Fort Nature Refuge

So this looked like it was going to be a great time but when we got there we were informed that the yellow and red trails were closed due to maintenance. So that cut the hike in half so I was pretty bummed. However, it’s the Audubon Society so the trails are always clearly marked and always beautiful. It was not challenging by any means but I was super psyched we saw a toad. We seem to be finding at least one toad every time we have been out lately and it makes me smile. There’s not much to say about this one other than its very kid friendly, not challenging at all and it’s pretty much ho hum. However I don’t regret going at all, and in fact, I didn’t have my son today and I’m already going to be watching for when those other trails open so I can go back and take him with us. He would very much enjoy it.

This place is pretty cool, its nice to get away and explore nature. The trails are well maintained and well marked, not once did I think I was lost. I give this a four star rating because there isn’t really much to see. We did happen to stumble on a family of Blue-​jays which was enjoyable but other than that nothing really. Also oddly the trail goes under power-​lines… I found that strange.

Ponds
beavers
but no
forts
Everyone calls it Fort Nature but it’s real name is The Florence Sutherland Fort & Richard Knight Fort Nature Refuge. The Fort family used this land as a farm for most of this century and then donated it to the Audubon Society in 1997.
The family actually stop cultivating the land a while back and instead used the area as they own private wildlife refuge. They also decided to plant a lot of trees that were cut down in the past to make room for the farming. If you look closely you can see that many of the trees are in strange, rather man made pattern. This is an artifact of the mass plantings that the family did to reforest the land.
The whole refuge is only about 235 acres but since it meanders around quite a bit you can squeeze several hours of cool hiking in here. Nothing strenuous, hilly or difficult, except perhaps the mud you will have to muck through in the spring. The parking lot gets very gunky in the wet weather so care has to be taken where you park.
The Fort family dug three ponds for their farming and now the ponds serve as habitats for a plethora of critters. In the summer you can see, turtles, snakes, frogs, and a whole variety of aquatic birds enjoying the tepid waters. If you look carefully you can see plenty of evidence of beavers. Lodges and cut tress are everywhere.
Every though the area does has many cool side trails that deserve attention, the hike seems over before you even get warmed up. Fort Refuge isn’t a place to really cover miles, it becomes interesting when you slow down, stop on occasion and take a good look at all the cool things around you.