Places to Visit
The Franklin Land Trust owns conservation areas in Shelburne, Heath, Plainfield, and Buckland that are open to the public for passive recreation including hiking, fishing, bird watching, hunting and nature study. All of our conservation areas are managed under management plans that address public access and environmental education, wildlife habitat conservation and forestry management. We strive to improve all aspects of the properties with trail construction, workshops, invasive species control and work with local, state, federal and volunteer groups to achieve our goals.
The following conservation areas are open for the public to enjoy:
- All
- Birding
- Botanizing
- Farmland
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Nature Study
- Photography
- Picnicking
- Scenic View
- Snowshoeing
- Walking
- Wildlife Habitat
Benson Place Blueberry Trail
A self-guided interpretive trail experience at Benson Place Blueberry Farm with incredible views and potential encounters with wildlife.
Betty Maitland Memorial Forest
Experience a variety of habitats – including a spectacular vernal pool supporting wood frogs and wood ducks – with the help of interpretive signs along the course of its three-quarter mile trail.
Big View Trail
This public access trail winds its way up a wooded ridgeline filled with mossy rock outcroppings and small stream crossings to the top of Old Wolf Hill.
Crowningshield Conservation Area
An abandoned dairy farm along the West Branch North River consisting of pasture, hayfield, wetland, woodlands, and coldwater fishery resources, home to native brook trout.
Dancing Fiddle Farm
Dancing Fiddle Farm has about a mile and a half of easy to moderate trails along Ruddock Creek and in neighboring woods.
Edge Hill Conservation Area
Edge Hill Conservation Area is a former golf course that Franklin Land Trust purchased in the fall of 2023. While the property still very much looks like a golf course today, Franklin Land Trust will be transforming the property’s fairways into a grassland and shrubland habitat.
Guyette Farm
Franklin Land Trust manages Guyette Farm with active agriculture, wildlife habitat, and community enjoyment as its primary goals for the property.
Madeline’s Meadow
A working hayfield, stewarded by the McKinnon family for over 80 years, with a short trail through a one-acre wooded area allowing walkers and picnickers to enjoy the scenic view.
Mohawk Trail Conservation Area
A former commercial nursery beloved for its cathedral-like woods and a point of access to one of western MA's most notable long-distance trails: the Mahican-Mohawk Trail.
Reeds Bridge Road
Enjoy access to Conway’s South River, miles of maintained trails and roads for hiking and birding, and just over 200 acres open for hunting.
Shelburne Falls Fire Tower Trail
This strenuous public access trail climbs 1.25 miles to the stone fire tower at the top of Mt. Massamet.
Spring Hill Conservation Area
Gifted to the Franklin Land Trust by lifelong Plainfield resident Thelma Nye Pilgrim, this 86-acre conservation area protects a landscape rich in family history, wildlife, and classic New England scenery. Forests, open fields, wetlands, and a meandering stream create a peaceful setting alive with birdsong and seasonal color. An unnamed tributary flows through the property to Mill Brook, a designated cold-water fishery, with wetlands and active beaver habitat along its course.
Spruce Corner Conservation Area
This 154-acre conserved property features a stretch of the Swift River, a cold-water fishery, and the rich wetland complex known as Bassett Meadow. The land includes BioMap2 Core Habitat and Critical Natural Landscape and is nearby other protected areas, including the Swift River Wildlife Management Area and FLT’s Guyette Farm Conservation Area. This property is owned in fee by the Franklin Land Trust and protected by a conservation restriction held by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Walnut Hill Woods
A remarkable working forest home to species ranging from wood warblers to black bear with 2.5 miles of woods roads for a variety of activities.
West Ridge Conservation Area
In 2020 and 2021, the Franklin Land Trust was gifted a combined total of 84 acres from owners that abutted one another. FLT is managing the land for wildlife and forestry health.