Nipmuck Trail
Nipmuck Trail sign on CT-171 outside Bigelow Hollow State Park.
Length34.5 miles (55.5 km) [1]
LocationTolland County, Connecticut, USA
DesignationCFPA Blue-Blazed Trail
Usehiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, geocaching, other
Hazardsdeer ticks & poison ivy

The Nipmuck Trail is a Blue-Blazed hiking trail system which meanders through 34.5 miles (55.5 km) of forests in northeast Connecticut. It is maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and is considered one of the Blue-Blazed hiking trails. There are two southern trail heads (two tines of a fork) in the south of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut. The southwestern terminus is at a road shoulder parking place on Puddin Lane, and the southeastern terminus is a DEEP parking lot on North Windham Road at the southeast corner of Mansfield Hollow State Park. The northern terminus is at the north end of Breakneck Pond along the Massachusetts border in Nipmuck State Forest. Camping permits may be obtained for up to five separate locations for backpacking.

For 9 miles (14 km) the Nipmuck Trail travels through the Yale-Myers Forest which is owned by Yale University. The trail also traverses 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the University of Connecticut's East Campus (the protected Moss tract through the Fenton Forest). For about 6 miles, the trail follows the Fenton River from the University of Connecticut to Mansfield Hollow State Park. [2][3][4]

Trail description

Pixie Falls in Natchaug State Forest in Ashford via side trail from Nipmuck Trail.

The Nipmuck Trail is primarily used for hiking, backpacking, picnicking, and in the winter, snowshoeing.

Portions of the trail are suitable for, and are used for, cross-country skiing and geocaching. Site-specific activities enjoyed along the route include bird watching, hunting (very limited), fishing, horseback riding, bouldering and rock climbing (limited).

The mainline trail is blazed with blue rectangles. Trail descriptions are available from a number of commercial and non-commercial sources, and a complete guidebook is published by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association

Historic sites

There is a historic gristmill near the trail in Storrs, Connecticut. Across from this is the house where Wilbur Cross was born. A segment of the trail in Ashford follows the Old Connecticut Path, a former Native American trail connecting the Boston area with the Connecticut River Valley.[5]

History

The Blue-Blazed Nipmuck Trail was created by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

Maintenance

The last week of March 2010 the Connecticut Forest and Park Association acquired the largest conservation easement in an agreement with the University of Connecticut for the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) section of the Nipmuck Trail which passes through University of Connecticut protected property (the Moss tract through the Fenton Forest).[2] Also on that date a number of conveyances between the University of Connecticut, CFPA, the Norcross Wildlife Foundation and the towns of Willington and Mansfield secured the preservation of 531 acres (2.15 km2) of land on four forested properties near or surrounding the Nipmuck Trail.[3][4]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ Colson, Ann T. (2006). Connecticut Walk Book West (19th edition). Connecticut Forest and Park Association. ISBN 0-9619052-6-3.
  2. ^ a b The Daily Campus April 1, 2010: UConn helps to preserve local forest
  3. ^ a b UConn Today March 30, 2010: Deal Between Conservation Organizations, UConn, and Area Towns Protects 531 Acres in Eastern CT
  4. ^ a b The Day March 28, 2010: Agreement protects forest, trails near UConn
  5. ^ "Old Connecticut Path - ASHFORD".

Further reading

Books – Connecticut hiking [edit]

Books – Connecticut history and geography [edit]

External links

Specific to this trail:


Government Links:

Land and Conservation Trusts:

41°45′56″N 72°13′03″W / 41.76556°N 72.21750°W / 41.76556; -72.21750

Hiking trails in Connecticut
Protected areas of Connecticut
Categories