Posted By auntie on February 23, 2019

3.1 miles; East Lyme, CT

It’s been a tad over 7 years since I last hiked here, and I guess I really didn’t see that much of it the first time because I found a whole ‘nuther set of trails that went over the Amtrak tracks and to a gorgeous old building that fronts the beach. Also, I did a DIY nose job on myself by walking into a tree limb that crossed the trail. More on that later…

Four Mile River

I decided I’m going for the 2019 Sky’s the Limit hiking challenge put on by the Connecticut DEEP. See the link for details. I grouped the 14 hikes into 4 bunches, based on their proximity to one another, and the first group I chose to hike is the closest to home, and includes Rocky Neck State Park, Harkness Memorial State Park, and Barn Island Wildlife Management Area.

For Rocky Neck, instead of doing the normal thing and going into the main entrance, I chose to park in a little lot across from a KOA campground on West Main Road and hike in from there. I’m a rebel like that.

Amtrak

Not showing you my selfies, sorry. But let me know if you need scary pictures to frighten your children or grandchildren into submission.

I hiked down the blue trail, which hugs the western edge of the park and gives several nice views of the Four Mile River and the coastline, including the first Selfie Spot at “Tony’s Nose.” I still don’t know who Tony was. There was a sizable parking lot at the end of the blue trail which I was pretty sure wasn’t the main parking area, and there was a bridge that led from that over the Amtrak tracks. Once again managed to catch the northbound Acela on camera as I crossed the bridge, because of course I crossed the bridge. There was a large, no, huge old building on the other side and I was curious to see where the bridge went.

Gorgeous Facade

This is the Ellie Mitchell Pavilion. From the state’s website:

The historic stone Ellie Mitchell Pavilion dominates the park’s western shoreline.  In the 1930’s, relief agencies constructed the curved masonry building of native materials and crafted supporting pillars with wood cut from each of the state parks and forests.

It’s beautiful, isn’t it? You’d never guess it looked like this from the railroad tracks side. I didn’t see the supporting pillars of wood because it wasn’t open, and I’m guessing they’re inside the building. Which, by the way, you can rent.

Shoreline and Picnic Area

Then you turn around and there’s a panoramic view of Long Island Sound, fronted by a large grass picnic area and a gorgeous white sand beach. Wow, I really had no idea.

Marsh

Anyway, after marveling over the once-overlooked ocean overlook, I moved on to the second Selfie Spot, the marsh near the main parking lot, then continued up the trail, opting, at the intersection, for the white trail which follows Brides Brook.

Cool Old Red Blaze

Brides Brook

The white trail along Brides Brook was lovely, and fairly straight and level, and I was marching along at a good clip, eyes on the ground, when suddenly *WHAM*!!!! Yep, I was so focused on the ground and where I put my feet that I forgot to watch for overhanging tree limbs. The fact that I always wear a hat with a visor made the situation worse, because I quite literally never saw it coming.

I saw stars for a moment, and my nose promptly started gushing blood. And when I say gushing, I mean I was so quickly blood-covered all down the front of my shirt and pants I decided to skip the other two STL sites and just go home, before I got arrested on suspicion of murder. I must have lost a pint before the gush slowed to a trickle.

And I used to have this bump on the bridge of my nose that always kind of annoyed me… well, not anymore. I squashed it flat.

Track (click for details)

You can find out all about Rocky Neck State Park from the CT DEEP website. For details on the 2019 Sky’s the Limit Challenge, see the STL website. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Categories: CFPA Trails, Connecticut
Tags: 2–5 miles, CT, East Lyme CT