Shenipsite Trail

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The Shenipsit Trail is a hiking trail marked with the Blue-Blazed Trails of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA). It runs in the center of the US state of Connecticut between 3.5 to 7 mi (5-11 km) east of the Connecticut River and extends 50 miles (80 km) from north to south. The south end is on Gadpouch Road in Cobalt at the south end of the Meshomasic State Forest . The north end is on Greaves Road on Bald Mountain and the Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford .

Surname

The name "Shenipsit" goes back to the Algonquin language of the Native Americans. It means "by the pond" and refers to Shenipsit Lake , which the trail passes by.

geography

The trail runs 50 miles through rocky, forested hill country east of the Connecticut River. It crosses the Shenipsit , the Meshomasic State Forest and the Case Mountain Recreational Area , as well as other private and public pieces of land. Three sections of the route invite you to observe nature, go hiking, running, mountain biking and in winter go snowshoeing and skiing. Some sections are very rocky and steep.

course

South Section
View of the Connecticut River from Great Hill in the Meshomasic State Forest .

From Gadpouch Road in Cobalt to Route 2 in Glastonbury: The trail begins at the former headquarters of the Meshomasic State Forest Ranger and immediately climbs a very steep slope to the summit of Great Hill , one of the peaks of the Bald Hill Range . A branch path leads the hiker to a lookout point overlooking the Connecticut River, Middletown and Great Hill Pond . From there the trail continues north along Great Hill Ridge and crosses Woodchoppers Road . It then reaches its highest point in the Meshomasic Forest on Bald Hill at 893 ft (272 m) above sea level . From there he follows easy forest trails to Connecticut Route 2 in Glastonbury . It is recommended that you do not cross the four-lane road, but take a connecting path that crosses Dickinson Road , Mott Hill Road and Toll Gate Road .

Central Section - middle section

From Route 2 to Risley Pond in Vernon : The Central Section begins north of Route 2 and can be accessed from Toll Gate Road in Glastonbury. The trail leads 7 km (4.9 mi) to Hebron Avenue (Route 94), which it intersects on Birch Mountain Road . He follows Birch Mountain Road for a short distance of 480 m (0.3 mi) before turning left into the forest. There are some stone walls to cross in this section. Then the path follows the Case Mountain Trail System . After crossing under the high-voltage lines, the path becomes very rocky and mountain bikers refer to one section as "slick rock". The trail crosses Coop-Sawmill Road and climbs up and down over small, steep hills to Case Mountain . The path continues to the left along the Lookout Mountain Trail . After 180 m (600 ft) you reach the summit of Lookout Mountain , where benches and an information kiosk invite you to linger. From there you have views over Hartford and the Connecticut River Valley . From there the trail continues on a ridge of hills, further than the Lookout Mountain Trail to Birch Mountain Road in Manchester .

It runs through a residential area and then follows several paths, gas pipeline routes and roads. The actual trail begins again at a former drive-in theater on US Route 6 near Bolton Notch State Park . He traverses this for 1 mi (1.6 km) and then follows the Hop River Bike Path for about 3 km (2 mi) between Bolton Notch and Valley Falls Park . Then he crosses Bolton Road and then enters the Belding Wildlife Management Area , crossing the Tankerhoosen River at the outflow of Mill Pond . It then winds north between West Walker Reservoir and Highway 84 before ending in a public space on Reservoir Road by East Walker Reservoir . Picnic tables are set up there and there is an opportunity to fish. Then the trail follows ordinary roads for 6 km (4 mi). Paved roads run under Route 31 and Highway 84 (exit 67) and along Route 30 . The trail loops through the Tolland County Agricultural Center and then returns to Route 30 . The trail then turns to Kingsbury Road and follows Route 74 for a short stretch before following a forest path along Lake Shenipsit . At the northeast end of the lake it joins Shenipsit Lake Road and then leaves the public road on Grahaber Road in Tolland , 800 m (1/2 mi) further west at the intersection of Shenipsit Lake Road and Grahaber Road / Browns Bridge Road . There is the south end of the North section.

North Sections

This section begins after a break of 4 mi on Grahaber Road in Tolland and leads to Greaves Road in Stafford . It passes through Shenipsit State Forest and climbs 325 m (1,075 ft) high Soapstone Mountain . At the top is a lookout tower that was built in the 1970s to replace a fire watch tower that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps . The tower is just high enough that you can see over the treetops. It offers views of the Connecticut River Valley to Mount Greylock to the Berkshires of Massachusetts and Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire . After the descent, the trail ends at Greaves Road in Stafford. Originally, the trail continued north through Bald Mountain , Perkins Mountain, and Rattlesnake Mountain in Somers and ended in Hampden , Massachusetts . This section was abandoned in the 1980s. In 2014 the route was extended again over Bald Mountain to Stafford.

Communities

The Shenipsit Trail crosses Connecticut's following municipal areas (south to north): East Hampton , Portland , Glastonbury , Manchester , Bolton , Vernon , Rockville , Tolland , Ellington , Stafford, and Somers .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Connecticut Walk Book East, CFPA
  2. ^ Connecticut Walk Book East, CFPA
  3. ^ US Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map .
  4. ↑ http://www.ctwoodlands.org/blue-blazed-hiking-trails/shenipsit-trail
  5. ↑ http://www.ctwoodlands.org/blue-blazed-hiking-trails/trail-notices/shenipsit-trail-old-county-rd-stafford-new-trail

Web links

Coordinates: 41 ° 34 ′ 37.2 ″  N , 72 ° 33 ′ 6.5 ″  W.