QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: ~350 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~ 5. mile loop
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy
- Sights: pond, stream
You can now run around on this preserve on a new loop as of September 2017. (But you can’t run around the pond — the trail system covers ground nearby to the pond.) The loop is roughly a half mile. The nicest part of the easy, wooded trail is at the start, just across the street from the pond parking lot. Here you’ll pass what looks like an old dam and small, pretty waterfall. Runaround Pond is a nice pond that I think is better for paddling than swimming? (Although there are plenty of people who congregate here to swim when it gets very hot!)
The section of this rather large preserve that is suitable for walking is on a 133-acre parcel managed by the town of Durham. More info at the Royal River Conservation Trust.
Directions: From I-295, take Exit 22 to Freeport/Durham. Turn right onto Route 136 North and drive 6.2 miles. Turn left onto Rabbit Road and continue onto Runaround Pond Road for 1.1 miles. Look for the entrance to the parking area and boat launch on the right. The trails leave from a gate across the road from the recreation area.
