van Otterloo Preserve

Donated December 1995 by Mr. And Mrs. Van Otterloo. The 9 acres of wooded hillside property with pond and dam, buffers Balbrae and West Hartford.

This property is directly accessible from Mountain Rd. and parallels the MDC right of way. The lower part of this parcel was which has since overgrown; the remains of the perimeter field stonewalls are still visible. As this property extends westward it gently rises to a beautiful pond feature that was once part of the van Otterloo Estate. A section of the dam has eroded lowering the water elevation; however one can still experience the towering pine stand surrounding the pond and discover the footbridge and path to the south - remnants of an earlier age. This property continues about ¼ mile due west, and ends near the MDC reservoirs.