Mason Farm Biological Reserve

"What a wonderful place! I obtained the required permit online before my visit from the reserve's website. There are two parking areas, a southern one by Parker Preserve and a northern access point behind the golf course. The northern access point requires a creek fording on a low bridge. The website also has a link to the water gauge levels, if less than 5 ft, it is safe to cross. I chose to enter via Parker Preserve as I was unsure of the water levels. The full loop through both areas came out to a little over 5 miles. The Parker Preserve trails were wooded, except for a pass through a beautiful meadow. The Mason Farm trails are mostly open through fields. The back area around the Mason Farm loop by Siler's Bog used to have a boardwalk before it was washed out in fall 2018. This area was extremely difficult to traverse even after the lack of rain that week. I had to wade through mud and water, luckily, with waterproof hiking boots. It looks like there's a lot of damage being done there and I hope that some kind of interim boardwalk can be added again, with logs or such. I did spot my first night heron there!"

"Nice little tucked away reserve. Good birding and hiking. Bring boots because it may be wet."

"An amazing spot for bird watching in the triangle. If you want to see field birds come here. I saw blue grosbeak which was a lifer for me. The trails are nice and similar to farm paths. Note there is a stream You have to cross to get to the parking lot. Also you need a permit from the botanical gardens"

"Such a beautiful place to take a quiet walk!"

"Lovely quiet place to walk and observe birds and other small wildlife."