Posted By auntie on August 5, 2014

3.5 miles, middletown, ct

i’ve been wanting to do this hike ever since reading this blog post. it looked intriguing. and it was very scenic and very challenging. the blue-blazed mattabesett trail, maintained by the connecticut forest and park association, is part of the new england trail, which runs from the connecticut shore to the massachusetts/new hampshire border in athol, ma.

reservoir #2

as you can read in the above-referenced post, these reservoirs were built to service the state’s mental hospital in middletown, which is still in operation. there are three, creatively named asylum reservoir #1, asylum reservoir #2, and asylum reservoir #3. the blue-blazed mattabesett trail starts on brooks road and runs up the western shore of #2. there are some lovely views.

tiny forest

fungus shot! a batch of “lbms” (little brown mushrooms) on a log.

eesh. really?

again, sorry for the two-toned look. this was the start of what would become a defining characteristic of the mattabesett: climbing granite outcroppings. i think this is the first time i ended up on all fours, but not the last.

asylum reservoir #1

the views were worth the climb. this is looking northwest out over reservoir #1.

signage

i returned via a side, or loop trail, which was much easier than the main trail. the signage and blazing were very good overall, but the blazes were a bit more sparse on the loop trail.

i have added this hike to the hikefinder. the map in this entry is from etrailhead.net.

Categories: CFPA Trails, Connecticut, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2–5 miles, CT, Middletown CT