Winter Is Coming
Hike # 114
Appalachian Trail
Route 112 to Rand’s View (Salisbury, CT)
Direction of Travel: Northbound
Section Distance (Per CFPA Walk Book): 6.6 Miles
Hike Distance: 11.81 Miles
Date Hiked: 11/15/2014
Date Published: 11/16/2014
Note: On Veteran’s Day, prior to the hike described in this recap, I re-hiked some of the trails in Gay City State Park. Since I’ve already typed a recap for those trails (Hikes #11 and 12), I’m not going to cover them again here. However, that hike added 5.25 miles to my total for 2014, bringing my mile count to 359.54.
The day before Roscoe and I continued our journey along the Appalachian Trail, Connecticut received the first snowfall of the 2014-2015 winter season. Where we live, in central Connecticut, there was only a dusting and it was gone later that same day when temperatures rose. However, as we would come to find out, the snow in the northwest hills wasn’t as quick to disappear.
The morning of the hike we were up early, as we usually are on “hike days”, and on the road by 5:15am. I drove us west on Route 4, stayed straight on Route 128, crossed the West Cornwall Covered Bridge, made a right on Route 7 and parked at the large hiker parking area near the intersection of Route 7 and Route 112. I was happy that we were able to gear up and hit the trail…err, road…by 6:45am…
Hike # 114
Appalachian Trail
Route 112 to Rand’s View (Salisbury, CT)
Direction of Travel: Northbound
Section Distance (Per CFPA Walk Book): 6.6 Miles
Hike Distance: 11.81 Miles
Date Hiked: 11/15/2014
Date Published: 11/16/2014
Note: On Veteran’s Day, prior to the hike described in this recap, I re-hiked some of the trails in Gay City State Park. Since I’ve already typed a recap for those trails (Hikes #11 and 12), I’m not going to cover them again here. However, that hike added 5.25 miles to my total for 2014, bringing my mile count to 359.54.
The day before Roscoe and I continued our journey along the Appalachian Trail, Connecticut received the first snowfall of the 2014-2015 winter season. Where we live, in central Connecticut, there was only a dusting and it was gone later that same day when temperatures rose. However, as we would come to find out, the snow in the northwest hills wasn’t as quick to disappear.
The morning of the hike we were up early, as we usually are on “hike days”, and on the road by 5:15am. I drove us west on Route 4, stayed straight on Route 128, crossed the West Cornwall Covered Bridge, made a right on Route 7 and parked at the large hiker parking area near the intersection of Route 7 and Route 112. I was happy that we were able to gear up and hit the trail…err, road…by 6:45am…
As you can probably tell from
the picture above, the first section of this hike is a road walk, following
Route 7 in a northeasterly direction until it reaches the light at the
intersection of Warren Turnpike. Along
the way, we crossed the Housatonic River on a nice bridge which was constructed
in 2010…
Once we reached the
intersection, we made a slight left to cross Route 7 and started walking down
Warren Turnpike, passing Housatonic Valley Regional High School in the process. It wasn’t long (roughly 6/10 of a mile per my
GPS…and the Walk Book) before we made our way passed two sets of right-hand
turn blazes, which you can see in the pictures below. In the photo on the left, the blue blazes
mark the northern terminus of the Mohawk Trail.
You might recall, from Hike # 112, that the Mohawk Trail breaks off of
the AT down near Route 4. After heading
due east, then north, then west for 23.4 miles, the Mohawk re-joins the AT
here. In the photo on the right, the
white blazes mark where the AT leaves Warren Turnpike and enters the woods
between the road and a set of railroad tracks…
I was happy that the trail didn’t
just follow the road, but I immediately made a mental note to just follow the
road on the way back.
Approximately 1.3 miles in, now heading west, we made our way back to Warren Turnpike and crossed it…
Approximately 1.3 miles in, now heading west, we made our way back to Warren Turnpike and crossed it…
On the other side of the road,
we entered a stand of large pine trees and started making our way back to the
banks of the Housatonic.
Roughly 1.6 miles in, we reached a trail junction. Here, a Handicap Accessible Trail enters from the right and coincides with the AT for a while. According to the Walk Book, The Accessible Trail was built over a three year period in the late 1990’s with the goal of making a rustic section of the AT available to people with limited walking ability. The surface of the trail is gravel and is compacted with rock dust, resulting in a wheel-chair friendly path. As an added bonus, the trail runs through what was once the Falls Village Fairgrounds, which was a popular place for circuses and ox-pulling contests in the latter part of the 19th century. To incorporate the area’s history, 19 rest stops have been placed along the trail…
Roughly 1.6 miles in, we reached a trail junction. Here, a Handicap Accessible Trail enters from the right and coincides with the AT for a while. According to the Walk Book, The Accessible Trail was built over a three year period in the late 1990’s with the goal of making a rustic section of the AT available to people with limited walking ability. The surface of the trail is gravel and is compacted with rock dust, resulting in a wheel-chair friendly path. As an added bonus, the trail runs through what was once the Falls Village Fairgrounds, which was a popular place for circuses and ox-pulling contests in the latter part of the 19th century. To incorporate the area’s history, 19 rest stops have been placed along the trail…
We even passed a sign letting
us know exactly how far we were from the southern terminus of the AT…
Approximately 2.1 miles in, near
rest stop #2, the AT makes a hard right turn (leaving the river) but there is
also a path leading straight. So, keep
an eye out for the white blazes at this point…
Roughly 2.3 miles in, as we approached
Water Street, we passed a large hydroelectric power station…
The area around Water Street and
the original power station building are part of the 70 acres which make up
Falls Village, a historic district within the town of Cannan, which is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Originally selected as a station stop for the Housatonic Railroad in the
early 1830s, Falls Village rose to prominence during the Civil War, when the
iron from the area was cast into cannons and cannonballs.
Once we reached the road, I noted there is an alternate parking location here, and made a left to follow the trail…
Once we reached the road, I noted there is an alternate parking location here, and made a left to follow the trail…
Approximately 2.5 miles in, we crossed
the Housatonic River again, this time on the Iron Bridge…
Originally constructed in the early
20th century, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 2012. For now, it remains open to foot traffic. On the other side of the bridge, now back in
Salisbury, the trail reenters the woods along the other side of the
river.
Roughly 2.7 miles in, we reached and followed Housatonic River Road…
Roughly 2.7 miles in, we reached and followed Housatonic River Road…
Here, the AT follows the road
for a bit until it crosses Wetauwanchu Brook.
After crossing the brook, the trail reenters the woods between the road
and the river. It was around this time I
heard the rushing water of Great Falls.
After a few more steps, I got a glimpse of the falls through the woods…
I was impressed, but…because I
was visiting in the dry season…the falls weren't flowing as impressively as they do
during the wet months. According to the
Walk Book, the falls are a site to behold after heavy rains or during the
spring thaw. The Walk Book also mentions
the once-flourishing Ames Iron Works, which made the cannons and cannonballs I noted
earlier. There is an interpretive loop, just
north of the dam, which describes the history of the area. I didn’t have a lot of time to explore, but I
vowed to one day return in order to check out the interpretative loop and see
the falls in the spring.
There is also an alternate parking location in the area, just north of where the AT crosses Housatonic River Road…
There is also an alternate parking location in the area, just north of where the AT crosses Housatonic River Road…
On the other side of Housatonic
River Road, now approximately 3.0 miles in, I paused to catch my breath and
check my map. According to the Walk Book
there is 2.8 miles between the Great Falls parking area and the next highlight
of this hike, Mount Prospect. However,
as I would come to find out, the distance is closer to 2.0 miles. More on that in a moment. For now, you should just know that this next
section is the most challenging section of this hike, climbing more than 800
feet.
Roughly 5.0 miles in, we reached the summit of Mount Prospect (elevation: 1,475 feet)…
Roughly 5.0 miles in, we reached the summit of Mount Prospect (elevation: 1,475 feet)…
At the time, because of the
error in the Walk Book, I didn’t even realize this was the correct spot. I just assumed this was a nice view on the
way up to the summit view. It wasn’t
until later, on the return trip, that I confirmed this IS the summit view. Regardless, I stopped for a minute to enjoy
the view.
When I started planning this hike, I originally intended to use the view from Mount Prospect as my turn-around spot. The next parking location isn’t for another 5 miles or so. And, I didn’t want this to be a 20 mile hike. So, my plan was to approach this same spot from the north on my next hike. However, because of the error in the Walk Book, I kept going. It wasn’t until I reached the sign for the side trail to the Limestone Shelter that I realized there must be a mistake…
When I started planning this hike, I originally intended to use the view from Mount Prospect as my turn-around spot. The next parking location isn’t for another 5 miles or so. And, I didn’t want this to be a 20 mile hike. So, my plan was to approach this same spot from the north on my next hike. However, because of the error in the Walk Book, I kept going. It wasn’t until I reached the sign for the side trail to the Limestone Shelter that I realized there must be a mistake…
Fortunately, there was another
sign here which indicated Mount Prospect was 1/2 a mile back the way I just
came. Looking at my GPS, the math was close
enough for me to confirm the view I had seen earlier was from the top of Mount
Prospect.
At this point, approximately 5.7 miles in, I could’ve turned around and started making my way back to the car. Later, when I got home, I could just alter my plans for my future hike and make it so that the Limestone Shelter trail would be my turn-around point. But, having researched the area only a few days earlier, I knew I wasn’t too far from what is considered one of the best views on the AT in CT. So, I continued heading northbound. And, after about 1/10 of a mile, I came to Rand’s View…
At this point, approximately 5.7 miles in, I could’ve turned around and started making my way back to the car. Later, when I got home, I could just alter my plans for my future hike and make it so that the Limestone Shelter trail would be my turn-around point. But, having researched the area only a few days earlier, I knew I wasn’t too far from what is considered one of the best views on the AT in CT. So, I continued heading northbound. And, after about 1/10 of a mile, I came to Rand’s View…
As you can see, looking out
over the broad cow pasture provides a great panoramic view. To the northwest I could see Bear Mountain,
which is the final CT peak along the AT.
The end of the line, while still three hikes away, was literally in
sight. As you can also see, there is
even a post, which I thought would make the perfect spot to mark exactly where
I turned around.
On the way back to the car, we stopped at Great Falls for a photo opportunity (those photos are at the bottom of this recap). I thought it was cool that we were able to stand where, come spring, there will be rushing rapids. We also took a short detour to explore more of the area around the Accessible Trail. There really is some great information here about the history of Falls Village. If you like history, particularly Connecticut history, I highly recommend checking out this spot.
Prior to this hike, I was starting to sour a bit on the AT. My two previous hikes included many miles of little to nothing. Now, after completing this hike, my excitement for the AT is renewed. Hopefully I’ll be able to complete these final three hikes before winter takes over.
Until next time…
On the way back to the car, we stopped at Great Falls for a photo opportunity (those photos are at the bottom of this recap). I thought it was cool that we were able to stand where, come spring, there will be rushing rapids. We also took a short detour to explore more of the area around the Accessible Trail. There really is some great information here about the history of Falls Village. If you like history, particularly Connecticut history, I highly recommend checking out this spot.
Prior to this hike, I was starting to sour a bit on the AT. My two previous hikes included many miles of little to nothing. Now, after completing this hike, my excitement for the AT is renewed. Hopefully I’ll be able to complete these final three hikes before winter takes over.
Until next time…
For a map of this hike, along with elevation data, please click here.
Total 2014 Distance: 371.35