Privately owned until the 1950s, this property initially did become landlocked when Route 3 was extended south through Burlington, cutting off access to the land. The state paid a fee to the owners for this inconvenience, then a series of legal challenges followed as attempts were made to regain access and develop the land. Wetlands and drainage issues caused those attempts to be rejected, and in 1985 the town paid $810,000 to acquire the land by Eminent Domain.
Fast forward to 2009, when after all attempts to develop the land were exhausted, the town gave permission for a group called Friends of the Landlocked Forest to create trails throughout the woods. Subsequent improvements came in the way of boardwalks that were built over muddy parts of the trails, done in two separate phases.
Now jump all the way to 2020 when my wife and I visited this forest. My lackluster research regarding where to park led us first down a dead-end road with no access, then to a small trailhead with only streetside parking, which we made do. Save yourself this trouble and look for a kiosk at the intersection of Grimes and Turning Mill Roads, a spot that everybody but us had figured out was the ideal place to park.
The first curiosity we came across was this hole I'm standing in, which we speculate was an old foundation. But sometimes a hole is just a hole, and given the lack of any rock wall outline we could very well be wrong.
There was a moment when this day almost went from really good to really great, as we saw signs pointing us to what was called a paint mine. We followed them and spent time looking for any tunnels or holes in the ground, but whatever once existed of this mine we believe it's long gone. All we found was an overgrown hill that may or may not have been a scrap pile.With 13+ miles of trails there are plenty of options to choose from, and my only suggestion would be to stay more to the east whenever possible. To the west gets you right up close to Route 3, and it's tough to believe you're enjoying a peaceful walk through the woods when the rumbling of 18-wheelers is all you hear.
As with most hikes, walk long enough and you're bound to come across something unusual, and on this day it was a bunch of car parts. First there was a steering wheel hanging from a tree, followed by a car seat bolted to a log, then suddenly we were finding tires at almost every turn.
There's a vehicle boneyard in these woods, and by the way parts are strewn all about it's one that teenagers both young and old have been playing in for quite some time. I don't think a single vehicle is in the same condition, or position, it was when first discarded out here. From a previous life I have firsthand knowledge of the effort required to tip a car over, and I can only imagine the muscle it took to flip a hunk of steel such as this one.
I'm sure some people are horrified these cars are rusting away out here, but I'm not one of them. Each one has a story to tell. Someone felt pride as they drove them off the lot for the very first time. They washed and waxed them on a sunny day, changed their own oil, maybe even experienced a first date in a few of them - or maybe a first something else. Even a bumper sticker such as this one had meaning to whoever first slapped it on. I find beauty in that, wondering about all the forgotten memories each of these vehicles hold.
And if I'm to be perfectly honest, we also get a kick out of posing with each of them.
An hour later we were back at our non-rusted car and starting for home. I had told my wife that morning we were probably going to be walking a mile or two at most, but by the end of our day we had chalked up nearly 6.5 miles. Not a grueling hike but a good one nonetheless, and one we hadn't planned on doing. But we had still come prepared with plenty of snacks and water, because we both learned a long time ago that things like this tend to happen, when you're out having fun and you just don't want an afternoon to come to an end.
Links:
Friends of the Landlocked Forest
Where to Park
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