Godwin Preserve Yellow Trail

Godwin Preserve's Yellow Trail is a 1.2-mile out-and-back from the designated Padanarum Road parking area to a hilltop clearing. It is a moderate walk with one brief steep section, rewarded by a view across Amy's Park wetlands toward High Nopit and a limited glimpse of Lake George. Allow about 45–60 minutes for the return trip, with time to look around. The distance is uncertain: the mapped route is about 0.6 mile to the lookout, while written directions add to 0.8. Plan for roughly 1.2–1.6 miles round trip.

The route starts on an old logging road and climbs gradually. Near the Red Trail junction, Yellow briefly leaves the road for a short, fairly steep ledge, then returns to the road. Keep following the yellow markers through the junction; the Red Trail heads separately toward Pole Hill Pond. Yellow continues uphill for the final stretch to the lookout. The main effort is concentrated in that short ledge and the steady climb beyond it, rather than a long sustained ascent.

The lookout opens over the wetlands in Amy's Park, with High Nopit rising beyond the forested foreground and a limited view of Lake George. Educational signs along the trail add context. For a photo, frame the marshy opening beneath the ridge so the wetland and layered hills both show; the view is wider than a straight shot of the skyline suggests.

The Isabel La Roche Godwin Preserve was named in memory of a woman who loved this land and Lake George. The 112-acre property was acquired in 2016, and its trails opened to the public that July. The preserve contains large vernal pools used by breeding amphibians and a tributary of Indian Brook. Protecting this forest helps limit development-related sediment and nutrients reaching Indian Brook and Northwest Bay.

The preserve is open year-round from dawn to dusk. Dogs are allowed on leash, and visitors are asked to stay on marked trails; hunting requires a preserve permit. Use the designated parking area on Padanarum Road. No restroom or drinking water is listed for the preserve, so bring what you need. Watch for the brief steep ledge, and stay with the yellow route at the Red Trail junction.