Granby's Daisy Girl Scout Troop 6125 members gather after letterboxing on the Godard Preserve on April 21, 2007.

The Granby Land Trust has recently placed letterboxes on its Mary Edwards Mountain Property, Godard Preserve and Western Barndoor Hill Preserve. We encourage you take a hike, enjoy these beautiful places and take on the challenge of finding these hidden letterboxes. 

What is letterboxing? 

Letterboxing is fun and exciting.  It is about the adventure of finding your way through the woods and the thrill of reaching your goal.  In letterboxing, you visit interesting locations and collect unique stamps to mark your visit.

Letterboxing involves a plastic container hidden in some specific location out in nature, along with a set of clues as to how to find that container. Inside the container is a stamp and a stamp pad. The visitor uses this stamp to mark his or her visit to this letterbox site into the visitor’s own, personal record book – which you bring with you. Additionally, there is a record book in the letterbox container. The visitor uses his or her own stamp – again, also brought with you - to mark this record book, leaving a record of your visit to this letterbox.

A typical letterbox includes a stamp, stamp pad and record book, which are left at the letterbox site.  When you visit, you bring your own personal record book and stamp, so that you can mark the book left on site and use the stamp on site to mark your book.  These supplies will be hidden - behind a rock, inside a hollow tree, or wherever else the clues describe.

So, to begin letterboxing, all that you need is a unique personal stamp (which you can either purchase or make for yourself), a record book to record your visits, and a set of clues.  To learn more about letterboxing in general, you can visit www.letterboxing.org .  There are also letterboxes located in many of our Connecticut State Forests, too – click here for a link to learn more -

The letterboxes on our Granby Land Trust properties – the Mary Edwards Mountain Property, Godard Preserve and Western Barndoor Hill Preserve (click here for a link to letterbox directions) - are located along trails within the properties.  Good luck and enjoy these beautiful places!

Mary Edwards Mountain Property Letterbox

From the center of Granby, CT take Rt. 189 North  approximately 4 miles to the yellow flashing light in North Granby (Note the Cossit Library and North Granby Post Office are at this intersection.)  At this light turn left unto Mountain Road.  Proceed approximately 2 miles up Mountain Road.  Just past Donahue Road on the right there is a large open field with views of Springfield, MA and Mount Tom.  This is part of the Granby Land Trust Mary Edwards' Preserve.  Park on the right directly across from Silkey Road near the signed entrance to the Preserve. 

Starting at the Trail head (Sign for Mary Edwards Mountain Property) Proceed to the information box and pick up a brochure.  Proceed on the blue blazed trail.  After about 100 yards you come out into a small field with a crabapple tree in the center.  Follow the trail across the field and up a small rise to "Mary's Rock," a large glacial boulder.  The view of the mountain in the north with 2 peaks is Mt. Tom near Holyoke, MA. 

Past the rock there is a juncture with the yellow blazed trial.  Turn left of the yellow blazed trail.  About 10 yards up the yellow blazed trial there is a fork.  Bear right and proceed down what appears to be an old logging trail.  You will be hiking the single yellow blazed trail, going down hill, until you get to Ring Brook in approximately .5 mile. Halfway down to the brook a double yellow blazed trail comes in from the right.  Do not turn, but rather stay straight on the single yellow blazed trail.

After another 10 minutes hike you will come to the  stream.  Where the trail comes to the stream you will see a blue trail crossing the stream and leading up the hill on the other side.  Do not cross the stream.  Stay on the single yellow blazed trail walking along the brook.  Start COUNTING YOUR STEPS.

Approximately 225 steps from the juncture with the blue-blazed trail you get to a tree on the right hand side of the trail with two PAINTED yellow blazes, and two Granby Land Trust signs. (one each on opposite sides of the tree.)Standing on the trail with your right shoulder against the tree look up to the small stand of hemlocks on the other side of the stream.  Lift your left arm directly out to your side and it should be pointing at a small stand of 3 closely situated trees.   

Proceed to the three trees and you will note a flat rock between the second and third tree.  The letter box is located around this rock.  Explore and have fun.  Make sure you put it back in the same place you found it.  Enjoy this special spot in the woods courtesy of the The Granby Land Trust.

Godard Preserve Letterbox

From the center of Granby, CT take Rt. 189  North  approximately 4 miles to the yellow flashing light in North Granby (Note the Cossit Library and North Granby Post Office are at this intersection.)  At this light turn left unto Mountain Road.  Proceed approximately 2 miles up Mountain Road. Turn right on Donahue Road.   In approximately .5 mile you will see the entrance to the Godard Preserve on your right. 

Enter the preserve and stop at the information stand to get a trail map.  Starting on the blue trail proceed into the woods, down hill and cross the stream.  (This is your first of several stream crossings on this hike.)  Immediately after crossing the stream bear right on the blue trail away from the stream and heading up hill.  The blue trail zig-zags you through the woods.  Just stay on the trail.  The next stream crossing is on a double log bridge.  The blue trail follows the stream and heads down an embankment.  The next stream crossing is on a single log bridge.  Continue on the blue trail until you come to the junction with the yellow trail.  Stay straight on the merged blue and yellow trails.  Further on, you cross the stream again on a double log bridge.  Just past the bridge on the left of the trail you will see an old stone wall with a large boulder at the terminus.  About 4-6 feet in front of this large boulder you will find the letterbox hidden under the rocks.  Explore and have fun.  Make sure you put the letterbox back in the same place you found it.  Enjoy this special spot in the woods courtesy of the Granby Land Trust.

We suggest you finish the loop by continuing on the yellow and blue trails until the juncture with the blue trail.  You will turn left on the blue trail, ultimately following the streambed, and crossing back at the initial stream crossing, heading uphill and out to Donahue Road. 

If you want to extend your hike and find the letterbox in the Mary Edwards Preserve, cross to the west side of Donahue Road and proceed uphill on the blue trail.  If you have never been to Mary’s Rock, stay on the blue trail until you get to the large glacial boulder at the top. (The view is worth the hike!)  Start following Mary Edwards directions from here.  If you don’t want to climb to Mary’s Rock take the double yellow trail when it comes in from the right.  Follow it until it junctures with the yellow trail.  Turn right on the Yellow Trail and proceed downhill to Ring Brook.  Follow the Mary Edwards directions from the juncture of the yellow trails. 

Western Barndoor Hill Letterbox

From Granby center proceed on Route 20 West.  Turn left on Barndoor Hills Road (there is a big stone house on the left--if you get to the catholic church, you just passed it).  Proceed on Barndoor Hills Road, past the entrance for MacLean Game Refuge (on the left) and the Lael Horse Farm.  Park on the left by the green sign marking the Preserve Parking Area.  Walk up Kettle Pond Lane (across the street from the parking area).  The Trail Head is just after the second house on the left, down a slight embankment. From the trail head, follow the blue-blazed trial up to the top of the ridge.  At the top of the ridge, but before the look out, there is a small clearing with a TeePee made of branches.  Standing parallel to the TeePee and old fire pit, start counting your steps.  Continue on the trial, 37 paces, and then look left into the woods.  You will see a group of rocks.  Turn left into the woods just before the next blue blaze and proceed around to the back of the rocks.  You will see a large pentagonal (5-sided) rock here.  The letterbox is hidden under the pentagonal rock. 

After you have done your letterboxing, continue on the blue blazed trail to the look out.  Here you will be treated to a gorgeous view of Lael Farm and the McLean game refuge thanks to the Granby Land Trust.  It’s a perfect place for a picnic.  (But please use extreme caution at the look out due to the steep cliff below.)

WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER

Letterboxing, like any outdoor sport, carries the risk of unforeseen hazards. "Granby Land Trust" supports a policy of not knowingly placing letterboxes in areas that will create undue risk to the letterbox hunter. However, as conditions may vary, it is the responsibility of the letterbox searcher to become thoroughly familiar with the conditions in the area to be searched, to adequately prepare for those conditions, and to conduct oneself safely and responsibly with respect to those conditions and with respect to his or her personal abilities and limitations. "Granby Land Trust" and the individual letterbox sponsors assume no liability for any events which may occur related directly or indirectly to one's searching for a letterbox. 

Do not let children hunt for letterboxes unsupervised.