Hunt-Parker Memorial Sanctuary
Park Acreage:
318 acres
Trail Miles:
4.3 miles
Trail Uses:
Hiking
Fees:
None
GPS:
41.279821, -73.661603
TC maintained
Directions
Eastern edge: Take I-684 to Exit 6 (Route 35). Turn east onto Route 35. In 1.0 mil, turn left onto unpaved Mt. Holly Road. At the T junction, turn left onto North Salem Road. The entrance is to the left, 0.1 mile from the turn, with parking for 3 cars.
Western edge: Take I-684 to Exit 6 and turn east onto Route 35. At the stoplight at Route 22, turn left to head north for 0.8 mile. Turn right onto Todd Road and drive 0.6 mile to the parking area on the right near a white mailbox for 35 Todd Lane.
Park Overview
Home to a wide variety of birds, Hunt-Parker Memorial Sanctuary has many options for short or long hikes.
Trail Overview
With trails of different lengths, it is easy to spend as much time as one would like at Hunt-Parker Memorial Sanctuary, either briskly walking or just quietly observing.
Park Description
The diverse habitat includes open meadow, wetland, and upland forest. About 50 species of butterflies live in the meadow at various times from spring until fall.
In the mid 1970’s, James Ramsay Hunt, Jr. (a deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency), his wife Eleanor Pratt Hunt, and their son W. Barnes Hunt donated property to the National Audubon in the name of James Ramsay Hunt, III. Later, gifts from other family members enlarged the sanctuary and in 2001 a bequest by Mary Welsh Parker added another 100 acres. Her 1720s farmhouse, Bylane, is now headquarters for the Bedford Audubon Society, owner of the sanctuary since its transfer in 1990.