Old photos from the mid 19th century show that the Shakers clear-cut almost a thousand acres of land for use in farming and furniture manufacturing. Today, the forest on the four hundred acres of Abode property has returned with second growth beech, ash, evergreens, maples and oak. The forest is widely spaced so that in the winter one may snowshoe or cross country ski, while in the summer, walking off the trails, while not easy, is possible.

During Autumn, the foliage in the Lebanon Valley rivals that of Vermont and the other New England States, as the hills become a spectacular event of yellow, red, gold and orange. The main road leading up to The Abode property is called Darrow Road.

Guests can walk to the nearby Darrow School, where benches and grassy areas provide a nice place to stop and look across the fields to the hills on fire with the colors of the season.

In the spring Darrow School harvests the maple sap from the trees on their property for traditional syrup making. From their "sugar house" comes the sweet smell of smoke, day and night, as the sap is boiled down and bottled.

Late Spring and Summer offer walkers and hikers the company of abundant wildlife such as squirrels, chipmunk, deer, wild turkey and the occasional fox. Evening strolls are accompanied by fireflies and a chorus of frogs in our pond and the inquisitive owl.

Bird watchers are delighted by the variety of species such as cardinal, blue bird, screech owl, barred owl, pileated woodpecker, and migrating geese, hawks, sparrows, warbleers, chickadees and many others well known and loved by birders in the Lebanon Valley.

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