A donation of $40 or more makes you and your family Friends of the Clifton Institute for a year starting on the date of your donation. Our trails are open for Friends of the Clifton Institute every Tuesday and Saturday from mid-January to mid-October (the exact dates are on our calendar). When you donate $40 here you will be emailed a parking pass to put on your dashboard on open-access days. Friends also receive discounts on selected programs and at our biannual plant sales; just select the Friends price at checkout.
If you have any questions about being a Friend or if you need a replacement parking pass please email Managing Director Eleanor Harris at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org.
By attending an open-access day, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy (click here). If you haven’t been here before, there is a trail sign in the parking lot at the farmhouse at the end of the driveway. An online trail map is available here. Please note that some trails are in the process of being built and many are not marked. Please stay on the trails, use common sense, and proceed at your own risk. The farmhouse restroom is closed to visitors at this time. There are port-a-potties available in both parking lots.
As you walk our trails, you can help us take care of the field station by keeping your eyes and ears open to help us learn about the ecosystem we’re a part of and by enjoying and respecting the plants and animals that live here. If you take any photos of your discoveries, please upload them to our iNaturalist project, where we are trying to document every species that lives on our property. You can also visit the Chronolog across the Upper Pond from the farmhouse and add a photo to our timelapse.
We reserve the right to deny access to our property to anyone who does not obey the rules posted below or is otherwise disruptive to our field station operations.
- On open-access days, you may park either at the lower parking area (“the Gap”) or at the farm house.
- All children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- No dogs are permitted.
- Leave no trace. We expect you to take all litter with you. It would be even better if you helped us pick up any litter you find! We do not have trash collection facilities.
- Take nothing but photographs. We use our trails to teach kids about the environment and their experiences are much richer if there are still feathers and bones and everything else for them to look at.
- No swimming, fishing, boating, or any other entry in the ponds.
- No alcohol is permitted.
- No horses, bicycles, automobiles, ATVs, or any other vehicles are allowed on the trails.
- No hunting is permitted.
