Posted By auntie on February 4, 2019

2.8 miles; North Stonington, Preston, and Griswold, CT

The weather was just so beautiful (especially for February!) that I had to get out, and I’m very glad I did. This section of the TriTown Preserve is flat out gorgeous. Strenuous, but gorgeous. I started, again, later than I planned to, so I cut it short, but I need NEED to get back here again soon to finish the blue-blazed Wapayu Trail. Amazing.

Great Signage

First off, I was highly impressed by the blazing and signage. It’s a new preserve, of course, so everything is shiny and new. Still, there’s a good trail map at every intersection, and there are even signs that point the way back to the trailhead on Miller Road. Fantastic.

Old Trash

I don’t understand why, but “old” trash is somehow quite appealing, especially compared to our current kind. Here I found another couple of my fave old enamel bowls, and some other pretty pressed glass pieces. All busted up and useless, of course, but still nice.

Lambert “Mountain”

The trail map for this property (see link, below) describes the Wapayu Trail as “more difficult.” You would be justified in wondering what the heck they mean by that at first… the trail is a nice, flat or at least gently rolling, old woods road, taken clockwise from the trailhead. But at about the mile and a quarter mark, it turns off the road and you see this ahead of you. This is Lambert Mountain. And yes, it’s a “mountain” only in the southeastern Connecticut sense (about 510 feet), but it’s still a pretty steep climb.

View

You do get a pretty nice view from atop the “peak,” though.

Cliff Crest Byway

There are several blue-and-white blazed side trails on this hike that loop back to the main trail, but with all the rain we’ve had here lately, I think I can be forgiven for passing up the “Bottomland Byway” and the “Brook Byway.” Couldn’t resist something called the “Cliff Crest Byway,” though. It wasn’t as spectacular as I’d hoped, and a little rough.

Old Fungus 1

Old Fungus 2

Just because I could, here are some impressive off-season fungus shots.

And at this point in my hike, I intersected the main Red Trail. All the red-blazed trails lead to trailheads. There are a total of four trailheads to this property, but this particular one is marked “Exit.” Which I decided to do, as it was getting a bit late. But I promised myself I’d be back as soon as possible to finish Wapayu.

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about this property and get a trail map on its Avalonia Land Conservancy website (and check out the nifty new Avalonia logo!). As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Categories: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2–5 miles, CT, Griswold CT, North Stonington CT, Preston CT