Advocating for Trail Access to Herrontown Woods

Two developments bordering Herrontown Woods were required to build publicly accessible trails to connect to the preserve. One was Stone Hill Church, whose trailhead leads in to our Red Trail from the back of their parking lot. The church has done a great job of maintaining that trailhead, which gets frequent use and proved critical for hauling in the stones and boards necessary to make our Red Trail more walkable during the muddy season. The other is just being installed at Windy Top, the cluster of seven homes built on Snowden Ave across from Smoyer Park. 

The Friends of Herrontown Woods has worked with the Windy Top developer, Liping An, for many years. He allowed us to scavenge hundreds of flat stepping stones to make muddy trails passable, and we convinced him to donate 7.5 acres of woodland behind the development to the town to expand Herrontown Woods. 

Windy Top's public trail into Herrontown Woods was designed to skirt this detention basin at the back of the development.

Recently, I was surprised to find that trees had been planted around the detention basin where the trail had been designed to go. 

I called Cindy Taylor, the town's open space manager, who organized a meeting with Liping and others to figure out what to do. It was agreed that the trees would be moved, and a 4 foot wide bed of woodchips would be applied to make clear how hikers can access Herrontown Woods from the Windy Top cul de sac. 

When installed, this woodchip trail will connect with the purple trail that Kurt Tazelaar built in the 7.5 acre donated woodland.