Snowshoeing the Bradley Sunkhaze Preserve (Milford)

The Nature Conservancy owns and administers the 12,710 acre Bradley Sunkhaze Preserve, located between Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and the Bradley Public Land.  I've hiked the preserve a few times before, but today I snowshoed the Birch Stream Trail.

There are no signs or markers on County Road to indicate the preserve is there.  In fact, there are no trail markers until approximately 3/4 of a mile into the property.  Because of this, it appears the preserve gets little visitation.  The trail was covered with 14 inches of ice crusted untrodden snow, making the hike slow going.  

I paused several times throughout the hike, enjoying the absolute solitude and stillness of the forest.  While I didn't see any wildlife, I saw numerous animal tracks including deer, coyote, bobcat, and hare.  

Here is a map of my hike.  The trails in the interior of the property are well-marked.