Mattabesett Trail

Higby Mountain.

The Mattabesett Trail is a hiking trail that the system of Blue-Blazed Trails in Connecticut belongs. The trail curves 50 mi (70 km) through central Connecticut and is part of the New England National Scenic Trail system . One half of the trail followed by the high basalt rock ( English Traprock ridge ) of the Metacomet Ridge , from Totoket Mountain in Guilford to Lamentation Mountain in Meridenfrom south to north. The Metacomet Ridge is known for its biodiversity, miles of romantic cliffs and mountain hiking areas. The second half of the trail extends north from Guilford to Middletown and ends at the Connecticut River . On this section, the hiking trail follows a highland of metamorphic rock with only rare viewpoints and dense forests.

As a souvenir, a Mattabesett Trail patch can be obtained from the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) for hikers who have hiked the Blue-Blazed Trails in Connecticut (Quinnipiac, Metacomet and Mattabesett).

Surname

The trail is named after the Mattabesett Indians ("Black-hill Indians"), who also gave their name to the river of the same name and after whom the area of ​​Middletown was previously named. The name comes from the word "Mete-wis" meaning "black earth".

geography

The trail runs through the area of ​​the following parishes from northwest to south and then again to the northeast: Berlin , Middletown , Meriden , Middlefield , Wallingford , Durham , North Branford , Guilford , Madison and Haddam .

Notable landscape features along the way include Lamentation Mountain, Chauncey Peak , Higby Mountain , Besek Mountain , Fowler Mountain , Trimountain , Pistapaug Mountain , Totoket Mountain, the Broomstick Ledges , Seven Falls, and Coginchaug Cave . The Metacomet Trail begins north of Lamentation Mountain, where the Mattabesett Trail ends.

Geology, ecology and landscape to the north in Massachusetts situated Metacomet-Monadnock Trail comparable.

View from Higby Mountain of Interstate 91 and the eastern quarry at Chauncey Peak. The contour line of Lamentation Mountain is visible in the background.

tourism

The trail is mainly used for hiking, but there are also opportunities for camping, picnicking and - in winter - cross-country skiing. Individual sections of the trail are also suitable for geocaching and riding. Bird watching, hunting, fishing, bouldering and climbing can also be practiced.

History and folklore

The trail was the third hiking trail established by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and has been in existence since 1932. Students from Wesleyan University helped mark the trail and establish it.

The route of the original trail from 1930 is recorded in the 1940 Connecticut Forest and Park Association's 1940 Connecticut Walk Book map of major trails .

In 2000, the United States Congress authorized the National Park Service to set up the new National Scenic Trail "New England National Scenic Trail" in southern New England , which, in addition to the Mattabesett Trail, also brings together the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and the Metacomet Trail.

On March 30, 2009, then- President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 officially opening the New England National Scenic Trail along with two other National Scenic Trails.

The combination of the Metacomet , Monadnock and Mattabesett Trail hiking trails is often also referred to as the 3-M , MMM or Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail . The New England National Scenic Trail encompasses almost all of the MMM trails and also includes an extension from the south end of the Mattabesett Trail through Guilford to the coast of Long Island Sound .

Historic sites

Crescent Lake (Bradley Hubbard Reservoir) in Meriden's Giuffrida Park on the Mattabesett Trail.

• Powder Ridge Ski Area
• Colonial carriage routes: Stagecoach Road , Wadsworth Farm Road (which George Washington is believed to have ridden in 1775 and 1789)
• Myerhuber Pond by Conrad Myerhuber
• Selectman's Stones , landmarks at the corners of the parishes of Durham, Guilford and Madison.
• Pest House cellar ruins at the Mica Ledges in Durham.

Looking north on Lamentation Mountain from Lamentation Mountain Ridge.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley by George S. Roberts ( Memento of the original from May 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from July 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ^ Obama Signs Major Land Conservation Law . In: The Washington Post . 
4. ↑ comfort work boots . Saturday 3rd June 2017
5. ↑ Map ( memento of the original from September 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ http://powderridgepark.com/

literature

Colson, Ann T .: Connecticut Walk Book West (19th edition) . Connecticut Forest and Park Association, 2006, ISBN 0-9619052-6-3 .

Web links

• Connecticut Museum Quest Mattabesett Trail main page

And individual sections:

• • Section 1: Berlin Twp - Country Club Rd
  • Section 2: Country Club Rd - CT Route 66
  • Section 3: CT 66/147 - CT 68/157
  • Section 4: CT 68/157 - Stagecoach Rd
  • Section 5: Stagecoach Rd - Eastern Lone Pine Trail Terminus
  • Section 6: Eastern Lone Pine Trail Terminus - Harvey Rd
  • Section 7: Harvey Rd - CT 154
  • Section 8: CT 154 - Brooks Rd
  • Section 9: Brooks Rd - River Rd

Coordinates: 41 ° 26 ′ 12.3 "  N , 72 ° 40 ′ 49.3"  W.