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Web Links for Maps, Trails, General Info, and Outdoors Clubs



A view north from the ridge overlooking Konold's Pond, October 2010. A small section of Konold's Pond is visible to the left.

Links for Maps and Trails
  • The state has a program called No Child Left Inside®, which involves programs and activities at state parks, designed to get families outside and moving. The name is a play on words for the No Child Left Behind program, which had an unintended consequence of limiting outdoors time for children at school in a quest for higher test scores. Much research has shown the direct link between physical activity and its benefits for learning. West Rock is sometimes part of one of the seasonal themed activities. Website: https://portal.ct.gov/ncli
  • The Blue-Yellow-blazed North Summit Trail that descends into Woodbridge connects a network of about 15 miles of Woodbridge Trails. Maps for hiking trails in the greater New Haven area were updated in June 2016 by the South Central Regional Council of Governments, and are available at http://scrcog.org/regional-planning/regional-trails/. Simply click on the name of the town for the list of maps in that town to appear. The trails adjacent to West Rock are called Bishop Estate East and Darling House Trails.
  • The Woodbridge trails are interconnected with different properties owned by the South Central Regional Water Authority. The RWA sells an annual permit that allows access to the trails on their lands. Trails near West Rock include Lake Bethany and Lake Chamberlain. These maps are available at the Regional Council website listed above. Website: http://www.rwater.com/products-and-services/recreation/
The West River, south of Lake Bethany on the Regional Water Authority's property, provides a scenic view not far from West Rock.

  • The Connecticut Forest and Park Association manages the 825 miles of Blue-Blazed Trails in Connecticut, including three trails at West Rock (the Regicides, Westville Feeder, and Sanford Feeder), and advocates for land preservation and conservation. The CFPA trail book, The Connecticut Walk Book is the comprehensive guide to the Blue-Blazed Trails. The books may be purchased directly from CFPA or at bookstores and places that sell outdoors equipment. CFPA website: www.ctwoodlands.org
  • The Regicides Trail ends at the Quinnipiac Trail, which is a 20-mile trail that connects West Rock to Sleeping Giant State Park and the Naugatuck Forest, both of which are in Hamden, and to Roaring Brook Falls in Cheshire. Maps are available in the Connecticut Walk Book. The Quinnipiac Trail from Brooks Road in Bethany to Paradise Avenue in Hamden may be found on the West Rock map. The portion that passes through Sleeping Giant is included on that state park map. The Quinnipiac Trail and the Sanford Alternate Trail in the Naugatuck State Forest are included on the state forest map. The links are indicated below. The CPFA abandoned the trail in Quinnipiac Meadows State Park in 2014.
  • The Sleeping Giant Park Association was formed in 1924 to protect the park, and continues to maintain the trails and advocate for the park. Website: http://www.sgpa.org
A clear view of the Sleeping Giant can be seen from the Red Trail at West Rock from this outcrop midway up the ascent. Use a zoom lens or binoculars to enjoy a close view like this shot taken in March 2015.
  • There are miles of hiking and biking trails at the Naugatuck State Forest in Hamden (Mount Sanford Block), including the Quinnipiac Trail. I blazed the White and Yellow Trails in the forest. A CFPA volunteer maintains the Quinnipiac Trail and the Quinnipiac Connector Trail. These CFPA trails are closed to bicycles. The Naugatuck State Forest is adjacent to Brooksvale Park in Hamden: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/stateparks/maps/NaugatuckMtSanford2020Trail-Map.pdf?la=en
  • Directions: From Rt. 15, Exit 59, take Rt. 69 North for 7.8 miles. Look for the brown sign for “Broken Arrow Nursery” just before the turn. Right on Gaylord Mtn. Road for 1.1 miles, then left on Downs Road to the end. From I-84, take Exit 23 to Rt. 69 South for 7.7 miles. Left on Gaylord Mtn. Rd. for 1.1 miles, then left on Downs Rd. to the end. GPS cautions: Downs Rd. is NOT a through road, so if your GPS tries to take you directly from Rt. 69 North to Downs Rd., ignore it. From Rt. 69 South, it is 1 mile south of Rt. 42 and the first left turn from that direction. From Rt. 69 North, if you reach Rt. 42, you went too far.
The Naugatuck State Forest, off Downs Road, is another hiking destination in Hamden. The Farmington Canal Trail is visible in pink at right.

    Scenic Brooksvale Stream cuts through the Naugatuck State Forest in Hamden. An ambitious hiker could get here from West Rock by taking the Regicides Trail to the Quinnipiac Trail to the White Trail at the state forest.
  • The Farmington Canal Rail Trail is paved rail trail that runs from New Haven to the Massachusetts border (and beyond) with incomplete sections in Cheshire, Southington, and Plainville. The trail parallels West Rock in Hamden. From West Rock, the trail is most easily accessed from behind the shopping center on Dixwell Ave. (Rt. 10), across from Benham Street, near Rt. 15, Exit 60. A map of the Hamden section of the trail may be found at www.scrcog.org/documents/trails/Trail%20Map-Hamden_Farmington.pdf
Park properties owned by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) are shown in orange on these maps. These are all sections of West Rock Ridge State Park. Flood control properties owned by the DEEP are shown in yellow. Full maps are available at the links listed below.
This DEEP map shows the complete land holdings for West Rock Ridge State Park. The overview also shows the five Regional Water Authority reservoirs,
plus the privately-owned Konolds Pond, to the west of the park.
The flood control areas owned by the DEEP can be seen east of West Rock.
White wood aster, Regicides Trail, Sept. 2014

Links for Outdoors Clubs

  • The Appalachian Mountain Club organizes hikes, bicycle rides, and kayak trips, some of which take place at West Rock. The AMC also donated money to help fund trail improvements. Website: www.ct-amc.org
  • The New Haven Hiking Club organizes hikes, bicycle rides, and kayak trips. Some of the hikes take place at West Rock. The club also donates money every year to the West Rock Ridge Association. The club has also directly donated money to fund park improvements. Website: www.newhavenhikingclub.org
  • Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club is a Fairfield County-based club, which organizes bicycle rides, some of which occasionally take place within and around West Rock. Sound Cyclists donated money to help fund trail improvements. Website: www.soundcyclists.com 
  • Southern Connecticut Bicycle Club is a New Haven County based bicycling club, which offers organized bicycle rides during the warmer weather, and walks during the cooler weather.
  • Website: http://www.ctcycle.org/
  • The Connecticut Butterfly Association hosts monthly walks around Connecticut, including some at West Rock. Website: http://ctbutterfly.org/
  • The Central Connecticut chapter of the New England Mountain Biking Association (NEMBA) organizes mountain bike rides, some of which take place at West Rock. Website: https://www.nemba.org

Links for General Information

  • There is an excellent article on West Rock in the book A Shared Landscape: A Guide and History of Connecticut State Parks and Forests, written by Joseph Leary and published in 2004. Friends of Connecticut State Parks commissioned Joe to write this book. The book can be purchased from the Friends' website and possibly from other bookstores: https://friendsctstateparks.org/product/a-shared-landscape/
  • The state produced a comprehensive report on its parks and forests for the Connecticut General  Assembly on Jan. 30, 2014, called State Parks and Forests: Funding. The report highlights the benefits of the parks and forests, and discusses the problems caused by chronic underfunding and understaffing of parks by the General Assembly. Appendix A of the report is a list of State Forest and Parks, including the town(s) in which they are located, their acreage, and their facilities. This report states that West Rock is 1,691 acres. Website link at http://www.cga.ct.gov/pri/docs/2013/State%20Parks%20and%20Forests%20Funding%20Staff%20Findings%20and%20Recommendations%20.pdf

Raspberry plants grown in clusters, with berries ready to pick, in July 2014, adjacent to the trailhead for the Red Trail at the South Overlook.

Links for Outdoors Organizations

  • The West Rock Ridge Park Association has a website at: http://westrockpark.wordpress.com/. The website has information about the park's history. The association publishes a newsletter in the spring and fall with information about the park's history, geography, plants, and animals. The association was responsible for the legislation getting the park preserved in the first place, and also advocates for completion of the park through the purchase of additional land. The association has identified about another 100 acres of land that could be added, when the land is listed for sale, and if the state has the money to complete the purchase.

Regrettably, in recent years the state has passed on the purchase of land, saying it does not have the money and has other land acquisition priorities across the state. If you would like to join the association, send an email to jesta5@comcast.net.
  • The DEEP has a division called No Child Left Inside, which organizes activities to get families outdoors and involved with activities in state parks. Websitehttp://www.ct.gov/ncli/site/default.asp
  • The City of New Haven owns the 43-acre West Rock Nature Center on Wintergreen Avenue, near the main entrance to the state park. The name is a bit outdated, since the building with its collection of animals (most famously a mountain lion) no longer operates as a nature center. Instead, it operates as a seasonal outdoor center that is open for special programs and summer camps. The entry road to the upper parking lot is open only when these programs are taking place. The lower parking lot has mostly been blocked off by barriers to curtail the illegal dumping that was an ongoing problem. There may be room adjacent to the barriers to parallel park two cars, otherwise park on Tierney Road in Hamden, located between the nature center and the main entrance of West Rock. The nature center trails are open to hiking from sunrise to sunset. The city park's website is: https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/parks-and-public-works/parks-trees/our-parks
  • The direct link for the West Rock Nature Center, including the map with hiking trails is https://www.newhavenct.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/20/664 
Download a high-quality PDF copy of the West Rock Nature Center map
from the New Haven Parks Department at the web link listed above.
Use this lower-resolution JPG version for online reference only.
  • Common Ground High School, an environmentally-themed charter school, is located on the former New Haven parks property at 358 Springside Avenue, adjacent to West Rock. Among its features are a working farm that sells produce at area farmers markets and also feeds students in the school cafeteria. Website: http://commongroundct.org/
  • The Hamden Land Conservation Trust owns 12.2 acres of open space properties in Hamden and has conservation easements on 53.5 acres of property. The trust leads guided hikes on 102.5 acres of property owned by a corporation, land that is otherwise closed to the public: http://www.hlct.org/index.html
  • The Woodbridge Park Association is the land trust for Woodbridge, which owns open space properties in Woodbridge, in particular, Alice Newton Street Park, and Newton Road Park. Website: http://woodbridgeparks.org/
  • The Bethany Land Trust owns a number of open space properties in Bethany, the largest of which are the 125-acre Mendell's Folly, off Rt. 42. Website: http://www.bethanylandtrust.org/
  • South Youth is an New Haven-based organization that uses West Rock, and built a trail at the park connecting Wintergreen Avenue to the Red Trail. www.solaryouth.com
Regicides Trail, September 2014
Video Links

  • The Connecticut Forest and Park Association has 10 videos on the Blue-Blazed Trails called Tales from the Trails. This website writer is featured in the video about the Regicides Trail. Note that the video has an error, stating that the judges hid at Judges Cave in 1649. In fact, they voted for the execution of King Charles I of England in 1649. When his son Charles II came to power, the Judges Edward Whalley and William Goffe fled to the colonies and hid out at the cave in 1661 and 1664. The link for all the videos may be found at this website: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoFZjsbJiLMw7Kq7yS3PEaRuhCxnJbgm. This is the direct link for the Regicides Trail video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKIWTBZN80c
  • West Rock Ridge is the subject of two videos published in fall 2014 by the Long Island Sound Study (LISS). West Rock, which has views of the Sound from multiple overlooks, is one of 33 areas designed as Stewardship Areas by the LISS. According to the LISS website, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and the states of New York and Connecticut formed the LISS in 1985, as “a bi-state partnership consisting of federal and state agencies, user groups, concerned organizations, and individuals dedicated to restoring and protecting the Sound. These videos have been uploaded to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/LIShealth/videosIn the West Rock video, filmed in July 2014, I am interviewed, talking about the ecological significance of West Rock Ridge. Also talking is Georgia Basso, coastal program wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and liaison to the Long Island Sound Study. Thanks to Steve Broker, teacher, scientist and bird expert, and member of the West Rock Ridge Park Association, who provided the information I shared in the video. Steve was unavailable the day the video was filmed. The other West Rock video focuses on the Common Ground Environmental Center Summer Camp, located at the base of West Rock.
Mountain laurel is a dazzling June attraction at West Rock,
as seen on the Regicides Trail in 2014.

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