Westville Feeder, Sanford Feeder, and Quinnipiac Trail

Crossing the pedestrian bridge over the West River from Westville leads directly to Amrhyn Field and this view of the southwestern face of West Rock Ridge,
as seen from the Westville Feeder Trail.

The Westville Feeder, Sanford Feeder, and the Quinnipiac Trail are all part of the 825-mile Blue-Blazed hiking trails managed by the non-profit Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA). Information about these trails is available on the CFPA website at www.ctwoodslands.org and through its interactive trail map located on that site. Note that the interactive map and the book only show trails managed by CFPA. At West Rock this means that only the Regicides, Sanford Feeder and Westville Feeder Trails appear on this map. The latest Walk Book does show all the trails at West Rock.

The CFPA also publishes the Connecticut Walk Book, which also has maps and information on the trails. The latest information is available on the website, such as these changes to the Quinnipiac Trail: an extension to Prospect in 2020 and a switchback trail relocation up Mad Mare Hill in Bethany in 2022.

Westville Feeder

The 0.7-mile long Blue-Yellow blazed Westville Feeder provides a direct link from Westville to the Regicides Trail and the top of the ridge. The Westville Feeder is a wide path with sometimes rocky footing that steadily climbs up the side of the ridge.

The trail starts at the pedestrian bridge over the West River near the ballfield off Valley and Blake streets in the Westville section of New Haven. Enter from the parking lot of the Elm City Montessori School, 495 Blake St., New Haven, at the corner of Valley Street.

The trail rises from 15 ft. of elevation at the pedestrian bridge to 335 ft. at its junction at the Regicides Trail, which is an average grade of 8.6 percent. For those continuing straight heading north on the Regicides Trail up to Judges Cave, that trail rises another 65 feet in the 0.1 miles up to Regicide Drive, the paved road that leads to the cave. Heading south, the Regicides Trail rises about 60 feet before it levels off.
Driving directions: From Rt. 15, Exit 59, head south on Rt. 69 to the merge with Rt. 63 South and continue to Blake Street. Turn left on Blake Street, then left again at the first traffic light onto Valley Street, then right into the parking lot. Park on the river side near the pedestrian bridge.

The Westville Feeder
as seen on the state map.

Trail access: After the pedestrian bridge, turn left and follow the dirt path alongside the two ballfields, following the Blue-Yellow blazes. This path is also shared by the West River Greenway, which is marked with plastic diamond-shaped markers with this trail name.

(When you cross the bridge there are Teal-White blazes on the right for the short connector trail around the ballfields to the Teal Trail.)

Just after you enter the woods past Mel Zeidenberg Field, there is a trail split 0.15 miles from the pedestrian bridge: the left is the West River Greenway, which descends slightly and goes along the bank of the West River, while the Westville Feeder bears slightly right and heads gradually uphill.

Almost immediately, at mile 0.2, continue straight as the Westville Feeder passes the southern trailhead for the Teal Trail, which is on the right and ends at this junction. At mile 0.25 at the next trail junction, an unblazed path continues straight, while the Westville Feeder again bears to the right and heads more steeply uphill. (The straight ahead path leads out to West Hills Road. If you continue straight on this trail, the West River Greenway soon merges from the left.)

At mile 0.45, the Westville Feeder passes the start of an old, overgrown road appears to the right on top of a large retaining wall, a road that goes for a short distance before abruptly ending. This road appears to be a project that was never completed. If you want to eat raspberries, go to this area in late July as there are many raspberry bushes in the area. At mile 0.5, continue straight past an abandoned trail on the left that descends to West Hills Road, ending at the location where the West River Greenway exits West Rock.

The Westville Feeder ends at mile 0.7 at the Blue-Blazed Regicides Trail. At the junction, turn left to head north to Judges Cave, or turn right to head south toward the South Overlook.

From the parking lot off Blake Street, the Westville Feeder begins at this pedestrian bridge leading to Amrhyn Field. Turn left after crossing the bridge to follow the trail to the Regicides Trail. Note the Blue-Yellow blaze on the left side of the bridge.

The West River Watershed Coalition has installed three informative signs along the West River in Westville for the West River Greenway. This one is located along the Westville Feeder Trail at the edge of the woods by the baseball fields at Amrhyn Field as seen in June 2022.

A close-up of the sign panel.

This blaze and these signs mark the point where the Westville Feeder enters the woods
just north of Amhryn Field in Westville.

The Westville Feeder provides this beautiful view of the West River.

As you head north on the Westville Feeder, you will come to this junction. The unmarked trail to the left goes a short distance and ends at Valley St. The Westville Feeder turns right, as indicated by the two blazes with the higher blaze pointing right.

As you head north on the Westville Feeder, you will see this retaining wall with an road heading up to the right. The road goes for a short distance, maybe 0.1 to 0.2 miles, then abruptly ends at a rock formation. Stay left to stay on the Westville Feeder.

This is the junction of the Regicides Trail and the Westville Feeder, looking south on both trails. The Blue-Blazed Regicides is on the left, heading south toward the South Overlook. The Blue-Yellow Blazed Westville Feeder is on the right, heading south toward Westville.

This is the junction of the Westville Feeder (on the right) with the Teal Trail (on the left) that loops around to the Red Trail. This view is heading south on the Westville Feeder from the Regicides Trail.

Sanford Feeder

The Sanford Feeder as seen on the state map.

The 0.6 mile long Sanford Feeder is blazed Blue-Red and follows Sanford Road, an abandoned dirt road that connects Brooks Road in Bethany with West Shepard Avenue in Hamden. The old road IS the trail, so the width is about 15 to 20 feet. The road has a steady and sometimes rocky climb from Brooks Road up to the Regicides Trail, rising from 275 ft. of elevation at Brooks Road to 535 ft. at the Regicides Trail, a gain of 260 ft. for a grade of 8.2 percent.

The Sanford Feeder crosses water company land, and intersects with a series of unmarked woods roads, so hikers need to pay attention to the blazes, so they remain on the trail. Midway up the trail, there is a level section with wetlands on both sides. The trail and markings end at the Regicides Trail, but Sanford Road continues about 100 yards beyond this point to connect to West Shepard Ave. at the northern end of Baldwin Drive.

Just past the gate on Brooks Road is the first water company road to the left, which leads to the Quinnipiac Trail. At mile 0.15 from Brooks Road, the trail makes a sharp left turn, goes a few hundred feet and then it makes a sharp turn to the right. At mile 0.3, another water company woods road is on the left. At mile 0.5, the trail takes another sharp turn to the right where another water company woods road is on the left. 

Parking Information and Driving Directions: There is room for parking five cars on the gravel shoulder on the north side of the gate at 176 Brooks Rd., Bethany. There is plenty of parking by the gate on West Shepard Avenue and Rayzoe Terrace in Hamden.

To reach the Brooks Road trailhead, take Rt. 15 to Exit 59 and head north on Rt. 69 for 3.3 miles. Bear right onto Downs Road, which parallels the shore of Lake Watrous, for 1.1 miles. Just past the reservoir, bear right onto Brooks Road for 1.1 miles. The Sanford Feeder starts at a sharp bend in the road.
To reach the start by 574 West Shepard Avenue, take Rt. 15 to Exit 60 and head north on Rt. 10 in Hamden to Shepard Ave. West Shepard Avenue, heads west (appropriately enough) off Shepard Avenue. The gate blocking vehicle access to the trail is 0.2 miles past Hill Street at the junction with Rayzoe Terrace. Park on the road facing downhill near the gate, but not blocking it. Walk up the paved road past the gate and continue straight for 0.3 miles. Continue straight at the turn onto Baldwin Drive to access Sanford Road, which is a gravel road. The Sanford Feeder is directly ahead in about 100 yards.

This is the Sanford Feeder trailhead at Brooks Road.

I have proposed that a trail connection be made to connect the Sanford Feeder to the Quinnipiac Trail on existing woods roads and trails. Otherwise, hikers have to walk about half a mile along Brooks Road, which has no shoulder, to make the connection. The connection is desirable because it opens up a scenic loop hike involving the Sanford Feeder, Quinnipiac, Regicides, and Red Trails.
Since this land is part of the watershed, approval requires various regulatory steps, including an environmental study, which can cost several thousand dollars. At my request, CFPA begin working through this regulatory process in 2022. I recommend calling this proposed trail the Quinnipiac-Sanford Connector Trail. This trail would be 0.5 miles long. The only work required would be to blaze the trees along the existing woods road.

The Sanford Feeder Trail is blazed Blue-Red to indicate it is a connecting trail to the Regicides Trail.

The Sanford Feeder Trail twists and turns in its short length.

This blaze indicates a left turn.

The Sanford Feeder is blazed Blue-Red and is a wide woods road for its entire length.

The Sanford Feeder has one spot midway along the trail where it passes through a boggy area that used to look like this...but has been transformed as seen in the next picture.

I asked the Regional Water Authority if they could solve the water problem along the trail by installing a new culvert. The RWA went beyond my request by installing two 12-inch culverts, leaving the older one in place, and also raising the trail a bit by laying down gravel. The RWA has my profound thanks for this improvement.

The Regional Water Authority (RWA) issues firewood permits to people to cut and remove selected trees from its property. Permits look like this and will bear the name of the permittee, which this sign does not yet have. The Sanford Feeder Trail passes over RWA property. For information on permits, contact the RWA at ask.info@rwater.com.

Quinnipiac Trail

The Quinnipiac Trail as seen on the state map
of West Rock Ridge State Park.
This does not show the full extent of the state-owned land.

The Quinnipiac Trail is the oldest Blue Blazed Trail, established by the CFPA in 1929. This rugged trail extends about 23 miles across a series of trap rock ridges, most of which are in Hamden. The northern end begins in Prospect, passing south through Cheshire, intersecting with the side trail to Roaring Brook Falls, and then continuing south into Hamden in the Naugatuck State Forest, Mt. Sanford Block.

When the trail passes through Bethany, it crosses Mad Mare Hill, and connects across water company property to the northern reaches of West Rock Ridge State Park, where it connects to the Regicides Trail at York Mountain, and the next ridgeline is over Rocky Top.

The final section in Sleeping Giant State Park, includes the famed rock scramble up the Giant’s chin, and also passes the stone tower on top of the giant. The trail ends on the eastern border of Sleeping Giant at Hartford Turnpike. There are assorted road walks to connect the wooded trail sections.

Options for loop hikes are available in the Naugatuck State Forest, Mt. Sanford Block, at West Rock, and at Sleeping Giant.  

 

Quinnipiac Trail in Prospect

In 2020, the Quinnipiac Trail was relocated and extended into Prospect, adding 3.3 miles to the trail. A 1.4 mile section of the now former trail section ending at Cornwall Avenue in Cheshire had a name change to the Cornwall Avenue Connector Trail and the blazes for that trail are Blue-Red. The newest Quinnipiac Trail section breaks away from the spine of the trap rock ridge and passes over rolling terrain through Regional Water Authority property, ending at Boardman Drive in Prospect where plenty of street parking is available at the trailhead.

 

Quinnipiac Trail By West Rock

From Brooks Road in Bethany on the west to Paradise Avenue on the east, the Quinnipiac Trail is 1.8 miles long. The trail passes over 0.95 miles of West Rock Ridge State Park property in this area, as seen on the park map.

The state map is outdated because the northern part of the Regicides Trail remains on parkland to its junction with the Quinnipiac Trail on the shoulder of York Mountain. The mountain’s peak is 700 ft.; the trail junction is slightly lower. In 2020, the state added 80 acres of land to the park north of the trail.

Heading west from the Regicides Trail junction, the Quinnipiac Trail passes partially over state land and partially over water company land. Either way, the trail is fully protected down to Brooks Road. The Quinnipiac Trail is a steep, eroded climb from Brooks Road to where it levels off near the overlooks. In 2023, the CFPA was working on a relocation to switchback this section.

From the junction with the Regicides Trail, heading east the Quinnipiac Trail crosses over a mixture of privately owned land and state-owned land.

The state land (but not the water company land) can be seen at this link: https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#?map=16.0/41.4065/-72.9392

From the overlooks heading east from the Regicides Trail junction, the Quinnipiac Trail has some moderate climbs and descents until it gets close to Paradise Avenue at which point it is sharp, rocky descent to the street. Paradise Avenue is a dirt road north of where the trail heads east into the woods and is and paved south of this location (and the trail briefly follows the paved road). There is a parking area at the location where the pavement ends.

On the Quinnipiac Trail heading west from York Mountain to Brooks Road, there are two overlooks, one of which is just off the trail, 0.65 miles from the Regicides Trail, so you have to look carefully to see this rock outcropping. The view from this overlook is an excellent one, sighting down the west side of the ridge toward Lake Watrous, and also has views to the east of East Rock and New Haven Harbor.

A less impressive view is available on the Regicides Trail, about 200 feet south of the Quinnipiac Trail junction. This view is over a sea of trees looking west toward Woodbridge.

On the Quinnipiac Trail heading east from York Mountain to Paradise Avenue, there are some views south over Laurel View Country Club that are partially obstructed by trees.

To make this a loop hike, walk south along Brooks Road for half a mile and return to the Regicides Trail and West Shepard Ave. via the Sanford Feeder Trail. Be careful walking along Brooks Road as the road is narrow and there is not much of a shoulder, making it difficult for drivers to see hikers around the curves.

 

In this view south from a rocky outcropping off the Quinnipiac Trail, New Haven and Long Island Sound glisten in the distance as they are framed by West Rock Ridge.

From the same overlook, turning south rewards hikers with a view down
West Rock Ridge, with Lake Watrous to the west in Woodbridge.

Banton Quinnipiac Trail

The Quinnipiac Trail formerly had about a 5-mile section from Sleeping Giant south to Banton Street in North Haven, most of which passed through 

Quinnipiac River State Park. This section can be seen on maps in the Connecticut Walk Book through the 2006 edition, but that the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) abandoned this section in 2014 because the area is boggy and difficult to maintain. Anyone who has hiked this trail section can see why CFPA removed it from the trail system.

The North Haven Trail Association, https://www.northhaventrails.org, has assumed responsibility for the trail in that area, calling it the Banton Quinnipiac Trail. Brown signs with this name can be seen on Route 22 in North Haven. The map from 2016 shows a trail section of one mile, near a short section of the abandoned, but still paved Banton Street beyond a metal gate.

I hiked this section in March 2021 and found that it lived up to the description in the 2006 Walk Book about prickers, poison ivy, and ticks. The trail section as shown on the map was generally pruned back, but the multi-flora rose that infests the area grows quickly. I carried a pair of hand pruners and used them to cut back the thorny beasts in many areas where the canes extended into the trail, just waiting to snag an unsuspecting hiker. There was plenty of poison ivy growing up trees near the trail, which I was careful to avoid. When I got back to my car, I found a single wood tick crawling up my pants that I flicked away. The Blue Blazes were clearly visible along the trail, which generally follows the contours of the Quinnipiac River.

I walked as far as I could, which was about a quarter mile beyond the trail as shown on the map. I crossed a side channel of the river on a fallen tree and branches that someone used to create an improvised bridge. After this crossing, the blazes are white and soon disappear in an open area with tall grass, which is likely where the tick found me, and where I lost sight of anything that looked like a trail. Reopening any more of this trail would require massive work to clear the invasives and keep it clear.

The water has a faint odor similar to that of water coming out of a sewage treatment plant, which is not surprising, given the compromised health of the river. The roar of the adjacent Wilbur Cross Parkway is ever-present and soon grows tiresome.

On the positive side, there are a few visual highlights, extensive river views, faint remains of houses, including a stone staircase that goes down into the river, a grove of tall pine trees, and a vibrant cluster of red twig dogwood trees. The trail had firm footing throughout, but in a time of high water, some trail sections might be muddy or flooded.

Banton Quinnipiac Trail map:

http://scrcog.org/wp-content/uploads/trails/north_haven/alt/RecTrails_NOH4_Alt_6-2-16.pdf

I took a look at the northern end of this trail section at Toelles Road, and that gave even more evidence as to why CFPA removing this trail from their system was a good thing. There is no parking anywhere along Toelles Road and the connection to Sleeping Giant is a challenging roadwalk under the Wilbur Cross Parkway and then along a curved road with poor sightlines and absolutely no safe place to walk in the curved section because both sides have a guardrail. I could easily see a car coming down the hill, under the parkway, and hitting a hiker in the shadows. Where the road straightens out, there is a wide shoulder for safe walking up to Hartford Turnpike. At that point, the trail used to turn south along this moderately busy road with no safe place to walk. I have yet to investigate this section due to the various challenges.