Williams Preserve

There are about 3 miles of official trails that head from Cooper Lane downhill to the banks of the Willimantic River at Eagleville Lake.  From the small parking area the yellow trail cuts through an open field was very wet on my last visit from recent rains (bog bridging is in the works).  There is also a new blue blazed trail off the left side also heading downhill.

The yellow trail crosses a small stream and can either continue downhill or turn right to connect to the adjacent Couch Preserve.  Heading downhill through the pines the trail forks.  Both forks are roughly the same distance and pass similar stone walls and old trees.

They re-converge near the river and a new established white spur trail takes you to a nicely cleared viewpoint with a bench.  On my first visit this spot was much rougher though I did find that another “trail” continues to the right soon connecting to the houses along Pine Lake Drive which has since been marked private property but appears well used by residents.

Branching off into speculation here: This viewpoint by the river also connects to an old rutted woods road that travels to the end of Whites Hill Road.  This means that taking either Pine Lake Drive or White Hill Road to Rt 275 would offer a connection to the Eagleville Preserve and an ambitious but very unlikely southern extension of the Willimantic River Trail whose current start is as River Park in Mansfield.