Explore Bluestem
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Bluestem is open to the public dawn to dusk every day. Bluestem has so much to offer -- wide open sky, birdsong and activity, native wildflowers and grasses, hiking trails for enjoying (and enhancing with us), a pond for sitting beside, a natural sanctuary for private services, individual contemplation, or community gatherings, and most of all, the quiet and healing properties of nature.
We encourage walking, reflecting, praying, meditating, and remembering at Bluestem.
Pathways around the fields and through the woods and grassland, provide visitors with a hiking network of approximately 3.5 miles, all built and managed by volunteers. Check out the map and trail routes before visiting, or find more maps at the Barn. If you enjoy the company of other outdoor enthusiasts, consider joining us on Friday mornings to help extend the trail.
Pathways and trails are all natural surfaces. Please watch your step and travel thoughtfully. Stay on the marked trails and do not trespass on our neighbors' properties. Keep a trail map with you at all times. Early Trails
The BarnBuilt in the early 1930’s this typical Piedmont barn was used to store crops, and housed farming animals and equipment. Bluestem is repurposing the barn for storage, as an information center and for burial services. A color coded map provides visitors with an overview of Bluestem's trail network, communal space for services, and burial areas currently open in the conservation cemetery. Beyond the barn is Bluestem Community's bonfire area, off-limits, unless reserved for a community event.
Natural Sanctuary From the Barn, travel west towards the signs indicating Sanctuary and Trail. Choose yellow arrows for a pedestrian pathway that winds toward the pond. Choose purple arrows for a route past the Poem Box. Find a canopy of hardwood trees standing over natural cedar benches. Enjoy the quiet. This reflection area can hold private family services, community gatherings, and sacred space as needed. Move the benches around the sanctuary as needed but please do not remove them from the sanctuary.
The PondThe pond was built in the 1980s to serve as a water source for the previous farm. It is fed by a natural spring emerging just below the barn and drains below the dam, feeding the creek on the northern boundary. Find the pond benches for a quiet sit. Take the trail (yellow arrows) back into the woods and follow it to the Black Walnut trees. Sit at the picnic table under the shade. Travel further onto the Woodland Trail beside the Meadow, or back along Bluestem Road.
GravesitesGravesites are all natural and blend in with the landscape. Recent burials are covered in pine straw and can be found in the prairie, in the Meadow and the northern Woodlands. All graves are marked with a central locator, an aluminum grave marker placed in the center of the grave, and connected to GPS. Flat gravestones are allowed. Some families have chosen to place their gravestones, others are not rushing to complete this task. Please be respectful of Bluestem's residents and family members paying visits to their loved ones. See Green Burial for more information about natural burial.
Pope Family CemeteryThis cemetery belongs to the Pope Family of Orange County and sits on high ground near some of the only pine trees on the property. A sign designating the Pope Family Cemetery is forthcoming. Another picnic table can be found here under the pines. A popular spot for local artists, known graves in the cemetery date back to the early 1800s. The Pope Family has a perpetual right to visitation and takes care of the cemetery's upkeep. Pope family members have been regular visitors to their cemetery and frequently walk their dogs at Bluestem.
Beech SanctuaryThis beautiful old beech anchors Woodland 1 and has been the site for many private memorial services. 4-6 cedar benches are most frequently situated in the area. Depending on the number of guests at a burial or memorial service, families choose the layout of the benches. Woodland 1 is currently the only woodland area open for burial and is a very popular choice.
Bluestem NeighborsBluestem neighbors are longstanding farmers and hunters. We coexist respectfully. Please do not trespass on their property and do not explore any of the buildings in the interior. Thank you.
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