Day Pond Brook Falls on the Blue-Red Trail in the Salmon River State Forest cascades down icy rocks on Jan. 23, 2021.
I like to visit a variety of places because get bored by doing the same hike over and over. Some area I have hiked, I never return because I did not find them to be interesting enough to warrant a second visit. These are places I enjoyed enough that I have return to them multiple times. These hikes are listed alphabetically by location name, not ranked by my preferences of which I think is a more desirable place to hike.
Some of the trails described in this guide are Blue-Blazed Trails managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA). The CFPA has an interactive map on its website that allows hikers to see an overview of the entire trail system with information about trail length and parking. Support CFPA by becoming a member because the trails don’t maintain themselves; the volunteers (with some help from a small staff and a summer trails crew) keeps the trails in good shape.
Interactive map: https://www.ctwoodlands.org/blue-blazed-hiking-trails/blue-blazed-hiking-trails-interactive-map
For other hiking areas managed by private organizations, pick one to support, so they can keep their trails maintained.
For state parks and forests, encourage the governor and your state representative and senator to properly fund state parks and forests (which are chronically underfunded and understaffed). You can also join the Friends of Connecticut State Parks, which advocates for the state parks, and, if one exists, a friends group for your favorite state park. Website: https://friendsctstateparks.org
For any of these areas, help out by becoming a trail maintainer yourself.
Disclaimer: The information presented here was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted in January 2021. Trails can change over time, including being closed, relocated, and blazed a different color. The website links were checked and working in January 2021 Some links were updated at that time because the previous links had been changed and were no longer valid. It is reasonable to assume that as organizations continue to update websites, links will change and old web addresses will not work. If a link does not work, just do a search for that trail or property to locate the current website.
This page only has this one hike because New London County is a long drive for me, so I am not especially familiar with trails in that area.
Scroll down to read the hike information:
- Oswegatchie Preserve, East Lyme (Niantic)
- Salmon River State Forest, Colchester
Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, (Niantic) East Lyme
· Why you should go: This 463 acre preserve has many interesting features with a ridge-top ecosystem more commonly seen in the Shawangunk Mountains of New York, but lacking the view and vistas of that area. The property has two major ridges that traverse the property in a north-south direction with a valley in the middle. On top of the ridges are slab-like rocks with scatterings of glacial erratics and the increasingly rare pitch pines. A stream runs through the valley, feeding into bucolic Clark Pond. Some trails pass through tunnels of mountain laurel.
· Starting Location/Parking: Meet at Veterans Memorial Park, 1 Memorial Park Drive, off Rt. 161, East Lyme.There are two paved parking areas, a smaller one near the entrance, and a back area that is larger. If the ballfields are being used for games, parking is likely to be limited to non-existent.
· Directions: I-95 North to Exit 73. Left on Society Rd. for 1 mile. Right on Rt. 161 (Flanders Rd.) for 1.3 miles. Left on Memorial Park Drive into Veterans Memorial Park. Once in the park, make a left into the parking area. If the front parking lot is full, drive to the larger back parking area.
I-95 South to Exit 74. Right on Rt. 161 (Flanders Rd.) for 2.3 miles. Left on Memorial Park Drive, and once in the park left into the parking area. into Veterans Memorial Park.
· Website: Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, https://www.oswhills.org
· Trail Descriptions: Trails are marked by large plastic diamonds to show the trail color and there are kiosks with maps at major junctions. Letters on the map indicate markers used at trail junctions. The trails along the perimeter are along the tops of the rock formations, while those in the middle are mostly in the ravines. Footing is generally good throughout, although there are many rock slabs, which could be slippery in wet and icy conditions. Elevation changes are moderate throughout and the highest point is Mount Tabor on the Yellow Trail at 280 ft. The preserve is exceptionally well maintained. There are no invasive plants along the trails, which is a rarity in Connecticut.
· Suggested Hike: Starting from the main trail entry point to the right of the ballfield, walk north paralleling the ballfield, then turn left on the Red Trail and cross the small footbridge. Along the west side of Clark Pond, the Red Trail splits. Stay left at the junction and ascend the ridge along the outer Red Trail, passing the Rocky Ledge Overlook at mile 0.4, which is a quick out and back walk to a view through the trees of the lower valley. At the top of the loop at mile 1.2, turn left on the Blue-Red Trail on top of the ridge on a large rock slab and continue heading north where the trail color almost immediately turns back to Blue. Where the Blue Trail splits at mile 1.3, take the left fork. Where the Blue Trail meets the Yellow Trail at mile 1.5, the colors are briefly Blue-Yellow until the Yellow Trail turns west toward Damon Heights Road. At the northernmost part of the loop, where the Blue-Yellow Trail heads west to Chapman Woods Road, turn right on the Blue Trail at mile 1.8 and head south, still along the ridge top. At the Yellow Trail junction at mile 2, turn left and walk the loop clockwise to pass by Mt. Tabor and the Granite Quarry. After completing the Yellow Trail loop, turn left to continue south on the Blue Trail at mile 2.4, twice passing a junction with the Orange Trail. At the southern end of the Blue Trail, continue straight on the Green Trail at mile 3.4. At the junction with the Blue-White Trail, turn right on that trail at mile 3.7. Almost immediately, turn right on the Blue Trail at mile 3.8 heading north, passing by the Pond Vista (East).
(If you want just a 4 mile hike, turn left at this point on the Blue Trail, following it around the base of Clark Pond to return to the parking area).
Where the Blue Trail splits at mile 4.0, stay straight and the trail descends into the valley. At the end of the Blue Trail at mile 4.9, turn left on Blue-Red and almost immediately the trail color changes back to Red. Continue straight on the Red Trail heading south at mile 5, and from here the trail alternates between the valley and the ridge. When the Red Trail loop merges at mile 5.4 turn left, and then left again at 5.45 to follow the Red Trail closer to the pond, passing the Clark Pond Vista (West). Red joins itself a final time along the west side of the pond at mile 5.7. Turn left and cross the footbridge to return to the ballfield area and the cars for a total distance of 5.8 miles.
GPS track: This 6 mile double loop with 950 feet of elevation gain covers most of the trails in the park, except for the Orange Trail in the center of the preserve, and the various spur trails out to the road. This loop can easily be shortened to 4 miles by skipping the second loop and corresponds to the above description. Link: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/6013118797
· Safety concerns: Some of the rock faces could be slippery when wet or icy. Be careful near the edges at the overlooks.
· Special considerations: There are no real views from any of the vistas, as they are screened by trees. There is a brief and distant view of Smith Cove from the Blue Trail and there are no views of the Niantic River. The trees along the ridgetops are all short, probably because of the thin soils and chestnut oak trees dominate. Mountain biking is allowed in the preserve, so be aware of these wheeled vehicles.
Salmon River State Forest and Day Pond State Park
· Why you should go: The forest has many scenic highlights, including stretches of the Blue-Blazed Salmon River Trail along the namesake river under towering hemlock trees, the Blue-Red Trail along Day Pond Brook leads to Day Pond Brook Falls, a multi-step waterfall. There are also views of Day Pond, and the historic Comstock Covered Bridge.
· Starting Location/Parking: There is a parking lot by the Comstock Covered Bridge at 1 Comstock Bridge Road, East Hampton (or Colchester), off Route 16, which holds about 40 cars. There is also parking at Day Pond State Park, Day Pond Road, Colchester. This parking in summer could fill up with people using the pond for swimming.
Directions to the covered bridge parking: From the west: take whatever road works best for you to get to Middletown (I-91 or Rt. 15 to Route 66 East or Rt. 9) to Route 66 East for 6 miles from the Arrigoni Bridge. Bear right on Route 16 East for 5.1 miles. Left on Comstock Bridge Road (sign for Comstock Covered Bridge/Trout Management Area), then right into the dirt parking lot.
From the east: Route 2, Exit 16 to Route 149 South for 3.3 miles. Right on Route 16 West for 2.1 miles. Right on Comstock Bridge Road (sign for Comstock Covered Bridge/Trout Management Area), then right into the dirt parking lot.
· Website with map link: Both websites have the same map with the two properties. https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Forests/Salmon-River-State-Forestand https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Parks/Day-Pond-State-Park
· Trail Descriptions: There are a variety of trail options within the state forest. The 5 mile long Blue-Blazed Salmon River Trail is the principal hiking trail. From the covered bridge, the Salmon River Trail, Comstock Bridge Connector has a series of climbs with some shorter descents after the climbs in the first 2.3 miles, rising from 75 feet to 525 feet of elevation. The Salmon River Trail, North Loop has rolling terrain, ranging in height from 300 ft. of elevation at the Blue-Red Trail junction to the pond where the elevation is 450 ft. The Salmon River Trail, South Loop varies in elevation from 475 to 525 ft. of elevation. Along the river, the trail passes through a shady hemlock forest, while the rest of the trail is primarily within a hardwood forest.
The Blue-Red Day Pond Brook Spur to Day Pond Brook Falls is the other marked trail in the forest and also has a hemlock overstory. The trail markings bring hikers almost to the top of the falls. There is an unblazed footpath along the brook that should be followed down the slope to get the full view of the falls.
At Day Pond State Park there is a 0.6-mile long Yellow Trail north of the pond. There is also an unblazed dirt road closer to the pond that is open to traffic.
Day Pond Road has a 1.15-mile long dirt section that is closed to traffic and a paved section leading out to Peck Lane. The section west of the Blue Trail leads to the banks of the Salmon River by an impressive bridge abutment. On the opposite side of the river to the right of the other abutment is a waterfall. This road has a 120 ft. descent toward the river and passes a few large stone foundations. This road may be muddy, which encourages hikers to walk along the higher and drier sides.
The Connecticut Horse Council Recommended Trail overlaps a portion of Day Pond Road, has a section between two loops of the Salmon River Trail South Loop that also includes a portion of the powerline corridor, and overlaps the Salmon River Trail where it parallels the river, and then has a separate path along the final connection to the covered bridge. I saw a couple of diamond shaped yellow signs along the trail, but the most of parts of the horse trail that I hiked were not marked.
There are also two utility lines that cross the forest, which may have walkable sections. The one running west to east has powerlines, while the one cutting southwest to northeast has an underground pipeline.
· Suggested Hike (8.6 miles with 1,500 ft. of elevation gain): This hike uses the entire Salmon River Trail and visits all parts of the forest and state park, including the walk along the river, the waterfalls, the river bank, and the pond.
From the parking lot, cross the covered bridge and at the end of the bridge, take a sharp left onto the Blue-Blazed Salmon River Trail, Comstock Bridge Connector, heading north. In 2 miles, there is a trail junction just north of the utility line. Turn left to continue heading north on the blue trail and at mile 2.7, turn left on the Blue-Red Trail to view Day Pond Brook Falls and return. At mile 3.1, turn left on the unblazed, but very obvious dirt portion of Day Pond Road, stopping to view the stone foundations along the way. At mile 3.5, arrive at the Salmon River for a beautiful view of the river, the impressive abutments, and a waterfall on the west side of the river, which is also part of the state forest.
Return east along Day Pond Road, and then at mile 3.9, turn left on the Salmon River Trail, North Loop. At mile 5.3, arrive at Day Pond. Follow the dirt road around the pond, turning right on the paved Day Pond Road at mile 5.7. At mile 6, turn left on the Salmon River Trail, South Loop. At mile 6.6, bear left on the Salmon River Trail, Comstock Bridge Connector, arriving back at the parking lot at mile 8.6.
Options to shorten the hike (up to 2.8 miles saved for a 5.8 mile hike with up to 420 less feet of elevation gain):
From the covered bridge, follow the Salmon River Trail north for one mile. At the junction with the horse trail, follow that west for 0.3 miles, then turning left on the Salmon River Trail by the powerlines. This skips 1.7 miles of hiking on the Salmon River Trail loop, shortening the overall hike by 1.4 miles, and also avoids 300 feet of climbing.
Not following Day Pond Road out to the Salmon River and back saves another 0.8 miles and 120 ft. of climbing.
Skipping the flat loop around Day Pond shortens the hike by another 0.6 miles, but since it is level, there is no climbing to save.
· Suggested Hike (4.5 miles): This hike visits the major scenic highlights, including the walk along the river and the falls. It does not go to the river or the pond.
From the parking lot, cross the covered bridge and at the end of the bridge, take a sharp left onto the Blue-Blazed Salmon River Trail, Comstock Bridge Connector, heading north. In 2 miles, there is a trail junction just north of the utility line. Turn left on the blue trail to continue heading north and at mile 2.7, turn left on the Blue-Red Trail to view Day Pond Brook Falls and return. Right on the Salmon River Trail at mile 3.1, and then at mile 3.2, right on the unblazed horse trail which partially follows the powerlines. At mile 3.5, continue straight on the Salmon River Trail heading south along the river, arriving back at the bridge parking lot at mile 4.5.
GPS track: None at this time
· Safety concerns: Footing is generally good throughout the trail, even on the climbs. However, the trail parallel to the river from the covered bridge is a steady climb under hemlock cover. After a snowfall, this type of trail ices over in winter and is likely to keep that icy covering late into spring, so traction devices would be advised under those conditions.
· Special considerations: Since state forests allow hunting, wear blaze orange during hunting season, or hike on Sundays when hunting is not allowed in Connecticut.
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