Schmid Overlook
20 acres in Coventry, CT
Parking: Shoulder parking near 88 Flanders Road, Coventry, CT
Trail Map Trails: 0.6 miles Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Schmid Overlook, one of Joshua’s Trust newest properties, is a nice short loop along the Willimantic River. A great amount of work has gone into making this a hikeable property it’s almost too bad that I don’t have tons of before and afters.
Hiking
The trail starts at a small pull-off about halfway between the bridge over the Willimantic River and the Country Store. The classic Joshua’s Trust yellow blazed trail heads down among the trees and quickly forks into a loop trail. Taking the right fork brings you between a vernal pool and the large swamp on the property. This area was a dumping ground in the past so a couple hundred feet of the trail were littered with broken glass, pottery, and rusting metal meticulously cleaned up by the Trust.
Past this the trails gets a bit rougher, but still blazed and easy enough to follow. It soon reaches the Willimantic River and offers a few nice views along the water. One small stream runs through the property and only a log for a bridge so may be impassable when the water is high. A few curves of the river later you cross over some sandy patches and return to the parking area.
The hike took about 15 minutes even with a few minutes enjoying the views along the banks of the river.
Boating
Looking forward, there are hopes to add a boat launch into the river here.
History:
This area was owned by the Coutu family and was mined for sand and gravel many years ago. The Dunnack family who had a homestead nearby built a baseball field in a clearing on the property, but it has long since disappeared.
Links:
- Joshua’s Trust – Newsletter Winter 2019 pg. 17
- Joshua’s Trust – Blog December 2020 ‘JT Trustee Walk: Schmid Overlook’
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Last updated March 12th, 2021
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