The (De Facto) End of the Line
Pachaug Trail
Hike # 87
Cedar Swamp Road (Sterling, CT) to Sandhill Road (Voluntown, CT)
Section Distance, Per CFPA Walk Book: 5.2 Miles
Hike Distance: 5.27 Miles
Date Hiked: 2/1/2014
Hike # 88
Sandhill Road (Voluntown, CT) to Route 138 (Griswold, CT)
Section Distance, Per CFPA Walk Book: 4.5 Miles
Hike Distance: 9.27 Miles (Out-and-Back)
Date Hiked: 2/2/2014
Date Published: 2/4/2014
Pachaug Trail
Hike # 87
Cedar Swamp Road (Sterling, CT) to Sandhill Road (Voluntown, CT)
Section Distance, Per CFPA Walk Book: 5.2 Miles
Hike Distance: 5.27 Miles
Date Hiked: 2/1/2014
Hike # 88
Sandhill Road (Voluntown, CT) to Route 138 (Griswold, CT)
Section Distance, Per CFPA Walk Book: 4.5 Miles
Hike Distance: 9.27 Miles (Out-and-Back)
Date Hiked: 2/2/2014
Date Published: 2/4/2014
As I was preparing to round out my final three hikes on the Pachaug Trail, I decided to check the Connecticut Forest Parks & Association (CFPA) website (http://www.ctwoodlands.org) to see if there were any trail notices or relocations for the Pachaug. As it turns out, the final section described in the Walk Book (from Route 201 to Pachaug Pond) has been basically closed since November of 2009. I wouldn’t be surprised if portions of the trail remain, but the CFPA site explains the blazes were removed from this section and it will not be maintained by CFPA volunteers until further notice. So, I kept an eye out while driving through the area…even did a little exploring from my vehicle…and it looks like the section is as good as closed. In a way, that is bad news because I was looking forward to hiking along the edge of the pond which shares a name with the trail. But, it also cuts the remaining hikes down to two…and allows me to bang them out in one final weekend.
Roscoe was finally doing well enough with his injured dew claw for me to feel comfortable with him on the trail. So, on the morning of February 1st, I loaded him in the car and we made our way out to my parents’house…stopping so I could get a quick barber cut along the way. Once we arrived at my parents’, I decided to give him a few minutes to stretch his legs (he had been in the car for almost two hours and we still had an hour drive to the trailhead). He immediately started running around my parents’ backyard (and even their house) at full speed. Whatever doubt I had about him being physically ready for the trail was quickly put to rest. He was ready to go!
We caravanned (Roscoe and I in the lead car…my dad and Allan behind us) from my parents’ house in Coventry over to Sandhill Road in Voluntown. Note: the map in the Walk Book has this incorrectly labeled as Stone Hill Road. The road eventually dead-ends before the paved road turns to gravel, but there is a large cul-de-sac with plenty of room for parking. We left my dad’s truck and the four of us made our way north up Route 49 in my vehicle. After a short drive, we parked off of Cedar Swamp Road in Sterling…right where the Pharisee Rock Trail leaves Cedar Swamp to head up to Pharisee Rock.
I had just spent some time in the area a few weeks earlier, on Martin Luther King Day (Hike # 84), so I knew the first part of our day would be a road walk on Cedar Swamp Road.
Roscoe was finally doing well enough with his injured dew claw for me to feel comfortable with him on the trail. So, on the morning of February 1st, I loaded him in the car and we made our way out to my parents’house…stopping so I could get a quick barber cut along the way. Once we arrived at my parents’, I decided to give him a few minutes to stretch his legs (he had been in the car for almost two hours and we still had an hour drive to the trailhead). He immediately started running around my parents’ backyard (and even their house) at full speed. Whatever doubt I had about him being physically ready for the trail was quickly put to rest. He was ready to go!
We caravanned (Roscoe and I in the lead car…my dad and Allan behind us) from my parents’ house in Coventry over to Sandhill Road in Voluntown. Note: the map in the Walk Book has this incorrectly labeled as Stone Hill Road. The road eventually dead-ends before the paved road turns to gravel, but there is a large cul-de-sac with plenty of room for parking. We left my dad’s truck and the four of us made our way north up Route 49 in my vehicle. After a short drive, we parked off of Cedar Swamp Road in Sterling…right where the Pharisee Rock Trail leaves Cedar Swamp to head up to Pharisee Rock.
I had just spent some time in the area a few weeks earlier, on Martin Luther King Day (Hike # 84), so I knew the first part of our day would be a road walk on Cedar Swamp Road.
As we made our way east along Cedar Swamp Road, I took some pictures of Ekonk Cemetary (the pictures I took last time didn’t do it any justice so I excluded them from that recap).
This seems like as good a time as any to tell you that I decided to start taking Jaci’s good camera with me whenever I hike in nice weather. My ten-year-old digital camera was becoming too unreliable. The bad news (for me anyway) is that this will add a few extra pounds to my hiking load. But, the good news is it should make for much improved pictures on this site. Again, assuming the weather cooperates. I don’t want to be lugging around an expensive camera in the rain.
After the cemetery, we reached the point of the Pachaug where I left off on my previous hike through the area. I was a bit surprised to find the blazes don’t just follow Cedar Swamp Road out to Route 49 (the description and map in the Walk Book both indicate this should be a road walk). We played along and followed the blazes into the woods for a bit. After a little while, the overgrowth and what appeared to be an unmanageable brook crossing made it obvious we were following old blazes. We bushwhacked our way back to the road and resumed our road walk.
Around the .8 mile mark of our hike, we crossed Route 49 and continued eastbound (the road here changes names to Hell Hollow Road). After following the road for some time, and not seeing a blaze on any telephone poles, I started to grow concerned the trail moved and we wouldn’t meet back up with it. Fortunately, we eventually found a blue blaze on one of the telephone poles and confirmed we were on the right track.
Later, we came to an area which looked similar to the area on the map where the trail makes a right turn and enters the woods. But, again, there weren’t any blazes…so I was hesitant to make the turn. There were also a couple of “Posted” signs so it didn’t feel right. We continued to follow the road and eventually found where the trail turns. We turned to the right and entered the forest for the first time, also entering the town of Plainfield in the process.
As we made our way through the next section, before descending to Hell Hollow, we noticed several turkey tracks in the snow. They looked fresh and I couldn’t help but wonder how close to them we were.
After the cemetery, we reached the point of the Pachaug where I left off on my previous hike through the area. I was a bit surprised to find the blazes don’t just follow Cedar Swamp Road out to Route 49 (the description and map in the Walk Book both indicate this should be a road walk). We played along and followed the blazes into the woods for a bit. After a little while, the overgrowth and what appeared to be an unmanageable brook crossing made it obvious we were following old blazes. We bushwhacked our way back to the road and resumed our road walk.
Around the .8 mile mark of our hike, we crossed Route 49 and continued eastbound (the road here changes names to Hell Hollow Road). After following the road for some time, and not seeing a blaze on any telephone poles, I started to grow concerned the trail moved and we wouldn’t meet back up with it. Fortunately, we eventually found a blue blaze on one of the telephone poles and confirmed we were on the right track.
Later, we came to an area which looked similar to the area on the map where the trail makes a right turn and enters the woods. But, again, there weren’t any blazes…so I was hesitant to make the turn. There were also a couple of “Posted” signs so it didn’t feel right. We continued to follow the road and eventually found where the trail turns. We turned to the right and entered the forest for the first time, also entering the town of Plainfield in the process.
As we made our way through the next section, before descending to Hell Hollow, we noticed several turkey tracks in the snow. They looked fresh and I couldn’t help but wonder how close to them we were.
Around the 1.9 mile mark of our hike, we reached a trail junction. Here, the yellow-blazed Quinebaug Crossover turns right and heads northeast for 7/10 of a mile, to where it connects with the Quinebaug Trail.
The Pachaug makes a hard left and heads southwest. We made the left and continued to follow the Pachaug. We also re-entered Voluntown.
Around the 2.3 mile mark of our hike, the trail came back out to Hell Hollow Road, which is now a gravel road and closed to thru traffic this time of year. When the road is open, there is limited parking on each side of the road. We crossed the road and continued to follow the trail, turning slightly to head southeast. This section of the trail follows an old, rocky woods road. There wasn’t much to see in this next section so Allan and I passed the time discussing canine behavior/social hierarchies while my dad played fetch with our resident canine.
Around the 2.3 mile mark of our hike, the trail came back out to Hell Hollow Road, which is now a gravel road and closed to thru traffic this time of year. When the road is open, there is limited parking on each side of the road. We crossed the road and continued to follow the trail, turning slightly to head southeast. This section of the trail follows an old, rocky woods road. There wasn’t much to see in this next section so Allan and I passed the time discussing canine behavior/social hierarchies while my dad played fetch with our resident canine.
Around the 3.2 mile mark of our hike, we reached another trail junction. Here, the red-blue blazed Pachaug-Quinebaug Crossover turns right and heads 8/10 of a mile southwest to the Philips Pond picnic area, where the crossover trail connects with the main Quinedbaug Trail. Two crossover trails in less than a mile and a half seems like overkill, but I bet it provides for some good loop hikes. Let’s revisit this in the future, when I’m back in the area tackling the Quinebaug Trail section hikes.
Around the 3.6 mile mark, the Walk Book notes an old stone foundation…but I don’t recall seeing it. Of course, that could be because we were intent on finding the huge anthills also mentioned in the Walk Book. I’m not exactly sure where we were distance-wise when we found them. I think it was around the 4.0 mile mark…but you’ll know you’re in the right area because, after heading east for a stretch, the trail makes a hard right turn and joins with a different woods road. These massive ant hills are in the woods off to the left of the trail. In the picture below, Allan is standing next to one that comes up almost to his waist.
Shortly after the ant hills, around the 4.1 mile mark of our hike, we crossed Gardiner Road, a paved road which looks to have good roadside parking (at least, from the looks of GoogleMaps). After entering the woods on the other side of the road we came to a brook crossing (4.3 mile mark of our hike). The Walk Book notes this is Lowden Brook. It also mentions a rock dam bridge, but I suspect the dam is long gone. The trail now crosses the brook on the footbridge you see in the picture below.
Around the 4.7 mile of our hike, after heading away from Lowden Brook for a stretch, the trail returns to the edge of the brook. For the next 8/10 of a mile, it follows the brook’s eastern bank as it makes its way south. This was my favorite section of the day. There was still enough snow/ice left over to make some of the sections along the bank of the brook tricky. Certainly nothing that could be considered life-threatening…but just a little something to take your time with here and there to make sure you don’t take an unexpected dip in the water. I took what I thought would be a good picture of the water rushing under the ice at one point, but it didn’t come out as good as I thought it would.
Eventually, we reached the Lowden Brook picnic area near Sandhill Road. We made a left turn and followed the trail for a bit. But, eventually, the trail turned right (reentering the woods to the south of Sandhill Road) and we reached the end of the hiking for today. Leaving the Pachaug behind, we still had a short (uphill) road walk in order to get back to my dad’s truck. And, we handled that without any problems.
Eventually, we reached the Lowden Brook picnic area near Sandhill Road. We made a left turn and followed the trail for a bit. But, eventually, the trail turned right (reentering the woods to the south of Sandhill Road) and we reached the end of the hiking for today. Leaving the Pachaug behind, we still had a short (uphill) road walk in order to get back to my dad’s truck. And, we handled that without any problems.
For a map of this hike, along with elevation data, please click here.
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(Later that day, Roscoe and I found ourselves back in the woods. This time, we were at Machimoodus State Park in East Haddam. My friend Dan is trying to get some experience with photography and Jaci wanted some pictures of our little family. So, we arranged to meet him there and take some pictures. They are really good and I’m excited to share them once we finalize them. We did a little bit of hiking…maybe two miles at most…while searching for locations. Not enough for me to recap about here at length, but I think this is a really good area for anyone who is just starting out. The trails are wide, well travelled, and we saw a good number of other people…even though it was later in the day. If you are new to hiking and not ready to commit to more than five miles of hiking, you should check out Machimoodus State Park. It can be found just off of Route 151 in East Haddam, Connecticut. Also, I’m not counting the couple of miles we did hike toward my 2014 total because I was wearing dress shoes and a button down shirt the whole time.)
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The following morning, Super Bowl Sunday, Roscoe and I were at it again. I was eager to finish up what I could (again, the final section described in the Walk Book is closed until further notice) of the Pachaug. We made our way down Route 2 as the sun was coming up and arrived at Sandhill Road around 7:45am. I parked my vehicle where we left my dad’s truck the day before, and we followed the gated off portion of Sandhill Road on foot to begin our day.
We retraced our steps from the day before until we reached the section where the Pachaug turns away from Sandhill Road. We made a left turn and followed the trail, heading south. The first 1.4 miles of our hike were really nice. There was a dense layer of fog left over from the night before and the trail heads through several areas of conifer, where we were able to walk through the forest without making a sound. I was hopeful we would encounter some wildlife in this section, but it never happened.
Around the 1.4 mile mark of the hike, we came to a trail junction. Here, the blue-blazed Nehantic Trail comes in from the southeast. The two trails, Pachaug and Nehantic, converge here and share the next 1.7 miles. I’ve crossed over the Nehantic several times while in my vehicle driving to some of the parking locations for the Pachaug. I’m excited to start that trail, but it looks like it crosses some of the same areas I’ve covered while hiking the Pachaug. So, it will be some time before I return to the area to work on the other sections of the Nehantic. For now, I made a right and followed both trails due west.
Around the 1.4 mile mark of the hike, we came to a trail junction. Here, the blue-blazed Nehantic Trail comes in from the southeast. The two trails, Pachaug and Nehantic, converge here and share the next 1.7 miles. I’ve crossed over the Nehantic several times while in my vehicle driving to some of the parking locations for the Pachaug. I’m excited to start that trail, but it looks like it crosses some of the same areas I’ve covered while hiking the Pachaug. So, it will be some time before I return to the area to work on the other sections of the Nehantic. For now, I made a right and followed both trails due west.
Shortly after the Pachaug/Nehantic convergence, the trails come to a large picnic area.
From the picnic area, the trails cross a dirt road and enter a smaller picnic area near what looks like a small pond but is actually just a wide section of Mount Misery Brook. I saw three ducks (a male and two female mallards) here but I wasn’t able to get a good picture before they paddled away. A few more steps and the trails brought us to a different dirt road, Cutoff Road, which allowed us to cross Mount Misery Brook.
Around the 1.6 mile mark of the hike, I came to a side trail which the Walk Book mentions. Heading due north, the trail leads to/through a rhododendron sanctuary. This short, quarter of a mile trail travels a distance on gravel before becoming a raised boardwalk. The sign at the start of the side trail indicates this area is wheelchair accessible, but that probably isn’t the best idea this time of year because the trail was covered with ice. The rhododendrons aren’t in bloom until late January anyway, so you aren’t missing much at the moment. I’m hoping to return some day when they are in bloom. Also of note…from what I can tell, this isn’t required hiking for the CT400.
Around the 1.6 mile mark of the hike, I came to a side trail which the Walk Book mentions. Heading due north, the trail leads to/through a rhododendron sanctuary. This short, quarter of a mile trail travels a distance on gravel before becoming a raised boardwalk. The sign at the start of the side trail indicates this area is wheelchair accessible, but that probably isn’t the best idea this time of year because the trail was covered with ice. The rhododendrons aren’t in bloom until late January anyway, so you aren’t missing much at the moment. I’m hoping to return some day when they are in bloom. Also of note…from what I can tell, this isn’t required hiking for the CT400.
After the out and back on the Rhododendron Sanctuary Trail, which added about half of a mile to my overall hike, we continued following Cutoff Road. We passed a large recreation field and a wooded campground area to our left. Shortly after, we came to the Smokey Bear sign you see below…and the trails turned left, entering the woods again.
A quick note, I still haven’t figured out exactly why Smokey is warning hikers to “Be Careful”. I know forest fires are his thing. But, why do only hikers need to be careful of fire. After I saw the sign, I was a little worried I might be entering a technical section…but I reviewed the Walk Book description less than 18 hours earlier and I didn’t get the sense this was going to be anything overly difficult. True, I was about to climb to the summit of Mount Misery, but at an elevation of 441 feet, it wasn’t like I was about to climb Everest. It would be nice if Smokey were a little more specific.
We made our way up to the summit of Mount Misery. To get there, we encountered a section of switchbacks followed by some level ground and a short descent followed by another switchback/climb. Overall this wasn’t too tough, but I was feeling the extra weight of the camera bag. I was pretty disappointed when we got to the top because it was still foggy. Later, the fog cleared and I was able to get some good pictures on the return route. I’m including all of the pictures below for comparison/contrast purposes…just note there are a couple of hours between the first picture and the rest.
We made our way up to the summit of Mount Misery. To get there, we encountered a section of switchbacks followed by some level ground and a short descent followed by another switchback/climb. Overall this wasn’t too tough, but I was feeling the extra weight of the camera bag. I was pretty disappointed when we got to the top because it was still foggy. Later, the fog cleared and I was able to get some good pictures on the return route. I’m including all of the pictures below for comparison/contrast purposes…just note there are a couple of hours between the first picture and the rest.
The Walk Book mentions a U.S.G.S. survey marker and remnants of an old fire tower around the summit of Mount Misery. I was able to locate both with only a little bit of trouble (the survey marker was not near where I expected it, but it is right on the trail).
On the other side of Mount Misery, the trails descend steeply. The Walk Book notes this descent is slippery when wet and I can confirm this to be true. The rocks here have a sneaky way of not appearing to be wet when they are. I didn’t fall at all, but I slipped a few times and that made me nervous.
After safely completing the descent from Mount Misery, I came to a dirt road (there is additional parking here but only “in-season”). I followed the dirt road for a bit before coming to, and crossing, another dirt road. The Walk Book notes the second road is Firetower Road. Note: heading north on Firetower Road will bring you back to Cutoff Road, where you can make another right and head back to the recreation field. This could serve as a means to bypass the climb to Mount Misery if you aren’t motivated to climb it twice.
After crossing Firetower Road, I left the town of Voluntown behind and entered the town of Griswold.
Around the 3.6 mile mark of the hike (3.1 if you choose to bypass the rhododendron sanctuary), the Pachaug and the Nehantic diverge. The Nehantic turns right, heading north then west for another 4.8 miles to its northern terminus. The Pachaug turns left and heads south. You’ll know you’re in the right area because there is a massive earthen dam, which the Walk Book notes was used by a former textile mill to store water for power. I wanted to find a way to show just how large this dam is, so I made Roscoe follow me up a side trail…then told him to “sit" at the top of it and “stay” while I made my way back down to get some pictures. He’s such a good listener…when he wants to be…
After safely completing the descent from Mount Misery, I came to a dirt road (there is additional parking here but only “in-season”). I followed the dirt road for a bit before coming to, and crossing, another dirt road. The Walk Book notes the second road is Firetower Road. Note: heading north on Firetower Road will bring you back to Cutoff Road, where you can make another right and head back to the recreation field. This could serve as a means to bypass the climb to Mount Misery if you aren’t motivated to climb it twice.
After crossing Firetower Road, I left the town of Voluntown behind and entered the town of Griswold.
Around the 3.6 mile mark of the hike (3.1 if you choose to bypass the rhododendron sanctuary), the Pachaug and the Nehantic diverge. The Nehantic turns right, heading north then west for another 4.8 miles to its northern terminus. The Pachaug turns left and heads south. You’ll know you’re in the right area because there is a massive earthen dam, which the Walk Book notes was used by a former textile mill to store water for power. I wanted to find a way to show just how large this dam is, so I made Roscoe follow me up a side trail…then told him to “sit" at the top of it and “stay” while I made my way back down to get some pictures. He’s such a good listener…when he wants to be…
After our brief photo session, we continue to follow the Pachaug south. The next mile or so turns this way and that over generally hilly terrain. As we made our final approach to Route 138, we came to Heron Bog. The last 6/10 of a mile or so follows along the edge of the bog…sometimes right on the edge, sometimes a little deeper in the woods…but the bog is visible the whole time.
As we approached the 5.0 mile mark, we came to the parking location just off of Route 138 in Griswold…near the intersection of Routes 138 and 201. We had reached the end of this section and, for now, the end of the Pachaug Trail. The trail used to cover 2.7 more miles from here to Pachaug Pond. But, as I explained at the start of this recap, that section has been closed for a while and will remain closed until further notice. Until then, I’m considering the Pachaug complete and adding it to my LDT page of this site. If that section ever reopens, I’ll be sure to make up the remaining 2.7 miles. For now, I made my way back to my vehicle, taking advantage of a few short cuts along the way.
I really enjoyed the time I spent on the Pachaug. There weren’t a lot of elevation changes and most of the trails were dirt/gravel/forest roads. But, I think this area of the state is really nice for winter hiking because you don’t need to be as worried about your footing. The only real drawback was the abundance of evidence of hunting activity. I guess it wouldn’t truly be hiking if there wasn’t some element of danger.
I really enjoyed the time I spent on the Pachaug. There weren’t a lot of elevation changes and most of the trails were dirt/gravel/forest roads. But, I think this area of the state is really nice for winter hiking because you don’t need to be as worried about your footing. The only real drawback was the abundance of evidence of hunting activity. I guess it wouldn’t truly be hiking if there wasn’t some element of danger.
For a map of this hike, along with elevation data, please click here.
Total 2014 Distance: 88.26 Miles