Ice Pond Preserve

In those fun days before refrigeration changed everything, local people used to cut blocks of ice from the small pond on this Crabtree Neck Land Trust preserve. The pond today may not provide ice, but it might provide solace — it’s such a peaceful and charming spot! When we visited, two Adirondack chairs had been set up at the pond’s edge. Elsewhere on the preserve, the trails pass through mossy forests and small meadows.

The preserve seems to be lovingly tended. The meadow paths were recently mown and all the trails were well marked. Each intersection is posted, so when you’re squinting your eyes at what may be a trail, don’t turn down it unless it has an obvious trail sign. Also, one of the marked trails on the map ends up at Ironbound, which we, not being from the area, thought possibly could be an interesting natural feature. It’s not — it’s an inn and restaurant, so you could pop in for a snack!

Directions: The land trust has created a small parking lot for the preserve off Route 1, about 0.25 miles east of the intersection with Point Road. Follow the short drive to a lot for four or five cars.