CFPA New England Trail Series: Timberland Preserve LbNA #69432
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Add Location| Owner: | CT Forest & Park Assoc  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Nov 1, 2015 |
| Location: | Hillcrest Rd |
| City: | Guilford |
| County: | New Haven |
| State: | Connecticut |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | mattyfungos |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Aug 22, 2016 |
| Status: | FFF |
| Last edited: | Nov 20, 2015 |
New England Trail Letterboxing Series: Timberland Preserve
Total Distance: Varies depending on route, see final paragraph; approximately 2 miles via “Overlook route”
Start at the Hillcrest Road trailhead in Guilford, CT
Google Maps Directions: https://goo.gl/egPQ9v
The 8-part New England Trail Letterboxing Series was created by Connecticut’s oldest non-profit conservation organization, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA). Grab your gear and get ready to experience one of America’s national scenic trails right here in your own backyard. Discover the rich natural and cultural features of this incredible trail. Enjoy this fun and adventurous learning quest! We challenge you to find all 8 in the series. To learn more, visit www.ctwoodlands.org.
From the street side parking on Hillcrest Road near the Upper Lake dam, proceed first to the preserve kiosk. Study the map, zap the QR code to download a copy of the kiosk map, or take a photo of the kiosk map with a camera or smartphone. There are many trails in the preserve and you will have the opportunity to choose your own route to complete the hike after finding the letterbox. Please note the steep drop-off along the trail as noted in the 3rd paragraph.
Leaving the parking area, look for blazes indicating the white X trail, near the edge of Upper Lake. Follow this trail as it skirts the edge of the lake through a mixed forest of white pine, hemlock, beech, various oaks, and mountain laurel. Eventually you’ll pass alongside a large rocky outcropping. Climb up the hill. Note the small rocky, wooded island visible now in the lake.
As you reach the crest of the hill a rocky ledge will be on your left. Near the top is a good lookout over the lake. Be careful, it’s a steep drop-off from the edge! Take a look at the small pine tree (it’s behind you if you’re looking out over the pond from the overlook). Notice how the needles grow in bunches. Two types of pine are common in our state, red and white pine. The needles of red pine grow in bunches of three, while the needles of the white pine form groups of five. An easy way to remember is that w-h-i-t-e is 5 letters long, just as the bunches are five needles. Which type of pine tree is this?
Keep following the white X trail as it goes up and over the crest of the hill. The trail will reverse direction by turning approximately 180° to the left, and climbs up along the rocky ledge you were just hiking alongside. After a short walk, the white X trail ends at a junction with the white rectangle trail (referred to hereafter as the white trail). Turn right onto the white trail. See if you can find a lone paper birch tree. It’s on the right side of the white trail just a short distance past the recent trail junction. Paper birch is a deciduous tree with distinctive white bark that peels in curled, papery strips. Native Americans found many uses for the paper birch; its bark was used to make canoes or containers, it provided treatment for skin problems, and was even used to form casts for broken bones. Today, the wood is often manufactured into wood products and used for paper production, and paper birch sap can be used to produce syrup, alcohol, or vinegar.
Keep hiking, bearing right to stay on the white trail at the split. Ahead a little ways, the white trail turns left. Go straight, onto the yellow X trail. Depending on the conditions and season, soon you’ll pass a vernal pool on your left. Vernal pools are ephemeral (temporary) wetlands that occupy confined depressions in the ground. They typically fill with water from rainfall or snowmelt and/or groundwater during wet periods and dry up during droughts or prolonged dry conditions. This periodic drying typically prevents fish populations from becoming established. Invertebrates (e.g., insects) and amphibians like frogs and salamanders take advantage of the absence of predatory fish by colonizing vernal pools, making vernal pools excellent breeding habitats for such species.
Continue ahead on the yellow X trail, and then coming to the intersection with the yellow rectangle trail (referred to hereafter as the yellow trail). Turn right onto the yellow trail. At the intersection of the yellow trail and the red X trail, turn right onto red X. At the end of the red X trail, turn right onto the blue-blazed Menunkatuck section of the New England Trail (NET). This part of the NET footpath is shared with the red rectangle trail. Upper Lake will be on your right. Where the trail makes a sharp left turn, there is a nice lookout with views of another rocky, wooded island.
Continue hiking along on the NET. Up ahead you’ll be able to see Iron Stream, so-named after a nearby iron works that was in operation around the turn of the 19th century. Iron Stream flows south from its origin in North Madison and is one of the main headwaters of East River. This stream’s cool, clean water provides excellent habitat for trout.
The red rectangle trail will split off to the left. Follow the NET, which is also blazed with a red dot on this stretch. Ahead a little way, a steep rocky downhill will put you on the bank of Iron Stream. Depending on how wet or dry the conditions are, you may notice groundwater bubbling up from seeps in the earth underfoot.
Continue on the NET. Note the large red oak with a small informative sign affixed to its trunk. After a short distance, the red dot trail ends and the NET intersects with the white trail. Follow the NET/white trail to the right, passing by another trail blazed with white X’s. Just ahead will be a bridge crossing Iron Stream. Before crossing, see if you can find a relative of the paper birch tree you found earlier. This relative is known, appropriately enough, as yellow birch, and has yellowish-gray bark that forms curly peels. Yellow birch is an economically important source of timber due to its heavy, strong wood that is often used for furniture and veneer.
You’re very close to the letterbox now, so let’s find it! Don’t cross the bridge yet. Standing with the bridge directly before you, turn to your right. Walk into the woods toward the large boulder at the top of the hill a short distance off the path. You’ll notice that the boulder seems to be leaning against a beech tree, distinctive because of its smooth, gray bark. Look around the bottom of the tree’s trunk near the base of the boulder for the letterbox. Nice work! Hide well when you’re finished.
You now have several options to complete your hike:
• Overlook route: After crossing Iron Stream on the NET, turn right onto the white dot trail. Follow the white dot trail to its intersection with an access road (Laurel Rd), then follow the roadway back to Hillcrest Road and your car.
• Direct route: Follow the white trail south back to the trailhead on Hillcrest Road. Part of this route will overlap with the NET, but when the NET branches off, stay on the white trail to return to your car.
• Adventurous route: Use your map to create your own route back to your car. Many trails loop off of the NET offering endless possibilities for further adventure and exploration!
Hike length: 2-3 miles
Total Distance: Varies depending on route, see final paragraph; approximately 2 miles via “Overlook route”
Start at the Hillcrest Road trailhead in Guilford, CT
Google Maps Directions: https://goo.gl/egPQ9v
The 8-part New England Trail Letterboxing Series was created by Connecticut’s oldest non-profit conservation organization, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA). Grab your gear and get ready to experience one of America’s national scenic trails right here in your own backyard. Discover the rich natural and cultural features of this incredible trail. Enjoy this fun and adventurous learning quest! We challenge you to find all 8 in the series. To learn more, visit www.ctwoodlands.org.
From the street side parking on Hillcrest Road near the Upper Lake dam, proceed first to the preserve kiosk. Study the map, zap the QR code to download a copy of the kiosk map, or take a photo of the kiosk map with a camera or smartphone. There are many trails in the preserve and you will have the opportunity to choose your own route to complete the hike after finding the letterbox. Please note the steep drop-off along the trail as noted in the 3rd paragraph.
Leaving the parking area, look for blazes indicating the white X trail, near the edge of Upper Lake. Follow this trail as it skirts the edge of the lake through a mixed forest of white pine, hemlock, beech, various oaks, and mountain laurel. Eventually you’ll pass alongside a large rocky outcropping. Climb up the hill. Note the small rocky, wooded island visible now in the lake.
As you reach the crest of the hill a rocky ledge will be on your left. Near the top is a good lookout over the lake. Be careful, it’s a steep drop-off from the edge! Take a look at the small pine tree (it’s behind you if you’re looking out over the pond from the overlook). Notice how the needles grow in bunches. Two types of pine are common in our state, red and white pine. The needles of red pine grow in bunches of three, while the needles of the white pine form groups of five. An easy way to remember is that w-h-i-t-e is 5 letters long, just as the bunches are five needles. Which type of pine tree is this?
Keep following the white X trail as it goes up and over the crest of the hill. The trail will reverse direction by turning approximately 180° to the left, and climbs up along the rocky ledge you were just hiking alongside. After a short walk, the white X trail ends at a junction with the white rectangle trail (referred to hereafter as the white trail). Turn right onto the white trail. See if you can find a lone paper birch tree. It’s on the right side of the white trail just a short distance past the recent trail junction. Paper birch is a deciduous tree with distinctive white bark that peels in curled, papery strips. Native Americans found many uses for the paper birch; its bark was used to make canoes or containers, it provided treatment for skin problems, and was even used to form casts for broken bones. Today, the wood is often manufactured into wood products and used for paper production, and paper birch sap can be used to produce syrup, alcohol, or vinegar.
Keep hiking, bearing right to stay on the white trail at the split. Ahead a little ways, the white trail turns left. Go straight, onto the yellow X trail. Depending on the conditions and season, soon you’ll pass a vernal pool on your left. Vernal pools are ephemeral (temporary) wetlands that occupy confined depressions in the ground. They typically fill with water from rainfall or snowmelt and/or groundwater during wet periods and dry up during droughts or prolonged dry conditions. This periodic drying typically prevents fish populations from becoming established. Invertebrates (e.g., insects) and amphibians like frogs and salamanders take advantage of the absence of predatory fish by colonizing vernal pools, making vernal pools excellent breeding habitats for such species.
Continue ahead on the yellow X trail, and then coming to the intersection with the yellow rectangle trail (referred to hereafter as the yellow trail). Turn right onto the yellow trail. At the intersection of the yellow trail and the red X trail, turn right onto red X. At the end of the red X trail, turn right onto the blue-blazed Menunkatuck section of the New England Trail (NET). This part of the NET footpath is shared with the red rectangle trail. Upper Lake will be on your right. Where the trail makes a sharp left turn, there is a nice lookout with views of another rocky, wooded island.
Continue hiking along on the NET. Up ahead you’ll be able to see Iron Stream, so-named after a nearby iron works that was in operation around the turn of the 19th century. Iron Stream flows south from its origin in North Madison and is one of the main headwaters of East River. This stream’s cool, clean water provides excellent habitat for trout.
The red rectangle trail will split off to the left. Follow the NET, which is also blazed with a red dot on this stretch. Ahead a little way, a steep rocky downhill will put you on the bank of Iron Stream. Depending on how wet or dry the conditions are, you may notice groundwater bubbling up from seeps in the earth underfoot.
Continue on the NET. Note the large red oak with a small informative sign affixed to its trunk. After a short distance, the red dot trail ends and the NET intersects with the white trail. Follow the NET/white trail to the right, passing by another trail blazed with white X’s. Just ahead will be a bridge crossing Iron Stream. Before crossing, see if you can find a relative of the paper birch tree you found earlier. This relative is known, appropriately enough, as yellow birch, and has yellowish-gray bark that forms curly peels. Yellow birch is an economically important source of timber due to its heavy, strong wood that is often used for furniture and veneer.
You’re very close to the letterbox now, so let’s find it! Don’t cross the bridge yet. Standing with the bridge directly before you, turn to your right. Walk into the woods toward the large boulder at the top of the hill a short distance off the path. You’ll notice that the boulder seems to be leaning against a beech tree, distinctive because of its smooth, gray bark. Look around the bottom of the tree’s trunk near the base of the boulder for the letterbox. Nice work! Hide well when you’re finished.
You now have several options to complete your hike:
• Overlook route: After crossing Iron Stream on the NET, turn right onto the white dot trail. Follow the white dot trail to its intersection with an access road (Laurel Rd), then follow the roadway back to Hillcrest Road and your car.
• Direct route: Follow the white trail south back to the trailhead on Hillcrest Road. Part of this route will overlap with the NET, but when the NET branches off, stay on the white trail to return to your car.
• Adventurous route: Use your map to create your own route back to your car. Many trails loop off of the NET offering endless possibilities for further adventure and exploration!
Hike length: 2-3 miles