Our new 1.5-mile winding trail at DeYoung Natural Area is open! The trail takes you through farm fields, past 30-year-old heritage-variety apple trees and over a small stream. From the trail head off Strang Road, you can enjoy the wide sweeping views of the farm and Cedar Lake. This trail is unique because it travels through lands being farmed by Christopher and Samantha Graves of Healing Tree farm. They have livestock on the farm in movable fences in order to allow animals to rotationally graze and build the soil up with nutrients. Dogs present on the upland trail must be on a leash to protect the livestock here and because FDA farm rules require it.
In the spring, look forward to watching the Graves plant heritage apple tree varieties. (Several years from now, we hope you’ll be buying apples from the farm!) In the late summer, look for wild blackberries and grapes to nibble from the vine. “This hike is like a foraging walk,” says Samantha. And come winter, you can enjoy a peaceful, un-groomed cross country ski on the new trail. Here’s to hoping for good snow!
