2017 Lollipop Hike #6: Tahmore Loop

SUMMARY: This is one of the more strenuous hikes in the Lollipop League challenge with issues of wet spots, leaves and acorns, depending on the time of year. It starts with a steep incline, heads to a Housatonic River overlook, follows the 1.3 mile Tahmore Loop and returns via the steep slope to your parked car. A hiking stick is a real help on this hike. It should take 90-120 minutes to complete.

PARKING: From Route 110, take Indian Well Road. Drive past the first parking area on your right, continuing over the stone bridge, and park on the left in a small lot across the street from the entrance to the beach area. The beach entrance is marked with the familiar DEEP sign in the shape of an acorn that says "Indian Well State Park." The small hiker lot across the street is free but can fill up at busy times.

BLAZE COLORS: This trail starts with White Blazes until you reach the Blue Blazed Paugussett Trail, then on to the Blue / Yellow Blazes of the Tahmore Loop.

TRAIL MAP:

HIKE DESCRIPTION:  The trail begins from the parking lot and goes up the steep hill following White Blazes. The White Trail intersects the Blue Blazed Paugussett Trail; take a left.  Stay on the Blue Blazed trail past the Blue / Yellow intersection to arrive at an unobstructed overlook of the Housatonic River.

After enjoying the view, go back the way you came to the Blue / Yellow Blazed trail, bear left and left at the next intersection to go clockwise around the Tahmore Loop. Continue following this well marked trail of Blue / Yellow blazes.  As you come to Land Trust property the Blaze is a Blue Bar with yellow Dot in the center.  Some of these blazes are faded.  These Blazes begin to transition back to Blue / Yellow Bar. Following the Blue / Yellow blazes you'll go up a hill then down again to a valley between two hills.

At this point, a Red Trail comes in on the right along the valley floor, while our Blue / Yellow blazes go left, then right to climb a short, steep hill. This next section has some areas that need to be benched into the side of a hill to reduce the cross slope (attention Scouts!). The trail goes down hill for a long ways, passing a view of a meadow with cattle, and then goes up a small hill to an interesting rocky knoll surrounded by placed boulders and cedar trees.

At this cedar knoll the trail goes sharply right and continues on to pass through a stone wall then cross over a wooden bridge. Up the hill then, and the new blazing ends due to a possible reroute, but you should be able to spot some of the older, faded blazes as the trail continues up the hill and follows an old road at the very edge of the Land Trust property, with a long stone wall on the left. You will be walking next to several homes and back yards. Continue past the Tahmore parking area on the left and the Red Trail on your right. As you complete the loop you will take the left on the Blue / Yellow Blaze trail to the Blue Blazed Trail, turning left to the White Trail on your right and down to your car.