Shelton's Lost Trails

A trail to the Pine Rock Park "Swimming Hole" had to be 
fenced off due to rampant misuse and mountains of litter

Here are some trails we used to have in Shelton and now we don't.  The reasons for the trails being abandoned vary, but we've learned to think hard about whether any new trail should be built. Is it on protected land? Who will maintain it? Is there parking?  Will anyone want to use the trail?  But even if the trail is used and maintained, other issues may shut it down, as in our first example: 

Far Mill River Trail at Pine Rock Park  This trail to the so-called "swimming hole" at Pine Rock Park was around for decades in one form or another, mostly following a sewer line to a deep pool below gorgeous falls in the river. It's one of the prettiest spots in Shelton. But with the rise of the Internet, word got out, and growing crowds of people began to descend on the swimming hole. They came from as far away as New York or New Jersey, and caused all sorts of problems in the neighborhood, clogging the streets, leaving piles of litter, and keeping people up at night. The City of Shelton spent years enforcing 'no parking' signs from the adjacent Pine Rock Park neighborhood. When a commercial development proposal for 865 River Road came before the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2006, an arrangement was made to provide parking spots there in the hopes that people would stop parking in Pine Rock Park. That did work for awhile.

Trail to the Pine Rock Park "Swimming Hole,"
now fenced off from the general public

The Trails Committee became involved at that point, creating a trail in 2008 from the back of 865 River Road to connect with the old trail. It was a lot of work and included three sets of stairs, but the area was beautiful, and the trail provided fishing access. Sadly, over the years the crowds kept growing and growing, causing serious problems in the parking lot and leaving enormous piles of litter at the "swimming hole" each summer weekend as well as lots of graffiti. (Here's a blog post about that from 2013).  Finally, in 2015, the City of Shelton allowed the owner to erect a tall fence and prohibit river access from their facility. 

That returned pressure at Pine Rock Park, and in 2021 an 8-ft fence was installed along the back of the City's Pearl Bach Open Space where people were cutting through to gain access to Stratford's property.  Public access to the Swimming Hole was thus eliminated. 

The old part of the trail follows a sewer line

This was always a frustrating and complex issue because the open space property in question, north of the river, is within the boundaries of Shelton, but owned by the Town of Stratford as part of their Far Mill River Park. So the City of Shelton didn't have authority to manage it, but the Town of Stratford didn't have good access and considered it to be a nature preserve, not a public facility that needed intense daily management. For a couple years, Stratford had an access trail on their side of the river, with a tiny parking spot, but the trail was covered in thorny overgrowth and the tiny parking lot became a problem.  Everyone finally just gave up and fenced it off. It was a real loss because the river is absolutely gorgeous. And this is why we can't have nice things. 

This type of problem is happening all over the state where there are potential "swimming holes." At Indian Well State Park, problems at the falls have gotten so bad that park staff have taken to closing off the parking area and making the falls as hard to access as possible. The problems at Wadsworth Falls State Park became so bad that neighbors created a Facebook Page to address the issue. 

Well Spring Estates/Far Mill Crossing: This short-lived trail was located along the south side of the Far Mill River near Old Stratford Road and Far Mill Crossing. It was only about 800 feet long, if that, but passed by some interesting old ruins and provided fishing access. Its creation was one of the conditions of approval for the PDD housing development known as Well Spring Estates in 2004. Designated public parking was down a driveway off of Far Mill Crossing. Trails Committee volunteers did some maintenance (see this blog post for some nice photos of a work party), but that came to an end when the public parking area was eliminated. Residents had concerns that parked vehicles might obstruct emergency response vehicles. The general public is now required to park on the street and walk down the driveway to access a very short trail, something most people wouldn't want to do.  

Trail at Well Spring Estates, now overgrown.
The parking area was closed to the public, ending interest in
maintaining the trail.

This particular trail still has some potential. It officially ended at the border with private properties, although an old fishing path continued along the edge of the river. On the other side of these private properties (0.4 mile) is some Shelton Open Space and then Stratford's Far Mill River Park, which continues for over a mile along the steep river bank to Rt 110.  Conservation & Trails have long hoped to extend the Paugussett Trail from Buddington Road to the Far Mill River and out to Rt 110, ending at the old landfill (which was supposed to have a public access/boating component to it on the river side), but there are many hurdles that would need to be cleared. 

Wakelee View Trail (Waterview Drive): This trail was formally proposed by the Open Space Committee in 1996 (this committee no longer exists) for the Shelton Heights Industrial Park area off of Constitution Blvd South. The details are lost to time, but people involved seem to remember that it was in response to a request by Pitney Bowes.  The industrial park was mostly still vacant at the time. The Trails Committee had not yet been established, but a few years later the committee was created and the 0.9-mile Wakelee View Trail became their first project. No idea why it was called that. The trail traversed the periphery of the industrial park through a 100-ft conservation easement area up on an open hillside. 

Wakelee View Trail
(most of the buildings had not been constructed yet)

It was a big project but almost immediately became overgrown.  Trails Committee members had been under the impression that Pitney Bowes employees would help out with maintenance, but it didn't happen. The trail never seems to have gotten much use, probably because it was unimproved (a paved or crushed stone path would be more attractive for people on their lunch hour, like the popular paved corporate path near Trap Falls Reservoir).  Also, this was the same year that the Shelton Lake regions became open space, and the Trails Committee's volunteers were enthusiast about getting some new trails there established, including the Rec Path. 

Wakelee View Trail

Land Trust/Boy Scout Trails: A number of trails created by Boy Scouts have been lost over the years, including a network of trails across the Stockmal and Willis Woods properties. Prior to the creation of Nicholdale Farm in the 1990s, the Stockmal family hosted a Boy Scout camping area on their private land, which abuts the Land Trust's Willis Woods property. A number of hiking trails were blazed, but after the Scout camp was moved to the new Nicholdale Farm property, those trails were not maintained and became impassible.  Some sections of the newer Stockmal Trail and Willis Wood Trail coincide with these lost trails. The Scout camp was located at the current end of Stockmal Trail.

Another Land Trust/Scout trail in danger of being lost is the one off of Commerce Drive leading down towards the Far Mill River. A kiosk marks the spot. This was a great project and benches were installed. A general challenge of hiking trails created by Scouts is there is often no maintenance program in place to keep those trails clear, so they become overgrown quickly, especially if crossing sunny areas with lots of vegetation.

CFPA's Paugussett Trail, Hook-Up Trail, and the Birchbank Access Trail: Built in the 1930s, the Paugussett Trail used to stretch from the Stevenson Dam in Monroe all the way through Shelton to Roosevelt Forest in Stratford. The trail was managed by the non-profit Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA). Everything south of Indian Well was abandoned in the  1970s or 80s when land was cleared for new housing developments. The trail was originally built largely on private property with only a handshake agreement, so when suburbanization ramped up, the trail was lost. The construction of Aspetuck Village was a major disruption, as were the office parks along Commerce Drive. Note that a portion of the trail was re-established in the 2010's using a new, protected route. Read more.  Many other sections of the Paugussett from Birchbank to Webb Mtn were also lost or shifted in response to subdivisions. Lesson: Route trails on preserved lands where possible, or otherwise try to preserve a corridor for them. 

1946 CFPA Map showing the Paugussett, Pomperaug, 
and Hook-Up Trails (click to enlarge)
Surviving routes are in blue

The Hook-Up Trail linked the Paugussett Trail in Shelton to the Pomperaug Trail in Monroe. It passed through farmland of the White Hills. We don't know much about this trail, but assume it was lost when private properties were subdivided.  Much of the southern Pomperaug Trail was also lost, and one orphaned stretch south of the Stevenson Dam was became part of the Paugussett Trail. Read more.

The Birchbank Access Trail to the Paugussett, blazed blue/yellow, was official abandoned due to unchecked ATV damage. After the City of Shelton purchased the land in 1998, the trail was re-opened (now blazed white), and ATV use was enforced. 

The Bluff Walk at Riverview Park: A section of Shelton's first recreational trail was lost when it was buried under fill for a ballfield and the basketball parking area. The trail goes way back to the at least the early 1900s and can be seen on an aerial from 1934. The two ballfields were in place by 1965 and the basketball court by 2004. The section in the photo below still exists behind the large ballfield, while a new trail was dug into the fill slope behind the small ballfield. The Bluff Walk currently crosses the pavement at the basketball courts because the fill slope is too steep for a trail (a portion collapsed in a landslide a few years ago). 

Old post card showing the Bluff Walk at Riverview Park,
looking down on the canal. 

Our Crew Slang for Trail Locations

"The Pin Oaks" section of the Paugussett is located between 
"the Maybeck Wall" and "the Tunnel." 

Trail crews need a quick way to specify locations out in the middle of the woods, so they make up names.  Here are some (mostly) unofficial names that get used, many going back decades. It's interesting to see how place names are created on the fly. Many start out as jokes, some start out as landmark descriptions and get shortened, and a few are from old deeds. What's important is that they stick. Something about the name is memorable and people keep using them.  New members can be a little lost when the old timers throw out these names, so here's a glossary. 

 Rec Path: (locations are listed going south)

• The Missing Link: This is the unpaved section between the High School and the Intermediate School. The Rec Path was completed over many years in various phases. The paved portion was the first part completed, but it stopped at the junction with the school path, and the way ahead was a tangled mass of vegetation. To continue following the Rec Path, you had to detour onto the school paths and rejoin the Rec Path at Constitution Blvd. Committee members refer to that section as "the Missing Link" to this day. 
• Dean's Gate: This is the big gate you walk around just before you get to Oak Valley Road. Yahoos in trucks were forcing the original gate open and driving up the old road (now Oak Valley Trail) to Shelton Ave, so Dean Cawthra, working in the Parks & Rec Department, had a very heavy-duty custom gate installed. It worked. 
• Great Ledge: This is the big ledge under the powerlines between Oak Valley Road and Wesley Drive. The name came from very old deeds and is now frequently used because it's catchy.
• Lizard Head Rock: This is the rock formation near the upper Wesley Drive crossing. In the 1990s, when the Huntington Woods development was first proposed (as 210 condos!) and the land was still wooded, Conservation & Trails representatives were scouting out the area trying to figure out where they could feasibly build the Rec Path. Someone mentioned that the landmark rock formation looked like Godzilla (that hit movie had recently come out). It doesn't, really, but the comment stuck. Ever since then, the rock has been referred to as "Lizard Head." For a few years, that stretch of trail was called "Lizard Lane."
• Upper and Lower Wesley Crossings: The upper crossing is where the Rec Path crosses Wesley Drive up on the hill (the north crossing near Crab Apple Circle) and the lower crossing is the one at the bottom of the hill (the south crossing heading towards Lane Street). 

The Rec Path's "Missing Link" in 2007
It's still called that, even though the trail was built years ago.

Nells Rock Trail: 

• Four Corners: This is the north trail junction between Nells Rock Trail and the Paugussett Trail. No one really remembers how it got this name, other than the junction is very open and at right angles. 
• Gator Glide: This is the smooth ledge underfoot just before you arrive at the powerlines if going counterclockwise around the loop. Occasionally water will glide down the rock from the swamp up above. According to legend, Trails Committee member Bill Dyer once got the Trails Gator going a bit too fast and became briefly airborne when going down the glide. Hence "Gator Glide."  
• Abby Wright parking area: This is the parking lot across from L'Hermitage Condos and Chordas Pond, one of four recreational parking areas along Nells Rock Road. Abby Wright was the former property owner, and the land was original acquired many decades ago to be used as a landfill. Conservation Commission members always referred to the property as the Abby Wright open space. 

"Gator Glide" while flooded
(this is the treadway for Nells Rock Trail)

Oak Valley Trail

• The Sheep Pen Bridge: This is where a new bridge was constructed in 2024. Staff had noted the remains of a zig-zag fence parallel to a rock face, giving the spot the look of a livestock enclosure. Since sheep were common in the 1800s, it became known as the Sheep Pen. And the bridge became the Sheep Pen Bridge. 
• Cranberry Swamp: OK, this one doesn't get used much, but its name goes back to the 1700's and 1800's from deeds. It's the vast swamp that Oak Valley Trail circles goes around. Maybe it once had cranberries?

The Sheep Pen Bridge, Oak Valley Trail

Paugussett Trail South (Buddington Rd to RT 110) (locations are listed going north)

• "J" Pond: This is the tiny vernal pool located between Nells Rock Trail and Eklund Garden. A bridge crosses the pool. The name comes from the shape of the pond, which appears to be man-made. Salamanders are known to breed in the pond. Spooner Swamp is the big nearby wooded wetland, formerly owned by the Spooners. 
• Northwest Passage: This name has pretty much died out, but was used extensively while the blue trail was being extended north from Shelton Lakes towards Indian Well, around 2007. It refers to the section between Independence Drive and Meadow Street, especially Wiacek Meadows, which was the last and hardest section of the trail to route and construct. The terrain is poorly drained with hard pan, there are vast thorny barberry thickets, and the powerlines run through it.  The term "Northwest Passage" means a fabled route that might turn out to be a pipe dream, so it was something of a joke. Much of this trail has been shifted and "improved" over the years in response to extensive mud, roots, and gullies. 
• Dyer Straits: Another obsolete one. This referenced the first route of the new blue trail just north of Independence Drive, where it went directly under the powerlines and crossed a brook. It was a nightmare to maintain, and was later shifted into the trees (and later shifted again due to wetlands). Committee member Richard Skudlarek made up the name Dyer Straits in jest at one point (we don't remember the specifics, but it involved Bill Dyer) and it stuck for many years.
• Indy Link: This is the section between Independence Drive and Constitution Blvd. "Indy" is short for Independence Drive, and "Link" signifies a section of trail that is not so much a destination hike as a way to get from one park to another. This term was thought out deliberately because it was annoying to keep saying "that section north of Independence Drive." 
• The Maybeck Wall: This is the big, long stone wall that the trail follows at Wiacek Meadows (between Constitution and Meadow Street). The wall once defined the boundary between the Wiacek and Maybeck families. The trail has shifted repeatedly along the wall due to poor drainage. Sheri Maybeck used to be on the Trails Committee, and the Maybecks had cows you could sometimes hear while hiking that spot, so another name for this area was "over by Sheri's cows."
• The Pin Oaks (at Wiacek Meadows): This is where an 85-foot bog walk was constructed in 2024. In between hayfield, there's a wooded section with some tall Pin Oaks, a tree that can handle wet feet. We don't often see a grove of Pin Oaks in the woods, so that name stuck. 
• The Tunnel (at Wiacek Meadows): Heading north, just before coming out onto Meadow Street, the trail goes through a narrow strip of trees. This marks where a developer began earthwork to create a new cul-de-sac that would have been called Chalk Hill Road (the work stopped abruptly when the Mayor seized the land via eminent domain). The disturbed ground could no longer be hayed, and was taken over by gray birch and Autumn Olive. For a time, it was very tunnel-like. It still sort of is, but the trees are maturing and it seems more like a wooded strip. The name has stuck, however. 
• The Ruins (Housatonic Woods): These are the ruins of an old barn foundation located below Mayflower Lane and above Housatonic Rise. The barn is believed to be connected to an old farm based along Meadow Street. 

"The Tunnel" runs through a strip that was bulldozed for a
new cul-de-sac, then abandoned and allowed to reforest itself.
The strip is surrounded by hayfields.

Paugussett Trail - Indian Well to Birchbank (locations are listed going north)

• The Ruins (Indian Well): Located between Rt 110 and the falls near the Maples, these ruins are circa the 1940's. We've been told it was an old Park Ranger office. 
• The Stairs: There are stairs, and then there "THE STAIRS." This is the flight of over 50 steps heading up from the beach area on the white-blazed access trail. The Stair are rotting rapidly, so we're not sure how long this name will work. 
• Three Doe Plateau: This is the flat area north of The Stairs. Teresa kept seeing three deer on the plateau. 
• Blowdown Brook: Heading north on the Paugussett, you cross a series of seasonal brooks, then half a mile after The Stairs, you arrive at a year-round brook just before the trail starts to head uphill. This is called Blowdown Brook because every year after Team Gallagher were appointed CFPA Trail Managers, a giant tree would fall across the trail. The first two years these tree also blocked the brook crossing. 
• Hickory Hill: "The hill near Hickory Lane" was shortened to "Hickory Hill." This is the long climb immediately after Blowdown Brook as the trail heads uphill to avoid the worst of Burritt's Rocks. 
• Birch-Well: The rugged south end of Birchbank Mountain and north end of Indian Well, infested with Burritt's Rocks (see below). 
• Burritt's Rocks: Very old deeds for the north part of Indian Well and south part of Birchbank reference these locations as "a place called Burritts Rocks." We like to think the name started out as a joke on Mr. Burritt. So. Many. Rocks. 
• Border Brook: Fun Fact - No one knows exactly where the property line between Indian Well State Park and Birchbank Mountain is located. Old deeds have no good description. The CT DEEP has no idea, and hours were spent searching old deeds. We do know it's a line just south of a brook, so obviously we call that "Border Brook." Practically speaking, we use the brook as the property line. 
• The Boulders or Boulder Scramble: This could mean so many things, but for us it means the stretch where you need to use your hands to climb over boulders. It's critical if you're carrying chainsaw gear to know whether a blowdown is on the north side or south side of "the Boulders" so you know which way to come in. No one wants to try to scramble over the boulders with all that gear.
• Benchmark Brook: This is the brook located near the junctions with the blue/green and the blue/white trails before you get to the overlook (northbound). It started out as "that brook where Mark cut that giant log" and then "Marks Brook." But it's also the same brook that crosses Birchbank Trail down below, next to a Scout bench, where it was dubbed "the brook at the bench" or the "bench brook." Combining the two names, it became "Bench/Mark's Brook", so obviously Benchmark Brook it had to be. Benchmark also means landmark, which it is, so there you go. 
• The Charcoal Mound: Beyond the overlook, just before Paugussett joins up with Birchbank Trail, are the remnants to an old charcoal-making spot right on the edge of the trail. There's a bit of a broad mound, and bits of charcoal. This was probably from the 1800s, used to manufacture brass and copper. 

"The Ruins" at Indian Well, a former park ranger office.
The front wall collapsed in 2025.

Woodsend Trail: This is a new trail, but there are still a few landmarks that get referenced: 

• Tangerine Squeezer: Heading south, this is where the cliffs begin. The trail squeezes between a large tree and a rock face, with a sharp drop off close by. 
• The Barberry Hellscape: This is the southern section of the trail where it passes through an almost impenetrable thicket of tall, thorny Japanese Barberry, big vines, and blackberries. The trail was a real challenge to route and build through here, and that's where the name came from. Even the some of the wildlife prefers to walk down the trail rather than fight the Barberry, according to tracks in the snow. 

The Barberry Hellscape

Usage Examples: 

"Hey Terry, there's a new blowdown at Indian Well between Three Doe Plateau and Blowdown Brook. Sharpen up the saw!" 

"Gator Glide is pretty slick today. I'd take the crews up the glide but not down it."

"The blowdown is at Birchbank, but just south of The Boulders, so I'd go in through Indian Well." 

"That section between the Tunnel and the Pin Oaks is really overgrown."

2025 Recap and 2026 Goals

Curtiss Brook Trail was a big 2025 project

Before we get to our goals for 2026, here's our 2025 Recap: 

• Volunteer Hours - We logged 1,168 hours of volunteer trail work in 2025, mostly clearing out vegetation and cutting up blowdowns. Using a published value for volunteer labor in Connecticut, that works out to a value of $42,562. This doesn't include all our anonymous trail angels who pick up sticks and litter from the trails, report blowdowns, and so forth. 
• Special Projects: Curtiss Brook Trail was created below Pine Lake, providing a safer and more scenic connection from the downtown area to the Rec Path. The project involved substantial earthwork and the construction of a bridge.  At Boehm Pond, the Corn Hill access trail was created, drainage issues were addressed, and new signs were added. For the Paugussett Trail, a major bridge was replaced near Independence Drive. Three kiosks were refurbished, including major repairs to the Hope Lake kiosk. The SIS Connector was reblazed, and routered signs were added at each end. 
• Events: Three guided hikes were scheduled, but due to poor weather and trouble getting the word out, only one person attended. 
• Trails Committee Membership: Mark Rowan was officially appointed to the Committee by the Board of Aldermen, replacing Val Gosset, who moved out of state. 

Here are the Trails Committee's goals for 2026:

1. Refurbish three kiosks: Turkey Trot, Oak Valley at the powerlines, and Gristmill Trail. 
   
   
2. Construct a bog walk at the Stockmal Trail bridge approach. This is at Willis Woods, across the highway from Nicholdale Farm. There's a low mucky area that occasionally floods (with a current) just before the bridge. A stretch of bog walk will allow for better footing but not impede flood waters. The hardest part will be getting the lumber there. 
   
   
3. Improve the SIS Connector trail. This may be the big project for 2026. An upgrade will make this short connector trail more inviting to people who stick to the "improved" paths like the Rec Path and school paths, allowing them to walk a 1-mile very easy loop (handicapped friendly?). The Committee is looking into spreading some crushed stone where there are a lot of roots, constructing a bridge across the emergency spillway, widening the trail, and addressing two slopes. There may be one or more work parties in April so that SHS students in need of last-minute community service can help out. Maybe a crosswalk at Constitution Blvd, but that's up to the Street Committee. 
   
   
4. Obtain rewards for some of the more dedicated volunteers, such as hats. We have some people who are not on the Trails Committee, but often come and help clear out the trails. One option is hats that say "Shelton Trails" and "Volunteer" on them.  
   
   
5. Resurface and improve drainage along the Rec Path between Lane Street and the upper Wesley crossing. A contractor will be needed for this.
   
   
6. Construct a Paugussett Trail bridge at Birchbank Mountain over Upper White Hills Brook at the chimney.  We've wanted a bridge here for a long time, but it's a difficult spot. The brook floods with tremendous force, and it will not be easy to get supplies to this location. Because this is one of CFPA's Blue-Blazed Trails, staff at CFPA has said they might be able to have their summer crew build a bride. We're crossing our fingers!