A bright red male Scarlet Tanager in flight in front of a leafy branch.

Welcome to

Gimbel Sanctuary

Discover adventure, birds, and how to make a difference at an Audubon center.

Sherwood Ave, Greenwich, CT 06831

Trails:

Open Hours: Sunrise - Sunset

A Natural Oasis Where Birds Thrive

The Gimbel Audubon Sanctuary is one of seven sanctuary properties managed by the National Audubon Society in Greenwich, Connnecticut. This 80-acre refuge is part of the former 200-acre Gimbel family estate, purchased by Isaac Gimbel in 1925 and occupied by the family for three generations. Roughly half of the current sanctuary (37 acres) was gifted to the Audubon Society of Greenwich in 1972, while the other half (43 acres) was donated by John Fereri in 1995.

Today, the Gimbel sanctuary provides a wide diversity of habitats to explore! Predominant among these is a mixed-hardwood forest consisting of oak, hickory, beech, ash, and maple, with smaller groves of conifers such as spruce, pine, fir, and hemlock scattered throughout.

Water is another important feature of the landscape, with several small streams and wetlands crossing the property and feeding into the nearby Byram River.

At the sanctuary’s Sherwood Avenue entrance, roughly an acre of recently-restored wet meadow—punctuated by the remnants of an old apple orchard—provides ideal habitat for bird and insect pollinators like the Eastern bluebird and monarch butterfly.

While several larger areas of meadow and shrubland have been heavily impacted by the encroachment of non-native plant species, future restoration efforts are being planned with the goal of adding at least five acres of healthy early successional habitat by 2030.

The sanctuary’s yellow trail, which marks the southern end of the 7-mile Byram River Greenway corridor, connects the Gimbel Audubon Sanctuary to the Greenwich Land Trust’s Byram River Gorge Preserve to the north.

Visitor Information

The main entrance is via a trail on Sherwood Avenue opposite Nutmeg Drive. The approximate location for this entrance is 29-49 Sherwood Ave. Residential street parking is also available on Nutmeg Drive if the parking loop is ever full.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of Greenwich Audubon’s 2025 and 2026 Eco Leader teams, the sanctuary’s yellow trail and Sherwood Avenue parking loop are now open and accessible! A new entrance gate, donated and installed by a local Eagle Scout, welcomes visitors to the yellow trail, while 250 feet of fresh boardwalk helps ensure safe footing in all weather conditions.

Other partners in this work include Apple Inc., which provided corporate volunteers for boardwalk installation, and the Greenwich Land Trust, who have generously supported fundraising initiatives and continue to collaborate on planning and habitat improvement efforts.

Many of the sanctuary’s smaller trails remain inaccessible due to invasive species growth, though restoration efforts are ongoing. We encourage you to check back regularly for additional updates!

To help us better preserve the biodiversity and natural character of our sanctuaries, please follow these visitor guidelines:

Please leave bikes, pets, and horses at home.
Please 'pack in and pack out' any garbage.
Individuals or couples can jog in the sanctuary, but larger jogging groups are not permitted on the trails.
Hikers can help us reduce erosion by staying on the pathways and trails.
Take only photos and leave only footprints. These are private sanctuaries for nature and Audubon invites people to visit. During your visit, please do not disturb wildlife, collect plants or fungi, or pick wildflowers.
Please observe any signs indicating when hiking trails are closed—this is for your safety. Trail access may be limited from early fall through mid-winter due to land management activities. This occurs mainly on weekdays and during early morning hours. If you have any questions about our land management activities, please contact our center at 203-869-5272 or email.