Utley Hill Preserve
Trail Information
Trail Guide: Click here for the trail guide. The trail guide describes the connector, loop and other trails that are part of the Utley Hill / Columbia Recreation area. There are a total of 4 miles of blazed hiking trails within this area. Please do not stray from the paint-blazed woodland trails, as hunting does occur on adjacent private land.
Trail Map: Click HERE for the trail map. You will need Adobe Acrobat to open our trail maps.
Directions: From the junction of Route 87 and Route 66 in Columbia, go north on Route 87 1 mile to Lake Road. Turn left on Lake Road and go 1 mile to Erdoni Road on the right. The entrance is opposite Erdoni on the left side of Lake Road.
Another parking area and trailhead is reached through the Columbia’s Recreation Park off Hennequin Road.
About the Property
The Utley Hill Preserve is Columbia Lake watershed land which was donated to Joshua’s Trust by George and Patricia Becker in 1978. This gift is doubly significant to the Town of Columbia because of the protection it provides the water supply of Columbia Lake.
The land is covered with woods dominated by oaks, maples, hickories, beeches and other hardwoods. On it is part of a large upland swamp which drains into Columbia Lake Brook. There are many ledges and rocky outcrops. Two-plus miles of trail pass by dams and old mill sites before connecting to the Town of Columbia Recreational Area.
Location: Columbia, Connecticut
Donors: Donated by George and Patricia Becker
Acreage: 125 owned by the Trust and an adjacent 115 owned by the Town of Columbia
Preserved: 1978, with town acquisition in 1987
Stewards: Bryan Tarbell, Ann Dunnack, Mike Morrell
