John Lohmann CT River Preserve

LOCATION

33 Coult Lane

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PARKING
Parking – alongside of road. Please be mindful of neighboring driveways.

 

HIKE DIFFICULTY

Easy to Moderate – steep hill at entrance but worth the climb for CT River views!

42 acres

 

A truly spectacular location not to be missed!

 

The short .1 mile green trail rises quickly and steeply from Coult Lane. The Preserve map will be found a few hundred feet further up the trail.

 

At the top of the short climb, the trail opens up into acres of wooded fields overlooking the CT River.  There is easy walking in mowed paths through and around the fields.  A wide gravel path leads gradually downhill again to Lord’s Cove on the Connecticut River.  The trail terminates at Whalebone Rock where one can experience great views of Lord’s Cove, across the river to Essex, and south to Goose Island, where, in mid-September, a murmuration of hundreds of thousands of tree swallows gather prior to migration.

 

Low tide brings many heron, egret, swans and osprey. The riverfront has area of pitch pines which are increasingly rare in CT. The preserve is also accessible by kayak or canoe, but only at high or mid tides.

 

Notes: Near the river front, but prior to reaching Whaleback Point, there are several small structures.  These are a privately owned spring house, a reservoir and a pump house.  Fresh water is pumped to a hydroponic farm on the adjacent private property to the south. Do not attempt to enter these structures.

 

The Preserve is frequently used by horseback riders. Please keep your dog leashed or in strict control: horses do not like to be surprised.  If you see one, it’s best to say hello and make yourself known. Look to the rider for indication about who will yield to whom and if it is ok to approach/interact with the horse.

 

History: This 42 acre preserve was bequeathed by John Lohmann upon his death in 2005. In life, Lohmann was a dedicated conservationist who co-founded the OLLT. He was pivotal in the effort to save Watch Rock from development and also aided in donating the nearby 46 acre Lohmann-Buck-Twining preserve on the Lieutenant River.

 

In the late 1960s John Lohmann purchased this parcel of land. Over the next 30 years he singlehandedly cleared the undergrowth and thinned out the overcrowded trees. This allowed the best oaks, hickory, beech and dogwoods to fill out and thrive. To remove the stumps he would cut the trees 3’ from the ground and let them die off for the next year. He would then return the following year and pull up the remaining stump with his tractor. After his many years of working his land John was one of the first cases to be diagnosed with Lyme disease! Although his original intention was to build a house here he soon decided he could not bring himself to impose any structure on

he beautiful parkland he had developed. Lohmann’s hard over the years created a parklike setting that the OLLT will continue to maintain.