Welcome to Pond Mountain
The land and trail network at Pond Mountain Natural Area, maintained for your enjoyment by Pond Mountain Trust, are the enduring legacy of the late Myra H. Hopson of Kent. Established by Miss Hopson in 1966, the Trust administers a natural tract of nearly 800 acres in cooperation with the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
The purpose of the Trust is the perpetual preservation of the land in its natural state, as free as possible from all human interference, for scientific, educational, and cultural use. It is hoped that you, the visitors, will find it a place where body, mind and spirit are refreshed.
Several spots within and near the Pond Mountain Natural Area are of particular interest. Using the trail guide one can locate trails leading to:
Fuller Pond - a spring fed, glacial lake of exceptional depth and clarity which has been subject of several research projects in the past
Pond Mountain - the highest elevation within the Natural Area. Looking west into Macedonia Brook State Park, the outlines of the Catskill Mountains will be visible in the distance.
The Appalachian Trail - this famous hiking trail skirts the eastern portions of the property and may be reached off of Skiff Mountain Road.
Caleb’s Peak - located on the Appalachian Trail to the east of Skiff Mountain Road, the rocky promontory provides an excellent view of Kent and Housatonic Valley.
St. John’s Ledges - located on the Appalachian Trail and accessed from either Skiff Mountain Road or River Road below. These sheer granite cliffs were exposed as glacier and river scoured the valley below.
When visiting Pond Mountain Natural Area we ask that the following rules are followed:
The buildings on the property are not recreational facilities; they are used for scientific research and preserved for posterity. PLEASE DO NOT GO NEAR THEM.
While fires are a natural part of New England forests, they are disruptive and deadly to the plants and animals living here. A careless camper or smoker, in a few minutes, could alter the process of forest succession that has taken a century to create the diverse ecosystem at PMT. The only way we can insure that the goals of the Trust are achieved is to ask that there be NO CAMPING, NO CAMPFIRES, and NO SMOKING ON THE PREMISES.
When hiking with your dog, keep him/ her under control at all times and carry out waste.
SWIMMING, HUNTING, and ALL MOTORIZED VEHICLES are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Pond Mountain Natural Area is open daily from SUNRISE to SUNSET.
We hope that you will come often to enjoy its unspoiled beauty.
Thank you, PMT Board of Trustees
Pond Mountain Trust, Inc. is a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) (3). Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent provided by law. For your benefit and as required by law, we state that Pond Mountain Trust, Inc. did not provide any goods or services in consideration, in whole or part, for any contribution.