Mattabesett Trail - Part 12

This hike occurred on June 9, 2013

Trail heads: 
1000 New Haven Rd., Durham, CT - Parking: On New Haven Rd., there are a few side-of-the-road parking spots near where the blue trail enters the woods. There are 3 different spots, each of which could hold 2-3 cars.

56 Howd Rd., Durham, CT - Parking: On Howd Rd., there was some side-of-the-road parking spots near where the blue trail enters the woods. There were 4-5 spots, each of which could hold 2-3 cars, though a number of the spots were very, very muddy. We hiked from here, based on the elevation of both parking locations. It was a good choice. 

Length/Distance: According to the CT Walk book, the hike was 2.4 miles. According to my GPS tracking program, our route was 2.43 miles. Given that we had to retrace our steps at one point, the route may have been slightly less mileage than the CT Walk book said. I guess there's a first time for everything!  

Summary: We started out on Howd Road. The trail was clearly marked and easy to find. 

The initial climb was pretty steep and covered in loose stone that created unstable footing. 

While the initial climb was a bit intense, the trail plateaued afterwards and there was a nice breeze.

You could see Pistapaug Pond through the trees. 

After a bit of hiking, there was a nice look out point with a beautiful view. 

Looking around, it looks like forest rangers intentionally set some fires a few years ago to clear out brush and deadwood. 

The trail avoided some steeper sections of the mountain. 

In some of the loose rock, we saw an adorable Eastern Newt. 

Towards the end of the hike, the trail was pretty flooded. 

At the very end of the hike, we crossed a creek that was running very quickly due to recent rain. 

The trail ended soon after crossing the creek. 

On the way back to our car on Howd Rd, we saw a perfect, tiny little fawn!

Overall, it was a fun hike with rewarding views (and accurate mileage)! 
  

Recently, I reported the previous post's degraded blue trail blazes to the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. As I was browsing their website, I was excited to find a link to a website for the "New England Trail" which is composed of the Mattabesett, Metacomet, and Monadnock (MA) trails. The website offers an interactive map and provides information about campsites, shelters, and lean-tos available for hikers.