The Shenipsit Trail is a '' Blue-Blazed''

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trail located in Central

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

between 3.5 and 7 miles (11 km) east of the Connecticut River. It runs 50 miles (80 km) in a north-south direction. The southern trailhead is on Gadpouch Road in Cobalt, CT on the southern end of the

Meshomasic State Forest The Meshomasic State Forest is located in East Hampton, Portland, and Marlborough, Connecticut, with smaller sections located in Glastonbury and Hebron. It is popular for mountain biking, hiking, and hunting. The Rangers Headquarters were located ...

. The northern trailhead is on Greaves Road past Bald Mountain and the Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford, CT. The trail runs primarily through the Shenipsit and Meshomasic State Forests, and

Case Mountain Located in the southeastern section of Manchester, Connecticut, the Case Mountain Recreational Area encompasses of combined open space and watershed land Town of Manchester Recreation stretching from the Glastonbury border north to Case Pond. So ...

, but also utilizes other public and private land holdings. The Native American name ''Shenipsit'' means ''at the great pool'', referring to the Shenipsit Lake, which the trail passes by. The Shenipsit Trail is divided into three sections: South, Central, and North. The Shenipsit Trail is one of the blue-blazed hiking trails managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA).

Trail Description

The Shenipsit Trail covers 50 miles of rocky, hilly, forested terrain east of the Connecticut River. The trail is used for

, running, and

mountain-biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and per ...

, and in the winter

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

, and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. Some sections are very rocky, steep, and technical, limiting use of those sections. The Shenipsit Trail is marked by blue rectangular blazes. It is part of the blue-blazed trail system maintained by the CFPA. Founded in 1929, the CFPA has created and maintained 825 miles of blue-blazed trails in the state of Connecticut.

Trail Route

The Shenipsit Trail has three sections. The South section goes from Gadpouch Road in Cobalt to Route 2 in Glastonbury. The Central section goes from Route 2 to Risley Pond in Vernon. After a 4-mile gap between the Central and North sections, the North section goes from Grahaber Road in Tolland to Greaves Road in Stafford. The Shenipsit Trail passes through the following Connecticut towns from south to north: East Hampton, Portland, Glastonbury, Manchester, Bolton, Vernon, Rockville, Tolland, Ellington, Stafford, and Somers.

South Section

The South section of the Shenipsit trail runs from Gadpouch Road in Cobalt to Route 2 in Glastonbury. Starting on Gadpouch Road in Cobalt, CT next to the (former site of the) Meshomasic State Forest Ranger Headquarters, the trail climbs a very steep ridge to the top of Great Hill, a part of the Bald Hill Range. A spur trail takes hikers to a rocky vista with views of the Connecticut River, Middletown, and Great Hill Pond just below. The trail continues north along Great Hill Ridge, crossing Woodchoppers Rd, a dirt road in the state forest. Soon after, the trail crests over Bald Hill at 893 feet, the highest point on the Shenipsit Trail within the Meshomasic State Forest. The trail follows some unmaintained dirt roads and a few single-track trails until reaching

Connecticut Route 2 Route 2 is a State highway#United States, state highway in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford and New London County, New London counties in Connecticut. It is a primary state route, with a limited-access freeway section connecting Ha ...

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

. Hikers should take caution crossing the four-lane freeway and are recommended to take a connector trail to Dickinson Rd, then Mott Hill Rd, then Toll Gate Rd to go around Route 2.

Central Section

The Central Section goes from Route 2 in Glastonbury to Risley Pond in Vernon. The Central Section of the trail starts just north of Route 2, and can be reached from Toll Gate Road in Glastonbury. The trail stretches about 4.9 miles from Route 2 to Hebron Avenue (Route 94) in Glastonbury. The trail crosses Hebron Ave at Birch Mountain Road. The trail follows Birch Mountain Road for 0.3 mile before turning left into the woods and once again becomes a single track trail. The trail crosses through many stone walls and enters the

trail system. After crossing the power lines, the trail becomes very rocky and a section of it is referred to by mountain-bikers as “Slick-Rock”. Crossing Coop-Sawmill Road, a dirt road, the trail rolls up and down small steep hills until it reaches the top of Case Mountain in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Taking a left on the Lookout Mountain trail for 600 feet takes you to the top of Lookout Mountain where there are benches, information kiosks, and a vista with a view of Hartford and the Connecticut River Valley. The trail continues along a ridge past the intersection with the Lookout Mountain Trail, crosses Birch Mountain Rd in Manchester, then comes out on a residential street. After following some trails, gas-line easements, and roads, the trail picks up again at an abandoned drive-in theater on US Route 6 near Bolton Notch State Park. The trail goes through Bolton Notch State Park for about a mile, then shares its pathway with the Hop River Bike Path for about two miles between Bolton Notch and Valley Falls Park. The trail crosses Bolton Road, and drops into the Belding Wildlife Management Area then the Tankerhoosen Wildlife Management Area, crossing the Tankerhoosen River at the bottom of the mill pond. It then winds north between West Walker Reservoir and Highway 84, before ending at the public area on Reservoir Road at East Walker Reservoir, where there are picnic tables and fishing areas. From there, the trail follows roads for another four miles. Paved roads lead under the Route 31 underpass of Hwy 84 (exit 67) and down Route 30, then takes a turn through the Tolland County Agricultural Center, before making its way back to Route 30. The trail turns down Kingsbury Road and briefly down Route 74 before following a wooded trail (the former Stafford Springs Street Railway right-of-way) along Lake Shenipsit. At the northeast corner of the lake, the trail meets with Shenipsit Lake Road. The trail leaves public roads on Grahaber Rd in Tolland, a half mile west of the intersection of Shenipsit Lake Road and Grahaber Road/Browns Bridge Road, which is the southern end of the North section.

North Section

The North Section of the Shenipsit trail starts at Grahaber Rd in Tolland. Continuing through the Shenipsit State Forest, the trail climbs 1,075-foot Soapstone Mountain. On top of the mountain is a lookout tower that was built in the 1970s to replace a fire tower that had been built by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

. The tower is just tall enough to see over the tree line, but from there one can see the Connecticut River Valley,

Mount Greylock Mount Greylock is a mountain located in the northwest corner of Massachusetts and is the highest point in the state. Its summit is in the western part of the town of Adams (near its border with Williamstown) in Berkshire County. Geologicall ...

in the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and

Mount Monadnock Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County. It lies southwest of Concord a ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Continuing down the mountain, the trail comes to an end on Greaves Road in Stafford. Historically, this trail continued north beyond Bald Mountain, Perkins Mountain, and Rattlesnake Mountain in Somers and ended in the town of

Hampden, Massachusetts Hampden is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The namesake of Hampden is John Hampden, an English patriot ...

. This portion of the trail was discontinued in the 1980s. In 2014, the trail was extended again from its end in Somers by 2.5 miles over Bald Mountain to Stafford.

References

*Connecticut Walk Book East, CFPA
TrailsCourant Article: Soapstone Mountain

External links

Specific to this trail:
Town of Glastonbury Community Explorer Online and GIS Website

Town of Glastonbury Community Explorer Online GIS Tool

Shenipsit Trail Relocation Hill St to Birch Mountain Rd

Town of Vernon Parks and Recreation Trail System Maps and Descriptions
{{Protected areas of Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trails Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut Protected areas of Middlesex County, Connecticut Protected areas of Tolland County, Connecticut