are now kept long between April and August as a haven for nesting birds (so make sure you keep your pets leashed to avoid disturbing them). In the few times I’ve been here throughout all types of weather, parking is never an issue, and even when the lot looks busy, you often don’t even run into anyone on the trails due to the vast trail routes.
All of the hiking trails head back through the fields and meander through the woods. Each season offers it’s own highlights: a waterfall created from melting snow joining the Nonesuch River in the spring, bird-watching in the summer, leaf-peeping in the fall, and snowshoeing in the winter. My personal favorite is winter, as I love the sound of the snow crunching beneath my boots echoing through the trees. You can also often find coyote tracks intersecting with the trails. Be sure to wear hunter orange during the hunting season, as it is allowed with Scarborough Land Trust permission. No matter the season, Fuller Farm Preserve is an excellent, multipurpose wildlife-filled escape from everyday life, minutes from downtown Scarborough.