In a recent survey, Princeton residents valued hiking above all other forms of recreation. Princeton has a wealth of nature trails to explore. Anyone wishing to escape the hustle and bustle can quickly reach the boulder fields and mature forests of the Princeton ridge, the meadows of Tusculum, or the creekside trails of Herrontown Woods.

Not surprisingly, trails don’t always maintain themselves. There is brush to clear, erosion to repair, and muddy stretches to cover with stepping stones or boardwalks. Township crews do some of this work. They mow pathways around the meadows at Tusculum, and built the beautiful boardwalk across the marshy land below Coventry Farm, but much of the work is done by dedicated volunteers. FOPOS, particularly through the leadership of board member Ted Thomas, works closely with the township, monitoring and maintaining trails at Mountain Lakes and elsewhere. Scout groups help in some preserves, such as Autumn Hill Reservation, and former FOPOS board member Andrew Love has given sustained attention to trails at Woodfield Reservation over the years. Some regular users of the trails, like FOPOS volunteer Clark Lennon, sometimes carry a pair of clippers to cut back overhanging vegetation during their daily walks.

FOPOS board members past and present with a particular passion for trails conceived a circum-Princeton trail route, and have worked over the years to realize this dream. One vital link--a footbridge over the Stony Brook behind Hun School--will soon be built after years of advocacy and planning.

Trail maps and descriptions of the various nature preserves can be downloaded from www.njtrails.org and www.princetontwp.org/parks_main.html.