ATHOL — Go beyond the beaten path with the Athol Public Library. As part of Athol Public Library’s summer reading program, Read Beyond the Beaten Path, Ben and Susie Feldman are hosting a Library Day at the trails on their property at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm, Saturday, July 16 at 10 a.m. Families and nature lovers of all ages are encouraged to attend. Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm is a 350-acre Forest Stewardship Council certified tree farm that abuts Harvard Forest.
Owners Ben and Susie Feldman thoughtfully conserved their property with Mount Grace in 2016 and have been creatively designing trails that are open to the public. There are a total of about 15 miles of available trails for exploration. Marked routes vary from the short-and-easy Flatlanders’ route to the hillier 5-mile Curley-Q Trail. Garden gnomes and the occasional mermaid can be found throughout the property, peering out at hikers and riders as they use the miles of foot and equestrian trails. Mount Grace worked with the Feldmans to create the Forest Learning Loop, where you can learn about the trees and natural features around you. At one point on this trail, you will encounter the Tri-Town Marker where you could physically be in Athol, Phillipston and Petersham all at the same time.
Meet at the parking lot for Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm, 586 Briggs Road, Athol. Library Trustee Susie Feldman and her husband Ben will welcome everyone and tell a little about how they preserved their land with the Mt. Grace Land Trust and how they got started making trails in their woods and populating them with garden gnomes.
Free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Wear good shoes for walking in the woods.
For even more fun, download the gnome scavenger hunt and bring it with you. There will also be copies to share when you get there.
Registration welcome but not required.
586 Briggs Road, Athol. From the center of Athol: Take Rte. 2A East, take a right onto Rte. 32 going south and in 0.3 mile, take a left onto Briggs Road.
From the center of Petersham: Take Rte. 32 north for 5.0 miles and take a right onto Briggs Road.
Parking is available in the parking lot to the left on Briggs Road.