Shenipsit Trail: North Terminus

Shenipsit Trail: North Terminus

Connecticut State Forest and Blue Blaze Trail

716 acres in Somers and Stafford, CT

Parking:

• North Parking: Shoulder parking near 24 Greaves Rd, Stafford Springs, CT
• South Parking: Small lot near 26 Galbraith Rd, Stafford Springs, CT

Trail Map             Trails: 3.2 miles         Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I purposefully saved this north end of the Shenipsit Trail un-hiked until my thru-hike in 2023.  I thought it would appropriate to explore brand new trail at the end of the experience. I was pretty tired after hiking the previous 47 miles and pretty sore too so I don’t think I fully got to enjoy these last couple miles.  This rugged and hilly property has a lot to offer and I’m looking forward to going back, perhaps to do some trail running.

Hiking

The trail enters off Galbraith Road briefly taking the gated gravel Avery Road before making a hard turn into the forest to cross the rocky Lievre Brook.  The trail then gradually climbs to an wide old tote road and crosses Old Country Road to enter true trail.

The last 3/4s are rocky outcrops and the valleys between them.  Nothing terribly unique other than a tree with an official sign calling it the Whistling Tree.  It’s mostly just a stump now and maybe the wind catches it just right sometimes.  The trail does climb one particularly large hill at the north end and there’s some kind of tiny view that likely improves in the winter.

The trail then makes a long sloping rock strewn descent until reaching Old Springfield Road.  Then heading about 500 ft down Greaves Road to it’s current unceremonious end on the side of the road. There is another parcel of the Shenipsit State Forest to the north here that would get you within a mile of the Mass border and I’m sure the CFPA has long term plans to extend the trail in that direction.

Heading South: 0.8 mile road walk on Galbraith Rd/Rt-190/Sodom Rd towards Soapstone Mountain

History:

The used to continue west and north to cross over Bald Mountain and The Pinnacle before continuing on past north of Camp Aya-Po to just shy of the planned end at the Massachusetts border on Rattlesnake Hill.  Unfortunately that section has been abandoned for a few decades now.

Links:

• CTMQ – Shenipsit Trail: Section 6 (2016)

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Last updated June 12th, 2023