Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook
1 mile
East Lyme Grace Trail®
Movement, Meaning, and Community—Side by Side
East Lyme Grace Trail®
Set within the lively Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook, this one-mile Grace Trail brings the five questions into the middle of everyday town life.
About This Trail
Every Grace Trail shares the same five questions, yet no two are exactly alike. Discover the landscape, stories, and community that shape this one.
The East Lyme Grace Trail® lives right where East Lyme lives. Set along the paved perimeter of Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook, the Trail winds through soccer games, tennis and pickleball matches, families, walkers, children, books, conversation, and the everyday movement of community life.
People don’t have to leave what they’re doing to experience Grace Trail. They may walk a question between games, take the loop while their child is practicing, stop during an evening walk, or experience the five questions together as a family.
Created through the vision of local resident and yoga instructor Rachel Baer, the Trail grew from a simple belief: a community should have a place to work through life’s questions right in the middle of everyday life.
At East Lyme, Grace Trail isn’t separate from the life around it. It’s part of it.
Trail Features
Every community is different. Grace Trail is designed to adapt to the people, places, and purpose of each one.
Accessibility
• Flat, paved one-mile loop
• Wheelchair + stroller friendly
• On-site parking
• Easy continuous route
• All ages + abilities
Landscape
• Expansive town park
• Open sky + seasonal greenery
• Recreation fields + courts
• Integrated into park loop
• Open, easygoing setting
Along the Way
• Five Grace Trail questions
• Interactive QR codes
• Little Free Library
• Storybook Trail
• Courts, fields + recreation
How to Experience
• Walk the full loop
• Stop at one question
• Walk alone or with others
• Pair it with a park visit
• Return whenever you need
Powered By Community
Every Grace Trail is rooted in its community. From the people who champion it to the stories it reflects, each trail becomes a one-of-a-kind expression of place.
The East Lyme Grace Trail® began because one community member believed her town needed it.
During 2020, local yoga instructor Rachel Baer stepped forward with a vision for a place of greater compassion, reflection, and hope. Working with East Lyme Parks & Recreation and others in the community, she helped transform an existing park loop into a lasting Grace Trail.
What began with one person’s initiative became something an entire community could share.
East Lyme is a reminder of what can happen when one person sees what is possible—and a community says yes.
One Person Can Start Something Lasting
Grace Trail began here with one resident seeing possibility in a place her community already shared.
Today, the Trail remains part of Bridebrook Park—walked, cared for, and available to anyone who encounters it.
One person saw what was possible. A community helped make it lasting.
Life Along The Trail
Along the way, simple moments begin to stand out— what you notice, what you feel, and what stays with you.
The Sound of the Park
Bouncing balls, whistles, pickleball paddles, children laughing, and neighbors greeting one another create the soundtrack here. Reflection happens alongside it all, showing that a meaningful pause doesn't require silence—or stepping away from the activity of everyday life.
Footsteps & Life
A parent walks while waiting for a game to begin. Friends take a loop and talk. Families move between the fields, books, and five questions. Here, Grace Trail becomes part of what people are already doing—a place for reflection woven naturally into the rhythm of the park.
Stories Along the Way
Books and reflection share the same path here. The Little Free Library and Storybook Trail invite families to pause, read, exchange a story, and continue around the loop—adding moments of curiosity and connection to a park already filled with movement, play, and everyday community life.
Tales From The Trail
Beneath the open sky of Bridebrook Park, the air is filled with the sounds of pickleball paddles, distant whistles, and the turning pages of a storybook.
The soundtrack of the East Lyme Grace Trail is not silence. It is bouncing balls, whistles from the playing fields, pickleball paddles, children laughing, neighbors greeting one another, and pages turning along the Storybook Trail.
A parent can walk while waiting for a child’s game. A family can stop at the Little Free Library and continue around the loop. Friends can walk and talk. Someone arriving for a match may encounter exactly the question they needed that day.
The five questions become part of what is already happening rather than asking people to create a separate time or place for reflection. You don’t have to step away from your life to find Grace. You can meet it right in the middle of it. This becomes the emotional centerpiece.
I came for the walk, but I left with a different perspective. There's something powerful about being asked the right question at the right moment.
Rick O
Father & Local Business Owner
The Grace Trail has a way of weaving itself into everyday life. Long after the walk is over, I find myself returning to the questions and approaching my day with more gratitude and intention.
Rachel
Yoga Instructor & Grace Trail Licensee
The Grace Trail gives people permission to pause. In a busy world, that simple invitation may be one of the most valuable things a community can offer.
Tori L
East Lyme Community Member
Made Possible Together
Alpine Shores was brought to life with the support of local organizations, businesses, donors, and community members who believed in what this space could become.
With Special Thanks
Special recognition goes to Rachel Baer for bringing Grace Trail to East Lyme, and to East Lyme Parks & Recreation, local mental health and wellness organizations, and community members whose continued stewardship and support help the Trail remain a welcoming resource for the community.
Shared Beyond the Trail
The story of East Lyme Grace Trail has traveled beyond Bridebrook Park. Through conversations and media, the people closest to the Trail have shared what it looks like when the five questions become part of everyday community life. Hear from East Lyme Grace Trail licensee Rachel Baer as she reflects on the Trail, its place in the community, and the experience of bringing Grace Trail to East Lyme.