Coney Rock Preserve

This is a combined entry for both the town park and the Joshua’s Trust property.  A steep hike on town white-blazed trail leads to a great scenic view of Mansfield Hollow and beyond.  From there you can hike a couple other trails (all named for their former land owners) adding up to five miles.

Further exploration across Chaffeeville Rd from the parking area, you can visit the ruins of the former Chaffeeville Silk Mill as well as catch the blue-blazed Nipmuck Trail for longer hikes.

Additionally you could start near the end of Woodland Rd and hike through the Joshua’s Trust Proposal Rock property up to the overlook.  It’s a slightly longer hike up to the overlook but a more moderate climb.

I often trail run a section of this park as part of a 10 mile loop combining the Mansfield Hollow yellow loop, Dorwart Preserve, Coney Rock, down to the Nipmuck Trail and over to 50 Foot Cliff, through the iron bridges section, and back onto the Mansfield Hollow yellow loop.

Proposal Rock – 17 Acres

At the northeastern edge of Coney Rock is a separate parcel owned by Joshua’s Trust known as Proposal Rock.  It serves as a separate entrance to Coney Rock off Woodland Rd.  The trail is an old cart path that connects to Mulberry Rd and the Dorwart Preserve with options to head uphill on either the Woodland Rd Trail or the Mullane Trail.  It is called Proposal Rock because the donor Leonora Mullane’s father proposed to her mother on one of the large boulders on the property.