Hike the Mattabesett Trail

The Mattabesett Trail is one of Connecticut’s blue blaze trails maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. It runs 64 miles in a V-shape from Middletown south to Guilford and then north to Berlin. The trail is filled with remote vistas, traprock on the Metacomet Ridge, and other highlights.

It is also part of the 215 mile New England National Scenic Trail (NET) through with connections to the Menunkatuck Trail to the south and the Metacomet Trail to the north.

Currently I have only hiked portions of the trail so this is an incomplete guide.

Fastest Known Time: Justin Kousky 14h11m17s on 2020-06-27

• https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mattabesett-trail-ct

Section List

(East to West) Distances may be slightly off due to reroutes

• Mattabesett East Terminus – 4.8 miles (Parking Link)  – Unexplored, rock pile cave at 3.4 miles and a connection to the Asylum Reservoir trails
• Bear Hill – 4.2 miles (North Parking) (South Parking) – Climb to the rocky summit amidst thick mountain laurel
• Seven Falls – 1.5 miles – (Parking Link) – Recent reroute that makes the best of a utility corridor before passing the falls
• 1.9 mile road walk Nedobity Rd to Brainard Hill Rd
• Unnamed Stretch – 2.5 miles – (North Parking) (South Parking) – Unexplored
• 0.7 road walk Foot Hills Rd to Weise Albert Rd
• Millers Pond State Park – 3.1 miles (North Parking) (South Parking) – Past Millers Pond to Bear Rock overlook
• Coginchaug Cave – 4.7 miles – (North Parking) – Unexplored, due to a reroute the trail no longer passes the cave and is a half mile side trail. This stretch now reaches all the way to Mt. Pisagh
• Mt. Pisagh – 1.5 miles – (Parking) – Unexplored
• Mica Ledges — 1 mile – (Parking) – Unexplored
• Rockland Preserve – 1.4 miles (Parking) – Unexplored
  • Camping Area Godman Group Campsite
• Broomstick Ledges – 2.8 miles – (Bluff Head Parking) – Unexplored
• Bluff Head – 3.9 miles (Parking) – Climb to an overlook view before traveling through deep woods
• 0.5 mile road walk Stagecoach Rd to Rt 17
• Tri-Mountain State Park — 4 miles (South Parking) – Unexplored
• 0.2 mile road walk on Rt. 68
  • Camping Area Cattails Shelter
• Black Pond – 5.1 miles – (North Parking) (South Parking) – A long hike on the Beseck Mountain Ridge culminating in a cliff overlook of Black Pond
• Mt. Higby –3.7 miles – (Parking Note: if you use the Higby Mountain Trail Head on Google Maps it will direct you to the Black Pond parking area) – Rugged hike with many great views
• 1.2 mile road walk Country Club Rd over I-91 to Bell St
• Higland Pond – 0.5 miles – Unexplored
• 0.4 mile road walk on Atkins St.
• Giuffrida Park – 3.5 miles – Parking – A U shaped hike over Chauncey Peak, down to the reservoir and up towards the west ridge
• Lamentation Mtn State Park – 3.3 miles – (North Parking)
• 0.8 mile road walk to Metacomet Trail
  • Camping Area Lamentation Mtn Primitive Tentsite

Links

• CFPA Mattabesett Official Link
• New England Trail Official Link
• New England Trail ExploreCT Link

Mattabesset Blogs

• CTMQ – Mattabesett Trail Intro
• Tangled Up in Blue (2020)
• Scott Livingston – New England Trail Mattabesett End to End (2020)
• Air Land Sea – Mattabesett Fastest Known Time (2019)
• Scenes from the Trail – Mattabesett (2019)
• McWilliams Takes A Hike – Mattabesett Trail (2016)