Tahmore Trail Reroute Complete

The Red Roof Promontory, partly blazed 

The west half of Tahmore Trail has been rerouted and reopened. Originally, this reroute was going to be completed on April 4 with a big work party, but due to the ongoing pandemic, all work parties have been cancelled and probably will be for a long time. In the meantime, the number of people on the trails has just exploded. So a couple of us just went ahead and cleared the trail.

It's open!!

This is rugged terrain, and a few parts of the new route go along the side of a hill. We were going to have those sections all leveled out and dug into the hill on April 4, but it was not to be. We did get the worst sections leveled off, and will continue to improve the tread a little at a time. We'll get to it! But if anyone with a strong back needs community service or just something to do, let us know. We'll supply the tools if you supply the labor. 

More of the trail will be dug in like this

There is always, always a golf ball

The newly improved Tahmore Trail is a really nice 1.0 mile loop, encompassing the Indian Well overlook (formerly a part of the old Paugussett Trail) and now the hilltop we've been calling 'top of Tahmore.'  The footing is a lot better than the old trail, even with the parts that still need to get dug in.  A really nice 'lollipop loop' is to start at Indian Well across from the beach, go up the stairs, hang a left on the Paugussett, continue up hill to the overlook (an elevation gain of 200 feet) and then do the Tahmore Loop (another 100 feet up). A good, quick work out with great views and there aren't usually any crowds.

A note about the old route: A number of locals have hiked part or all of the old route even though it wasn't being maintained and parts didn't even have any blazing left. This is especially true of the part closest to Tahmore Place. It followed an old woods road which was nice and gentle but went right along the edge of some back yards. That first part of the old route remains open, it's just not blazed. Some locals have been bushwhacking off of the old trail to bypass the southern lobe of the old loop, the part with a bridge. That little bushwhacking route has been cleared out because it now connects the old route with the new trail in only 75 feet. Locals 'in the know' can continue following the old route and quickly link up with the new route. It's shown as a faded gray dot on the new map. Regional hikers coming in from Indian Well will stay on the blazed trail.

An updated map is on the Shelton Conservation webpage or click HERE.  Access is via Indian Well State Park (see map) or locally by parking at the end of Tahmore Place (GPS #30 Tahmore Place).