Comfort Maple Conservation Area — Attraction in Pelham

Described as a conservation area, I thought this might be a nice place to take a walk on a muddy but mild spring day (spoiler alert....this is not a place to go for a walk)

We had difficulty finding the area; had to stop at a local store and ask directions, turns out the reason we were having difficulty is because there is only one small sign which does not actually say "comfort Maple conservation area" just a picture of a tree and an arrow, but the chains holding the sign had broken and as a result the sign was pointing in the opposite direction of the attraction.

Still unsure... it really did look like a private driveway to someone's farm...we drove down the lane way which was muddy but fortunately passable...

Arrived at a small parking area, which had a garbage can, a couple of plaques, and two benches. And the tree itself... Which I'm sure is more beautiful in the spring, summer and fall. This time of year it just looked very large and very old and kind of lonely sitting out there all by itself in the field with no one else around. You can see where people who have been trying to preserve the tree have been holding it together using wires to support the weight of the limbs, and also masonry down the middle of the tree where it appears to have been hit by lightning. Granted this was mid march, and tree had no leaves and i couldn't tell from looking at it, if it were "sleeping" or dead.

If I could have seen the tree in the spring or summer, and see that it actually was quite healthy with lots of leaves, I would have felt better, but I've seen other peoples pictures and it really does look beautiful so I'm sure that even though it is old and fragile, it is still full of life.

That being said it was really amazing to be in the presence of something that does not only about 500 years old, as we have so little in Canada that has been around for this amount of time (aside from rocks and lakes) but something that is alive as well. It was humbling to sit underneath the tree. Makes you and your problems seem small.

I feel the small community has done a great job in preserving this living piece of history. You can't really expect that they will do more then what they have done (providing an entrance, parking area, garbage cans benches and plaques) because there really isn't much more you can do, definitely not a site for those seeking thrills and adventure but if you love nature and history oh, I think you would find this to be quite interesting.

I will return. I touched a living thing today that was 5 centuries...

I am enthusiastic about trees so I was super excited to see this tree. I know google said it was closed on the monday, so I parked at the church up the street and biked back to it to not disturb the residence. However, there was no sign indicating hours. All it is, is (possibly) the oldest sugar maple in Canada. And if that interests you then it is great to check it out. It is not often you can see and touch something that is still living after 500 years. It isn't as tall as one would think. It is big where it counts in the trunk though. Has even been struck by lightning it looks like and still stands. Amazing. Something to...

A wonderful stop to pay homage to a part of Canadian history. The tree is majestic and it's neat to see how it's been shored up with ropes and brick and mortar over the years. There is a bench and a few parking spots and it's not likely most visitors will stay more than 20m since there's no walking trails as it's surrounded by a private farm. No other amenities needed. If you are traveling the area I highly recommend visiting this grand heritage tree every season to watch it change. It's a piece of Canadian heritage on a patch of land that shouldn't be missed. Hugging this...