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◂︎ Mandy & Lexi's Connecticut Adventures
Beacon Falls
Mendell's Folly
Date visited: 4/20/2021
Mendell's Folly is a Bethany Land Trust property in the towns of Bethany and Beacon Falls. According the sign, the property is the gift of Tibby Mendell in memory of Clare Mendell. The path in the All Trails app was entirely in Beacon Falls, but we did some of the Bethany section as well. The trail runs along side some nice marsh land and the Hockanum Brook (not to be confused with the Hockanum River and the set of trails around Mamchester). There's a very steep hill we climbed, with a sharp drop if you slip. The trail continues over a beaver dam, which you can sort of see in the third picture below. We didn't cross on the beaver bridge. I doubt crossing it with the dogs would have worked out well.
Matthies Park
Date visited: 7/31/2021
Okay, this was an honest mistake. I found the trail that we walked on the All-Trails app. It didn't mention that the park is for Beacon Falls residents only, and I didn't catch that on the sign until I was leaving. Oops! Anyway, this is a nice town park. We hiked the trail that loops the man-made pond. (The trail and park actually veer into nearby Oxford, yet the park is only for Beacon Falls residents?) There is an island in the middle of the pond, with an old house on the island. I guess the house used to be the summer home of Bernard Matthies, who donated the land for the park and nearby school to the town. Anyways, the residents of Beacon Falls have a very nice park to visit.
Naugatuck State Forest West Block
Date visited: 12/4/2021
We hiked the section of the forest by the reservoirs. All-Trails said they were called the Naugatuck Resrvoirs, but Google Maps and Open Street Map called them the Seymour Reservoirs. The names make no sense, since they are located in Oxford and Beacon Falls! There's a nice series of trails here. It was a chilly, gray, overcast day in early December, so it wasn't that picturesque. The pictures here are from the Beacon Falls section of the trail. The pictures from Oxford are here.
