Iron Mine Valley

Iron Mine Valley Preserve

Joshua’s Trust

52 acres in Ashford, CT

Parking: Shoulder parking near 31 Sand Hill Rd, Ashford, CT

Trail Map         Trails: 1.3 miles       Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Iron Mine Valley Preserve is split into East and West trails.  The 1 mile West Trail starts from Sand Hill Road and heads down a nicely mowed path into the forest until meeting the fork for the loop.  The loop is simple with trees and interesting rock formations and the trail is lightly traveled

You drop over 140ft of elevation until reaching the highlight of the hike, a spur in the boggy area near Boston Hollow Brook. The area feels right out the Jurassic age with massive ferns, thick wild moss, and sucking mud pits. Beyond the boggy area is a peaceful pine grove and a flat stretch of brook.  Note: You’ll have to retrace your steps back through the bog to complete the loop, blazes here do connect across the brook to the East Trail.

The East Trail is 0.3 miles down Iron Mine Lane. You can park at the small lot for the Pixie Falls section of the Nipmuck Trail and walk past the gate further down the dirt road until the trail turns off to the right.  There are plenty of No Trespassing signs that make it feel a bit unfriendly, but I assure you that you can hike down there to access the loop trail, clear blazes guide where you’re supposed to turn. The brook is low enough to rock hop and they’ve even assembled the rocks for you if you want to check out this trail from the west side or vice versa. You can also do a short road walk to do an outer loop.

History:

Preserved in separate parcels donated in 1990 and 2001.

Links:

• CTMQ – Iron Mine Valley (2017)
• Peter Marteka  – A Magical Waterfall And A River Of Hope In The Wilds Of Ashford (2015)

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Last updated July 27th, 2024