Hikes #11 & #12
Trail: Gay City State Park Trails
Hebron, Bolton and Glastonbury (Connecticut)
Dates Hiked: 11/10/2012 & 11/11/2012
Date Published: 12/31/2012
I decided to include these trails as one recap (just like I did with the Case Mountain Trails)…even though there are several trails and I hiked them over the course of two days. Also, as with the Case Mountain Trails, these trails are all part of the Shenipsit regional trail system. The CFPA Walk Book only requires you to complete the Blue, White and Red blazed trails. But, I was already there so I thought I would just hike them all. That way, if any of the trails are added to the CT400 later, I’ll have them already covered.
Gay City State Park is located just off of Rt. 85 in Hebron and it is the site of an old wool mill. There was, supposedly, at one point a settlement here (around the mill) but today it is just a state park. Well, not “just” a state park but you get what I mean. The “ruins” of the old mill are visible from the intersection of the White and Blue Trails. Please note, this was during my “I’m not taking pictures…if you want to see it, go see it yourself phase” so I don’t have pictures of the ruins. But, they are cool and you should definitely check them out.
The CFPA Walk Book overstates the total mileage (again, just like with Cast Mountain). It is listed at 9.2 miles, but my GPS had the total for both days at 13.5 (and I did a LOT of re-hiking on the second day). Either way, you can probably do all of these trails in one day if you are feeling ambitious.
After my issues on the Case Mountain Trails, I made sure to plan ahead but still found myself re-hiking sections of trail. For the sake of this recap, I’m recapping the trails in the order they are listed in the Walk Book, with the exception of the trails not listed in the Walk Book (those are by distance). The CFPA Walk Book leaves these trails out, but they are within the limits of the park so I’ll write about them here…as brief as they may be. There are a lot of similarities between this trail system and the Case Mountain Trails, incluing the fact that none of these are really very challenging. If the Case Mountain Trails are a half step up from Williams Park in Glastonbury, then these trails are maybe three quarters of a step (maybe a full step) up from Williams.
The park is closed to vehicular traffic after Columbus Day, but there is a winter parking area which is open year-round. There is plenty of parking.
As you read through each trail description, you will see that the trails intersect a lot. The moral of all this trail intersection stuff: make sure to bring a map and / or plan ahead. There are podiums placed at key intersections throughout the park, but it is always best to bring a map of your own. You can get one from http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325202
Gay City Trail (1.7 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail is blue blazed and it runs east/west, through the center of the park. I saved the majority of this trail for the second day, but no matter how I cut it up, I was going to have to hike sections of this trail twice. It intersects several of the other trails including the White Trail, the Red Trail, and the Yellow Trail. As for elevation, the Blue Trail is mainly flat but there is a big dip in the middle. The descent / ascent from the dip is about as gradual as it gets. Just about a third of the way in, at the lowest point of the “dip”, you will find the mill ruins. You cross a stream (Blackledge River) just after you get there. So, if you cross the bridge without seeing the ruins, you’ve gone too far. Just stop and turn around. You’ll see the ruins nestled in the side of the hill.
Pond Loop Trail (2.5 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail is white blazed and, even though it has the word “loop” in the title, it can be hard to see how this is a loop. On the map, it looks more like a lobster claw than anything else. Regardless, this trail is fun. I broke it up over the two days but I specifically recall how much I enjoyed the changes this trail provides. Certain sections of it are flat with pines bordering the edges of the trail while other sections are hilly and rocky. It intersects with some of the other trails including the Blue Trail, the Red Trail (where it becomes the Red / White Trail), and the Yellow / Red Trail. The Pond Loop Trail also swings right by the pond (imagine that) so, of course, I took a minute to try and get Roscoe to chase a stick into the water. He wasn’t having it…and, I can’t say I blame him. It was chilly.
Outer Loop Trail (5.0 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail is red blazed and it does exactly what the title suggests...which is to say it makes a giant loop around the exterior of the park. This trail is closer to an actual “loop” than the White Trail. As previously discussed, this trail intersects with the Blue Trail and the White Trail. It also intersects with the Orange Trail (where it becomes the Orange / Red Trail).
Yellow Trail (not mentioned in the CFPA Walk Book…approximately .8 miles)
This trail serves as a bypass trail from the Blue Trail to the southern section Red Trail. I was worried about this one being boring since Steve over at CTMQ didn’t seem to be a fan. And, before I read his blog, I had already planned to travel it both days (one way on the first, the other on the second). After reading his blog, I decided not to change my plans and I’m glad I didn’t…because I actually enjoyed this one. The moral of the story is "to each his own"...even when it comes to hiking. There is a rather long wood bridge at about the halfway point of this trail and I found it to be fun. I also enjoyed the southern section of this trail, where it climbs gradually. I found a few game trails intersecting the hiking path just before this trail meets up with the Red Trail.
Red / Yellow Trail (not mentioned in the CFPA Walk Book…approximately .4 miles)
This trail, called the “Split Rock” Trail, was apparently an Eagle Scout Project. The trail leads away from a section of the main park road to the White Trail. It zigs and it zags and it is really cool. The trail eventually leads to a rather large (you guessed it) split rock, which is cool. Again, no pictures…so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you it is cool.
Orange Trail (not mentioned in the CFPA Walk Book…approximately .2 miles)
This trail is ridiculously short. But, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in fun. There is a bridge just to the north of here, which is fine to use to cross the small stream in the area…but the trail actually crosses over what I can only assume was an old dam. And, by old dam I mean a few smoothed down, oddly shaped rocks in the middle of the steam (there is an orange blaze on one of the rocks so this trail, most definitely, goes this way). Even though I was still nursing my injury from my Case Mountain hikes, I relished in the opportunity to climb over it. I can’t describe it so my only hope is that others will find this little rock formation in the middle of the water to be as cool as I did. Maybe I’ll go back and get some pictures one day.
A Few Notes about My Hikes
I had a lot of fun with these trails. Not only was it a great experience, but it wrapped up the Shenipsit regional trails and allowed me to move on to the main Shenipsit Trail. I was also proud of myself for completing roughly 13.5 miles in one weekend. The following day (Veteran’s Day), I had off, and I did an additional 6.3 miles of the Shenipsit main line (which I'll write about in my next post). Almost 20 miles over three days might not sound like much to the expert hikers, but this was the first weekend where I pushed myself to do more than just the standard 4 or 5 miles…so, I was pretty happy with my progress.
Trail: Gay City State Park Trails
Hebron, Bolton and Glastonbury (Connecticut)
Dates Hiked: 11/10/2012 & 11/11/2012
Date Published: 12/31/2012
I decided to include these trails as one recap (just like I did with the Case Mountain Trails)…even though there are several trails and I hiked them over the course of two days. Also, as with the Case Mountain Trails, these trails are all part of the Shenipsit regional trail system. The CFPA Walk Book only requires you to complete the Blue, White and Red blazed trails. But, I was already there so I thought I would just hike them all. That way, if any of the trails are added to the CT400 later, I’ll have them already covered.
Gay City State Park is located just off of Rt. 85 in Hebron and it is the site of an old wool mill. There was, supposedly, at one point a settlement here (around the mill) but today it is just a state park. Well, not “just” a state park but you get what I mean. The “ruins” of the old mill are visible from the intersection of the White and Blue Trails. Please note, this was during my “I’m not taking pictures…if you want to see it, go see it yourself phase” so I don’t have pictures of the ruins. But, they are cool and you should definitely check them out.
The CFPA Walk Book overstates the total mileage (again, just like with Cast Mountain). It is listed at 9.2 miles, but my GPS had the total for both days at 13.5 (and I did a LOT of re-hiking on the second day). Either way, you can probably do all of these trails in one day if you are feeling ambitious.
After my issues on the Case Mountain Trails, I made sure to plan ahead but still found myself re-hiking sections of trail. For the sake of this recap, I’m recapping the trails in the order they are listed in the Walk Book, with the exception of the trails not listed in the Walk Book (those are by distance). The CFPA Walk Book leaves these trails out, but they are within the limits of the park so I’ll write about them here…as brief as they may be. There are a lot of similarities between this trail system and the Case Mountain Trails, incluing the fact that none of these are really very challenging. If the Case Mountain Trails are a half step up from Williams Park in Glastonbury, then these trails are maybe three quarters of a step (maybe a full step) up from Williams.
The park is closed to vehicular traffic after Columbus Day, but there is a winter parking area which is open year-round. There is plenty of parking.
As you read through each trail description, you will see that the trails intersect a lot. The moral of all this trail intersection stuff: make sure to bring a map and / or plan ahead. There are podiums placed at key intersections throughout the park, but it is always best to bring a map of your own. You can get one from http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325202
Gay City Trail (1.7 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail is blue blazed and it runs east/west, through the center of the park. I saved the majority of this trail for the second day, but no matter how I cut it up, I was going to have to hike sections of this trail twice. It intersects several of the other trails including the White Trail, the Red Trail, and the Yellow Trail. As for elevation, the Blue Trail is mainly flat but there is a big dip in the middle. The descent / ascent from the dip is about as gradual as it gets. Just about a third of the way in, at the lowest point of the “dip”, you will find the mill ruins. You cross a stream (Blackledge River) just after you get there. So, if you cross the bridge without seeing the ruins, you’ve gone too far. Just stop and turn around. You’ll see the ruins nestled in the side of the hill.
Pond Loop Trail (2.5 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail is white blazed and, even though it has the word “loop” in the title, it can be hard to see how this is a loop. On the map, it looks more like a lobster claw than anything else. Regardless, this trail is fun. I broke it up over the two days but I specifically recall how much I enjoyed the changes this trail provides. Certain sections of it are flat with pines bordering the edges of the trail while other sections are hilly and rocky. It intersects with some of the other trails including the Blue Trail, the Red Trail (where it becomes the Red / White Trail), and the Yellow / Red Trail. The Pond Loop Trail also swings right by the pond (imagine that) so, of course, I took a minute to try and get Roscoe to chase a stick into the water. He wasn’t having it…and, I can’t say I blame him. It was chilly.
Outer Loop Trail (5.0 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail is red blazed and it does exactly what the title suggests...which is to say it makes a giant loop around the exterior of the park. This trail is closer to an actual “loop” than the White Trail. As previously discussed, this trail intersects with the Blue Trail and the White Trail. It also intersects with the Orange Trail (where it becomes the Orange / Red Trail).
Yellow Trail (not mentioned in the CFPA Walk Book…approximately .8 miles)
This trail serves as a bypass trail from the Blue Trail to the southern section Red Trail. I was worried about this one being boring since Steve over at CTMQ didn’t seem to be a fan. And, before I read his blog, I had already planned to travel it both days (one way on the first, the other on the second). After reading his blog, I decided not to change my plans and I’m glad I didn’t…because I actually enjoyed this one. The moral of the story is "to each his own"...even when it comes to hiking. There is a rather long wood bridge at about the halfway point of this trail and I found it to be fun. I also enjoyed the southern section of this trail, where it climbs gradually. I found a few game trails intersecting the hiking path just before this trail meets up with the Red Trail.
Red / Yellow Trail (not mentioned in the CFPA Walk Book…approximately .4 miles)
This trail, called the “Split Rock” Trail, was apparently an Eagle Scout Project. The trail leads away from a section of the main park road to the White Trail. It zigs and it zags and it is really cool. The trail eventually leads to a rather large (you guessed it) split rock, which is cool. Again, no pictures…so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you it is cool.
Orange Trail (not mentioned in the CFPA Walk Book…approximately .2 miles)
This trail is ridiculously short. But, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in fun. There is a bridge just to the north of here, which is fine to use to cross the small stream in the area…but the trail actually crosses over what I can only assume was an old dam. And, by old dam I mean a few smoothed down, oddly shaped rocks in the middle of the steam (there is an orange blaze on one of the rocks so this trail, most definitely, goes this way). Even though I was still nursing my injury from my Case Mountain hikes, I relished in the opportunity to climb over it. I can’t describe it so my only hope is that others will find this little rock formation in the middle of the water to be as cool as I did. Maybe I’ll go back and get some pictures one day.
A Few Notes about My Hikes
I had a lot of fun with these trails. Not only was it a great experience, but it wrapped up the Shenipsit regional trails and allowed me to move on to the main Shenipsit Trail. I was also proud of myself for completing roughly 13.5 miles in one weekend. The following day (Veteran’s Day), I had off, and I did an additional 6.3 miles of the Shenipsit main line (which I'll write about in my next post). Almost 20 miles over three days might not sound like much to the expert hikers, but this was the first weekend where I pushed myself to do more than just the standard 4 or 5 miles…so, I was pretty happy with my progress.