West River Greenway

This 2022 map of the West River Greenway shows the Peter Davis Bridge, a footbridge over the West River that was replaced and opened in 2022.

 

The West River Greenway passes through West Rock Ridge State Park along the West River (naturally). This trail is being developed and maintained by volunteers from the West River Watershed Coalition: https://www.westriverwatershed.org and 203-500-7777. Among the coalition’s goals is developing trails along the river from its source as Sanford Brook just north of the Bethany-Prospect town line at Route 42, just east of Route 69, down to the Long Island Sound. 

The trail as it currently exists is almost completely flat. The greenway is not on the state map for West Rock, but it is easy to follow within the park. Adding it to the map would be challenging because there is little space in that part of the map and part of it parallels the Westville Feeder Trail. The trail can clearly be seen on the official map, which zooms into that area.

 

The greenway essentially starts on Route 1, following Marginal Drive north through West River Memorial Park. Marginal Drive is closed to motor vehicles between Westfield Street in West Haven to Route 34 in New Haven. The trail then follows the sidewalk along Yale Avenue where the Westville Music Bowl blocks access to the river. The access road east of the stadium parallels the river. At Chapel Street, the greenway follows existing trails through Edgewood Park. 

The greenway exits Edgewood Park at Whalley Avenue (Rt. 63) and follows a narrow cement pathway along the west side of the river leading to Blake Street. Cross Blake Street and follow the greenway through the parking lot for Elm City Montessori School.

A trail blaze for the Westville Feeder and a sign for the West River Greenway by the edge of the ballfields in West Rock Park in Westville.

 

Walk across the footbridge at the back of the parking lot into Amrhyn Field, which is part of New Haven’s West Rock Park, turn left and continue following the river past Mel Zeidenberg Field.

In 0.15 miles, just past where the trail enters the woods, the greenway bears left, descends slightly and stays along the river for a short distance, while the Westville Feeder (Blue-Yellow) bear slightly right and begins to climb. At mile 0.2, the Greenway passes the Margaret Fisher Memorial Fireplace, then climbs a short rise and then comes to another trail at mile 0.3. Turn left to continue on the Greenway. (Turning right on this unmarked trail leads back to the Westville Feeder Trail in about 200 feet.)

The West River Greenway bears left at this split where the Westville Feeder Trail bears right.

At mile 0.35, turn left to follow the greenway along West Hills Road and at mile 0.15 cross Valley Street where it enters the New Haven owned 21-acre West River Open Space. At mile 0.85, the greenway crosses a steel pedestrian bridge, which was replaced and reopened in Aug. 2022. The Peter Davis bridge was named in honor of the former riverkeeper. The greenway (by name) ends at mile 1.1 at East Ramsdell St.

Two  hikers enjoy the view of the West River from the Peter Davis footbridge on April 1, 2023.

On the north side of East Ramsdell St. is the 14-acre pond Lily Nature Preserve, which has a trail maintained by Gather New Haven, a non-profit formed in 2020 by the merger of the New Haven Land Trust and New Haven Farms. This trail is marked with signs bearing the logo of the former land trust and continues until 1.5 at which point the ground is too soggy for foot travel.

Just before the trail ends, there are two features on the left. One is a short spur trail toward the river, while the other is a signboard explaining the removal of the Pond Lily dam in 2015.

Pond Lily website with map: https://gathernewhaven.org/our-programs/preserves

 

Seen in this zoomed photo, this brick culvert is located along the west bank of the West River, 0.1 miles south of Valley Street.

The trail can best be described as a work in progress. Volunteers have cut all the destructive bittersweet vines along the trail, but many invasive plants remain. As a result, this trail is probably best walked in the winter, as it may become narrow in the summer.

North of Valley Street, the walk is decidedly an urban experience, wedged between the housing to the east and the stores along Whalley Avenue to the west. Graffiti is visible along the backs of the stores and there is trash behind the stores and the housing. The roar of traffic is almost always close by. Some parts are quieter than others. On the plus side, the river is pretty with small rapids in various locations.

Volunteers are continuing their work on the invasives and collect litter as well. They have contacted the businesses about the trash behind their stores with mixed results and have yet to work with the private homeowners.

With help from another volunteer, I have been cutting invasive plants along the trail and river at West Rock, working from the ballfields north. We are just getting beyond the fireplace along the trail as of late April 2023. With the cutting of all the winged euonymus (burning bush), the river is now more clearly visible from the trail...until the knotweed grows to block the view.

 

The rocky West River flows strongly on April 1, 2023, as seen from the Peter Davis footbridge, located a third of a mile north of the Valley Street crossing.

There are various sign boards along the trail.

• Near the metal footbridge, midway between Valley Street and East Ramsdell Street: “The West River’s Industrial Past”

• By the basketball court on the south side of East Ramsdell Street: “The West River Watershed”

• At West Rock by the edge of the woods by Mel Zeidenberg Field: “West River Watershed Greenway Trails” This sign has a map of the greenway between Edgewood Park and East Ramsdell Street. The map has a marker says the bridge is closed in the West River Open Space, but the sign was made before the bridge was replaced. The current map is included on this page.

• On the north side of East Ramsdell Street: “Welcome to the Preserve,” talking about the Pond Lily Preserve

• Along the Pond Lily Preserve Trail, 0.25 miles north of East Ramsdell St.: “Pond Lily Dam Removal”

The two photos on the sign show the change in the watershed by the removal of the Pond Lily Dam in 2015.

• On the Willsheer's Walk spur trail off the Pond Lily Trail, 0.25 miles north of East Ramsdell St.: “Migrating Fish on the West River”

 

Article about the pedestrian bridge reopening: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/bridge_brings_new_haven_together

 

The West River Watershed was added to the state’s list of official greenways in 2015 by the Connecticut Greenway Council and DEEP.

The list of state greenways and the definition of what qualifies as a greenway is listed here: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Outdoor-Recreation/Greenways/Official-Connecticut-Greenways

This sign is on Valley Street where the West River Greenway crosses the road.