Our Favorite Walks Part 5: Terry Gallagher

Gristmill Trail: A lot of scenery for a short amount of walking.
by Terry Gallagher

This post is part of a continuing series describing the Trails Committee members favorite jaunts along Shelton's thirty miles of trails. There are many types of trails located across the city, from the handicapped-accessible Rec Path to the rugged Paugussett Trail. 

Gristmill Trail

One reason people choose a favorite trail is convenience, and this one is within walking distance for me.  Most of the trail follows the Far Mill River and it gets used a lot by fishermen accessing the water.  The trail itself is only 0.3 miles long, but my walk to the trailhead adds length for a total round-trip walk of about one mile. There's a parking area at both ends of the trail on Mill Street. I walk in on the east end of the trail near the intersection with Judson Street (#140 Mill Street). That's the smaller pull-off. Here's a Trail Map. 

In the Winter the River can look like a Christmas card with all the trees frosted with snow.

The Spring brings new growth, Spring freshets, fishermen, and the occasional whitewater kayaker following a storm.  Portions of the trail are temporarily underwater from time to time during floods.   The trail may get wet for a while, but it's better than having someone's home or business flooded out.  It's a good reminder why we need lots of open space along the rivers and floodplains.

Summer offers a cool respite from hot days by the historic mill dam.  At one time the Far Mill River was dotted with water-powered mills as settlers moved to the far end of Stratford to found Shelton.  The trailheads along Mill Street reflect the historic character of Shelton's first designated Scenic Road.

Early Fall along the river can be a striking walk when the trees bring on The Color.  Gristmill Trail is a pretty stroll along the Far Mill River with a lot to offer for very little effort.  This trail is a treat in all seasons of the year.
  

Gristmill Trail is Clear

Gristmill Trail on Mill Street is a short level walk along the Far Mill River.  Even in winter it's very picturesque.

The Far Mill River flowing over the old mill dam is a great feature along the trail.  This park is one of the reasons that Mill Street is one of Shelton's Designated Scenic Roads.  If you're work or live near Bridgeport Avenue it makes for a surprisingly peaceful visit for a short walk or lunch outing.

The mostly level trail lies within the floodplain along the Far Mill River.  Open space and trails are good uses for a floodplain.  The land acts as a sponge to absorb some of the impact during floods, and no ones home or business gets damaged.  The property is nice and level, with good footing and some occasional trees that you had to step around.  But when we get a series of floods like we had during this year the river gets it into it's head to start wandering and rearranging things a bit.

One area that was a problem was a growing log jam across a portion of the trail that was causing the water to back up and erode a nice quality stone tread section that someone had built.  Water would swirl around the jam, overtop the bank and threatened to wash out the stones.

A little chainsaw work this past week cleared up most of that problem and re-opened the trail for the public.

Other blow downs and hanging trees were also cleared along the trail.

Over New Years we has some more flooding, but this time the water could pass around the side of the stone steps without as much erosion.

And here's a better view of the trail during a flood.  Normally the water isn't this high, but you have to plan for those things.  The stonework does a great job holding the trail tread in place.

There are other sections of the trail that still need work; clipping, raking, filling in holes, but it's much better now than it was.  So take advantage and go exploring the Far Mill River in 2019.

Sycamore Dr Access - Storm Clean Up

There are a number of neighborhood access trails to Shelton's trail system.  Sometimes these smaller trails don't get as much love and attention as they should because we're focusing on keeping the main trails in good shape; particularly after the nor'easters this spring.

We got a call from a good friend and volunteer that there were 3 blowdowns on the Sycamore Drive Access Trail, and we were able to schedule a mini-work party to clean up the blow downs.

A mini-work party is when more than 1 person shows up.  In this case it was Jim Taradine and Mark Vollaro.  I moved some light branches and offered helpful encouragement like "It looks like you've got that Jim".   Teamwork stuff like that.

Here's Mark and Jim at the end of the second blow down.  The three trees varied in size and difficulty.  The last was a good-sized red oak top that was across the trail. 

Here the guys are after finishing the third blow down. 

The trail is all cleared out and open to the public.  The Sycamore Access trail runs from the dead end of Sycamore Drive to the Recreation Path at Waymarker Post #8.  The Post is on The RecPath near the Hawley Meadow on Lane Street.  It makes a nice loop for people walking around their neighborhood, with open woodlands and gentle grades.

One off-shoot of the trail leads down to a beaver dam on the Far Mill River.  If you're quiet you may see some wildlife or fish rising to the surface.  It makes for a nice walk early in the morning.

Gristmill Trail along the Far Mill River

It was a hot day, a day that only mad dogs and Englishmen (and clueless trail huggers) go out in the flaming heat. Fortunately the Gristmill Trail is a short, but scenic, path aside the Far Mill River, with access to fishing and a nice place for an easy stroll, and we started out early enough to get ahead of the mid day sun. Vegetation was beginning to impede walking, especially briers and invasive shrubs.

Click on photos to enlarge

Chris, Jim and Terry hack away at the weeds and brush

 While Rich pulled out the gas-powered hedge whacker, Jim went Old School on the brush.

We were a little soaked due to humidity at the end of the work party, but Gristmill is clear for those enjoying the Shelton Trails Marathon Challenge.

The brush along Gristmill trail was cleared out for a good view of the River

Gristmill Trail is accessed off Mill Street.  There is a parking pulloff near Judson Street that was recently improved by the City with millings, and another with a kiosk near the dam about a quarter mile northwest of Judson.  The trail includes the remains of old dams and mill stone foundations that date back to the settling of Shelton.  This trail is one of several spots along the larger Far Mill Greenway where the public can enjoy the river.

The Far Mill River is a short, but scenic destination on hot Summer Day

The Far Mill Watershed drains much of Shelton, with portions of Trumbull, Monroe and Stratford.  For more information on the river click on the hi-lighted link.  The outlet on the Housatonic River is between Sikorsky's and The Transfer Station. 



Thanks to volunteer Chris and Shelton Trails Committee members Jim, Terry and Richard for challenging the elements on this ungentle Saturday.

Far Mill Work Party Saturday

Join us Saturday 10/15/11 for a work party to clear up storm damage on the Far Mill Trail. Meet at the big retaining wall behind ASF Sports on River Road (Rt. 110), across from the Transfer Station.

There are a lot of blowdowns and erosion from the hurricane. Bring saws, gloves, rakes, lopers, shovels, garbage bags, and wheelbarrows. The more hands that we have the easier it will be. Come see one of the prettiest spots in So. Conn. along the Far Mill River.

And if you need some free mulch for your yard visit Shelton's newest attraction; Mt. Irene at the Transfer Station. Take home some mulch after the work party - FREE.

Do-Gooders

There was a lot of activity this week from various groups in Shelton that are trying to improve things in the City.

On Saturday, the Shelton Trails Committee spend a hot morning clearing briars and barberry from the Paugussett Trail between Indian Well State Park and Sinsabaugh Heights. Some people had so much fun whacking weeds they went back and cut some more with the mower later in the week, hopefully when it was cooler.

And one volunteer from CFPA drove in from Danbury to help us! Now all we need is all those local students who wanted community service hours to show up.

And a big thanks to CFPA for leading the charge on Municipal Liability Reform for Open Space. The Governor signed the bill into law today, & it only took months of arguing and arm-twisting. But on to more tangible endeavors.

Tuesday a crew from PerkinElmer worked in 90+ degree heat to spread woodchips along the RecPath off Oak Valley Road. Two other PE crews should be working on the RecPath during the next two Tuesdays by the Dog Park and at Wesley Drive to help complete the RecPath prior to our September 9th Celebration.

Thanks to the Shelton Parks & Recreation Department for loading & hauling all the wood chip mulch that was placed.


And then on Thursday a group of Sikorsky Aircraft volunteers cleaned up dozens of bags of trash along the Far Mill River & Trail behind ASF Sports on Rt. 110. The area needed it & it's good to see corporations helping their staff take on these challenges. That portion of the Far Mill Greenway has some really scenic spots along the river.

Volunteers also put new signs at the Eklund Native Species Garden at 10 Oak Valley Road so people could find and enjoy the mid-summer blossoms.

While it's not a trail item the Shelton Lakes Community Garden #2 on Soundview Avenue is also up and running thanks to volunteers. And a big thanks to the Huntington Co Volunteer Fire Department for keeping the water tanks filled at the garden. Those tanks are probably going to get a workout this coming week.

Thank you again to Dean at Parks & Rec for hooking up the piping from the tanks to the garden.

And the Dog Park folks spent some time sprucing up their park on the Shelton Lakes Greenway along Nells Rock Road today. It's nice to see the landscaping and maintenance going on.

It's weeks like this that renew your faith that Americans can solve problems and get things done. Sometimes the world's troubles seem so large and unsolvable that we just throw up our hands. And maybe we can't fix world peace or the economy; but we can all cut some briars, move some mulch, pick up some trash, or grow some food. Every little thing that we chose to do, or not do, counts. Now if only the Republicans and Democrats in Washington and Hartford could just get The Memo. Thanks to everybody who chose to be a somebody in Shelton this week.

Far Mill River Clean-up 10/30/10

The Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Shelton Land Conservation Trust are joining forces to clean up trash along the Far Mill River on Saturday 10/30/10 at 9:00.

[EDIT by TERESA: There was confusion about the starting point because of out-dated info on the Trouts Unlimited webpage. The event will at Beard Sawmill Road (near Wells Hollow Farm) under the Route 8 bridge, NOT at Rt 110.]

They are meeting at Rt. 110 along the Stratford/Shelton border. Probably some people will go in at the Far Mill Trailhead behind ASF Sports (opposite the dump). While this isn't a trail work party, cleaning the river is a good cause & it's worth supporting these two organizations if you can help out.

They will meet where the Far Mill flows beneath rte. 110 near the Stratford / Shelton border. Bring gloves and insect repellent. We are in need of volunteers to pick up trash and debris.

The Shelton Land Trust has offered to join us on this clean-up effort and we look forward to working with them. For more information, contact rjmerly@yahoo.ca

Far Mill Trail Work Party 08-28-10

The Trails Committee responded to a report of trash being dumped on one of your trails along the Far Mill River, and cleaned up brush left by one of the utility companies doing work on their pole line. A number of Shelton's trails cross utility lines, and sometimes this happens.


Here's Rich's photo of Sheri & Jim in the midst of clearing out all the debris. They're some of the elves who take care of Shelton's trails, and we could use more elves - consider volunteering for trail work. Visit our booth at Shelton Day, call the Conservation Commission at (203) 924-1555x315, or e-mail the Shelton Trails website if you want to volunteer. You'll find hidden corners of Shelton that you didn't know existing, and it's fun.

The Far Mill Greenway has some really pretty trails that are good for walking, lunches, or fishing. See the Shelton Trails website for maps.

This trail along the Far Mill River is accessed behind Well Spring Estates Condominium. Drive on Old Stratford Road, and turn east onto Farmill Crossing (near HealthNet). Park by the bridge and walk down the driveway at the big open space sign. Walk past the yellow chain and keep walking to the east of the condos along the crushed stone utility road. The trail continues to the river until it hits private property. The entire area between the condos and the river is a really pretty public open space. Hopefully someday we can connect this trail into a larger system along the River.