The Evolving Boehm Pond Trail System

A new map for 2026
(click image to enlarge)

There are new orange blazes at Boehm Pond this year with the addition of an access trail to Corn Hill Road. The access trail had been requested by the neighborhood so they wouldn't have to walk or drive down Far Mill Street to get on the trail system. There's a sharp descent down the embankment at the end of the cul-de-sac that was tricky to build (a few steps were needed), but after that it's a quick walk of 0.2 mile to get to the loops. 

The new access trail descends
steeply off of Corn Hill Road

After updating the trail map, I looked back at the history of this park and trail system. It's a great example of how parks and trail system evolve bit by bit over the years, explaining quirks that might leave you scratching your head.  

What we now call Boehm Pond Preserve has two parts. The older and larger section along Far Mill Street was acquired from the water company BHC about 50 years ago. The specifics have been lost to time, but it was likely excess watershed, because although it's located close to their Far Mill Reservoir (aka Isinglass Res.), it does not drain to it. It may have been a donation or used to pay taxes*. The water company probably owned the property for many decades and the usual signs of farming, like stone walls, are absent. Instead, we have several old mounds left behind from the making of charcoal, which was commonly used by the brass mills of the region.   

This 31-acre property was acquired
from BHC in 1976. The section to the north
was added in 2006.

The second part, about 20 acres, was added in 2006 when the old Boehm family farm was subdivided. This part is located mostly north of Winthrop Woods Road and includes the man-made pond for which the park is named.  

The original trail system in 2008
Note the network of ATV trails
(click image to enlarge)

2008 The trail system begins: The Trails Committee blazed an official white loop around on some old ATV tracks. For year, the open space property had been overlooked and was heavily impacted by ATVs, bike jump ramps and pits, firewood harvesting, and a maze of unauthorized trails.  A yellow spur trail to the newly acquired pond was also constructed, along with a bridge over Boehm Brook. 

2011 map showing the new yellow extension

2010 Yellow loop added: The Trails Committee cut a new trail in order to make a larger loop for hiking and blazed it yellow. 

2019 map showing the new red trail
and the active beaver pond.
Note the old ATV trails removed from the map as 
they began to recover

2019 Red trail added: While collecting city-wide data on conservation and pedestrian easements, a pedestrian easement involving Boehm Circle was noted. This is a private road, but during the subdivision process, a pedestrian easement was granted over the road for access to the new parkland. Beyond the paved road, the easement followed an old farm road that lead to the Boehm Pond, the same old road the official yellow spur trail followed for a short ways. The Trails Committee made a decision to clear out the old farm road and blaze it. At this time we noted that there was confusion while hiking because there were two intersections of the white and yellow trails. People didn't know where they were on the trail system. To clear up that problem, part of the yellow trail was reblazed red, and this red trail was extended all the way to Boehm Circle. Shortly after the trail was extended, beaver dammed up the pond outlet and the red trail became a fun shoreline trail for a couple years. 

2024  Microburst hits the park: One problem at this park up near Far Mill Street (which is at the top of  a hill) was how bare it was, for multiple reasons.  Oak-beech forests tend to be pretty sparse when it comes to shrubs and other plants, but there are also way too many deer eating any plant that tries to grow, and years of firewood harvesting that cleared out every stick of dead wood. The 2024 microburst dropped many trees near the top of the hill just below Far Mill Street. Although it looks messy, it also looks more natural now and helps shield the view of houses from the trail. In nature, messy is good. As a bonus, extra light should be reaching the forest floor, hopefully leading to new growth. 

* The filed deed states that the premises are "subject to the statutory lien for taxes payable to the City of Shelton on the Grand List of Oct. 1, 1975 which the grantee shall be responsible for."

Rec Path/SIS Loop

The SIS Connector is shown in blue
(click image to enlarge)

The SIS Connector Trail is possibly the most overlooked trail we have, if you consider that it can be used to created a one mile Rec Path loop that circles around the Intermediate School and features views of Silent Waters. The loop is 0.7 mile Rec Path (crushed stone), 0.1 mile school path (paved), and 0.2 mile SIS Connector (natural surface). 

The north end of the trail begins
behind SIS near a gate and a ballfield

The north end of the trail follows the top of a berm

The Connector Trail was recently freshened up with new blazes and routered signs were added at each end because apparently no one knew this trail existed. It was created in 2014 and has been shown on our trail map for a decade, but many people (sadly) tend not to look at the trail maps.  As a result, it tended to become overgrown. Every trail needs some foot traffic. Otherwise it just looks like some blazed trees in the woods. Speaking of blazes, this one is marked with yellow squares. 

The south end of the trail at Constitution Blvd
kitty-corner from the Dog Park

Here's a verbal description of the one-mile loop counterclockwise:

1. Park on Constitution Blvd North just past the Intermediate School at the hiker lot for the Rec Path and Turkey Trot Trail. 

2. Follow the Rec Path for 0.6 mile, passing the overlook for Silent Waters and continuing as if you were headed for Shelton Ave and the Dog Park. 

3. When you get to the intersection of Shelton Ave and Constitution Blvd, do NOT cross at the crosswalk for Shelton Ave. Cross Constitution Blvd instead. You should see a routered sign on a pine tree that says "SIS CONNECTOR" on it. 

4. Follow the yellow blazes of the Connector Trail for 0.2 mile, which comes to a "T" with a paved school path with ballfield on your right and the school to your left. Turn RIGHT onto the school path, keeping the ballfield to your right and continue for 0.1 mile. 

5. Turn LEFT when you come to the four-way junction, immediate after a bridge over Curtiss Brook. Follow the Rec Path for 0.1 mile to Constitution Blvd and your car. 

There is always the potential for an upgrade to a handicapped-accessible crushed stone surface. That would result in a one-mile handicapped accessible loop. Until then, the surface of the Connector Trail is natural, meaning there are some roots and uneven footing. 

Bridge Replacement for the Paugussett Indy Link

2025: Marc Rowen and Jeff Belair 
on the new bridge

Two new bridges in one month! This one was a replacement for Scout bridge on the Paugussett Trail just north of Independence Drive. There was no way the old bridge was going to make it thru another winter.  Maybe not even another week. There was rot everywhere.  

2013: Bridge installed by Daniel Vigezzi & Crew
Troop 27

This bridge had been through a lot. It was originally installed in 2013 by Daniel Vigezzi and Troop 27 as an Eagle Scout project back when the Paugussett Trail was brand new in this part of town. But the land is very wet with lots of roots, and over the next few years the chosen route turned into a muddy soup during the wet season. 

2020: Bridge moved by Marc Santacapita & Crew
Troop 19

So in 2020 we shifted the wettest section of the trail with the help of more Scouts. Marc Santacapita & Troop 19 moved Daniel's bridge to the a new location, which is just below the confluence of two intermittent streams. This spot has been backing up and flooding a few times a year, with water flowing over the trail. The bridge was well-pinned, so it never floated away, but it obstruct the flow at times. 

2025: Patched by Mark Vollaro in 2024, the bridge
is super punky and trapping leaves and sticks

In 2024, we noted that the bridge was getting a bit punky, but it was late in the season and pretty cold when one of the beams cracked in the center, with one side of the bridge visibly sagging. Mark Vollaro administered an emergency patch to get it through the winter, which included a stack of cinder blocks under the cracked section.  We meant to replace the bridge in 2025 while the stream bed was dry, but ran out of time. It seemed this would be a 2026 project. But during a November trail monitoring check, I saw that sticks and leaves had packed in under the bridge due to the cinder blocks. It looked like a beaver dam under there, and the water was higher on one side. And the beams were punkier than ever. If the bridge didn't collapse on a hiker, a big storm might just blow it out. And the trail was likely to then be impassable. 

Terry designed a replacement bridge and spent
a morning getting lumber to the site with Teresa

So Terry Gallagher drew up a bridge plan and supply list, and we spent a Saturday morning getting the lumber onsite. It sounds simple, and it is, but it's time consuming. First there was the truck rental, then endlessly picking through boards at Home Depot to find good ones, loading the rental truck, unloading the truck, returning the truck (and gassing it back up), and carrying all those heavy boards down the trail. It took all morning.

Terry's plan called for heavier timbers than the original bridge, and for the bridge to be placed on 5x5s to raise it up and allow for flood waters to flow unobstructed. This should also give it the wood better air flow so it's less prone to rot. 

Mark and Jeff pulled decking off the old bridge

After we got the wood onsite, I put out a request for help to a core group of volunteers to start working on the bridge. Jeff Belair and Mark Rowen both offered to help, so the three of us met at the site and got to work.  Having Jeff there for a construction project is a huge help since he has a ton of carpentry experience and knows how to get things done. 

The old frame crumpled from rot when it was tossed aside. 

Jeff and Mark quickly fabricated the two beams and walked one end of each across the old bridge, then used them as planks while they unscrewed the decking off the old bridge. When they flipped the old bridge frame off to the side, both of the old beams promptly crumpled. So much rot! Hard to believe the bridge had still been standing. 

So much rot! This is one of the two beams holding it up

Mark cleared out the clogged channel

As I started cutting up the boards, Mark donned a pair of waders and started cleaning out the sticks and leaves that had dammed up there. I had removed a lot of a few days earlier, but there was still plenty to pull out of there. Mark was just officially appointed to the Trails Committee by the Board of Aldermen, so we joked that this was his initiation. The cinder blocks were temporarily left in place in order to support one of the beams while they worked on it. 

Jeff attached the frame spacers

Jeff somehow managed to keep his feet dry through all of this, which is a special talent. After assembling the frame, the guys set it on four 5x5 landscaping timbers, taking care to level them out with rocks. This was all going very quickly. 

Jeff and Mark raised the frame up on 5x5 landscaping timbers

While Jeff installed the decking at the speed of light, Mark dismantled what was left of the old bridge, and we carried all the old boards up to the road. 

Jeff installed the decking and then crafted steps
using left-over lumber

Once the decking was done, Jeff improvised a step on each side using boards that were left over. The old bridge decking was nearly level with the trail, but this new bridge decking was maybe 18" up. The steps were a great addition. 

It's done!

And just like that, the bridge was done! It took just over three hours to construct. It actually took longer than that just to get the lumber there. 

Teresa returned to fix a nearby tilted
section of bog walk 

But wait, there's more! The other issue I had noted during my trail inspection was a nearby section of bogwalk that had rotated and was now tilted at a sharp angle. It would be impossible to walk on if wet and slippery. It had been a problem for a few years because the supporting 6x6's "sleepers" were too short for the soupy mud there. But it had suddenly gotten much worse because a couple nearby small trees had begun to uproot, pulling up the ground under one side of the bogwalk.  I worked on that for the rest of the afternoon. I cut away the root balls from under the bogwalk and then added three landscaping timbers that were nice and long to spread the weight out across the muck. Much better!

A nice end to the day!