Pequot
    Trail Guide

    Trail at a Glance

    The Pequot Trail runs 8 miles from Ledyard to Preston passing tiny cascades, abandoned cars, the mystery of Hellgate, and views along the way.  The north half criss crosses a utility corridor in interesting ways and the second half has a few road walks.

    I hiked the full trail for a ‘First Day’ hike in January 2021

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    Pequot Trail Car
    Hellgate Pequot Trail
    Rose Hill Pequot Trail
    Rose Hill Overlook

    Highlights

    Overlooks

    Water Features

    Links

    Section List

    North to South

    • Northern Terminus at Hellgate — 3.5 miles — (Northern Parking Link) Criss crossing a utility corridor with small cascades, an abandoned car, and through the Preston Ridge Vineyard Disc Golf Course
        • NOTICE: This section was closed from November 2023 to November 2024 and I have not re-hiked to explore the relocation
    • Cross Rt. 2 for 0.7 mile road walk on Lincoln Park Rd
    • Preston Community Park — 0.3 miles — (Parking Link) Skirts the edge of the park entering a nature trail built by an Eagle Scout in 1999
    • Rose Hill WMA — 2 miles — (Southern Parking Link) Ascending Rose Hill offers at least one clear viewpoint and seasonal views along the ridge.  The trail logbook is in this section.
    • South Terminus at Shewsville Rd — 1.4 miles
      • No Parking until Rose Hill
      • 0.75 road walk on Thomas Rd ↔ Mathewson Mill Rd ↔ Fanning Rd
      • 0.4 miles of trail next to the Pequot Burial Grounds.  The good people at 57 Coachman Pike allow the trail to use their driveway so please be respectful traveling through their property
      • 0.25 mile road walk on Coachman Pike to terminus at Shewsville Rd
      • The Pequot Trail has remained nearly unchanged for its entire existence without any major reroutes
        • The trail was shortened by 2 miles sometime after 1990.  It used to connect to the Narragansett Trail at Lantern Hill, but it was likely housing developments in the Mashantucket Pequot reservation that disrupted access to the trail and no alternate has been allowed
      • Hellgate (trail was rerouted away in 2024 and no longer passes through) on the old woods road in the northern section must date back to colonial times and the origin is likely due to its hellacious nature as a difficult narrow section on a well-traveled colonial road
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