Pequot Trail

Hike the Pequot Trail

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

Links

• CFPA Official Link
• CTMQ’s Guide to the Pequot Trail
• Fastest Known Time (use this link for all FKTs)

  • Ben Nephew

    2h 19m 0s

    2020-11-14

[expand title=”History of the Pequot Trail”]

• 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 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 [/expand]

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 fabled Hellgate
  • 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
• Lincoln 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