Quinnipiac Trail - Mount Sanford

-
I had planned to hike the northern section of the Quinnipiac trail, but time was short so I settled on a shorter route – from Route 42 in Cheshire south around Mt Sanford, and then back north on the blue trail.  A quick loop hike, moderate with some steep inclines, about 3½ miles taking just about an hour and a half.

The starting point was a small parking lot for the Quinnipiac Trail on
Bethany Mountain Road
(Rt. 42) in Cheshire, near the northern tip of the  Naugatuck State Forest.  Hiked south into the woods, down and then over a bridge over Sanford Brook – two cut logs, a little bouncy and more encouragement to lose a little weight. Soon after the bridge, the trail splits with the blue/red blazed Sanford Alternate Trail heading east away from the Quinnipiac.  This trail leads down into Nettleton’s Revine – a 14 acre property part of the Cheshire Land Trust.

The Sanford trail comes out of the woods onto an old camp road.  You soon pass a dirt trail into a group camp area, with a signpost honoring George Cromie - former new haven city forester and strong advocate for forest maintenance.  This was his land, where he experimented with planting different conifers along the trail as you see here.  (Read the CFPA Connecticut Walk Book and you get a little history along with your trail maps.)



The forest was quiet – a few squirrels and chipmunks running through the leaves, and this toad hopping across the trail.  Hiding in the leaves – good camouflage.  Hiding under a spider web – not quite as effective.






Letterbox Trail Notes
A little farther down the trail, the sounds of the forest are replaced by that of kids playing – the trail comes to the YMCA's Camp Mountain Laurel.  Summer camp is in full swing, swimming lessons, arts and crafts and a game of kickball on the ballfield.  The Sanford trail meets back up with the Quinnipiac Trail here, and I turned north to loop back.  The trail does a couple of switchbacks up the south face of Mt Sanford.  Up a moderate grade, the trail opens up to views west into Prospect.  This isn’t the summit, but it’s good place to stop, take a break and enjoy the view.  There’s a letterbox nailed to the tree nearby with some entries poetic and eloquent, others that might help explain why some species eat their young.  And at least one hiker is a dog loving artist – who seems to travel with her own colored pencils.

The true summit is another quarter mile away, again with views off the cliff into Prospect.  Hike down the mountain another ¾ mile, and you’re back at the Sanford trail intersection.  Back over the bridge, up the hill and back to the parking lot. 

Boulder up to the Mt Sanford summit

The view west into Prospect

The Quinnipiac Trail heading back down Mt Sanford

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good Things, Small Packages - Southford Falls State Park

-
Image
         Southford Falls State Park , Oxford , CT           State Park site                         Trail Map There are over a hundred state parks in little Connecticut , and beyond Sleeping Giant, I’ve only been to a few – those with miles of trails on their own or where one of the blue-blazed trails passes through.  At 120 acres, Southford Falls is one of the smaller parks. But I am a sucker for waterfalls, and when a photo group planned a shoot at Southford Falls , I had to check it out.  The falls are a beautiful photo spot, but don’t stop there.  The state park is a great place to spend some time and wander around.  The falls run on Eight Mile Brook as it flows from Lake Quassapaug to the Housatonic River .  If you're mapping it out, be careful to avoid wrong turns from the naming convention used out here - this ...
Read more

Mattabesett Trail – Mount Higby.

-
Image
Route 66 to Country Club Road :  4 ½ miles                 Trail Map How do you turn a 4 mile hike with friends into an 11 mile solitary excursion?  Some would answer “by being stupid!”.  But that might be a little harsh, it seemed like a good idea at the time... This hike started at Route 66 in Middlefield, then north to Country Club Road in Middletown . The Mount Higby section of the Mattabesett runs along another of the string of trap rock cliffs of the Metacomet Ridge.  Like the Beseck Ridge section to the south, Mount Higby has a long line of scenic outlooks to the north, west and south. Starting from the parking lot, follow the blazed and rocky connector trail a short distance north to meet the blue trail.  Head west, parallel to Route 66, and pass junctions for two local trails.  And then it’s time to climb the mountain.  The trail heads up the hill, switchbacks in the steeper sections, and ope...
Read more

Chatfield Trail, Killingworth

-
Image
4.7 mile trail, with a ¾ mile alternate trail to make loop hikes possible. The Chatfield Trail runs between Route 80 and River Road in Killingworth, just south of Chatfield Hollow State Park .  The north section of the trail travels through Foster Pond State Park , an undeveloped section of the Cockaponset State Forest .  The southern section skirts state land and wanders through some privately owned property. I couldn't find good maps on line, so here's one more good reason to go out and buy the Connecticut Walk Books .  Chatfield Trail is in the East book. The north trailhead, with parking for about eight cars, is ¼ mile west of the state park on Route 80.  And old forest road starts you off from the parking area.  There’s also a new trailhead right across the street from the Chatfield Hollow entrance – it joins up with the main trail about a ¼ mile in.
Read more