Walk
Church of the Woods offers five miles of meandering trails of varying difficulty and a formal labyrinth in the style of Chartes Cathedral.
Self-guided walking prayer: dawn - dusk.
Into the woods we go…
The trails at Church of the Woods provide access to the sacred spaces. This church has no door, no nave, no pews, no roof — just the woods. The land itself — the trees, the soil, the wetlands, and all the creatures that live here — forms the sacred space and shapes our prayer. We have a little barn, and a chapel, but we take pains to tell people that these structures, however useful and beautiful, are not the church. The church is the land itself, including all who walk here.
The Trails
Foot by foot, we have been creating a system of trails to enable people to take part in healing of the land, of ourselves, of the world — simply by walking.
The trails twist and turn around the contours of the land, passing a wooded wetland at one moment, through a dense hemlock stand at another, along a rocky ridge at a third. Green-blazed trails stay closer to the barn and parking area while the red, yellow, and blue trails wander farther afield.
The network was designed by John Morton, a former Olympian who has designed more than 100 trails around the world. You are invited to read the Blessing of the Trails — our introductory celebration of this special place and check out our trail map. Come for a walk in the woods!
The Labyrinth
Formed in the style of Chartres Cathedral, the Church of the Woods labyrinth is 60 feet diameter. It is located adjacent to the parking lot and barn. Walking it — depending on one’s pace — can take between 20 minutes and an hour.
More information here: https://labyrinthlocator.org/labyrinth/church-of-the-woods/
