Date visited: 4/24/2022

This is my favorite hike of the year so far! This place is beautiful. We drove up a long dirt road to get here, though many people were parking at the outer lots and hiking the road. We hiked what is know as the "Clamshell Loop". The loop is shaped like a clamshell. The trail follows along the Shepaug River, which curves around a large hill. The trail mostly runs along the outer edges of the hill, along side the river. The main feature is the tunnel, built in 1871 & 1872 for the Shepaug Valley Railroad. It was used until 1948. There is so much more here to like other than the tunnel! We hiked for three miles, and barely scratched the surface of the trails here!

More Images

Date visited: 4/24/2022

This is another great spot in Washington. Like the Steep Rock Preserve, the Shepaug River plays a prominent part here. There are miles of trails here, but since we already hiked 3 miles at Steep Rock, we only hiked a loop trail that runs along side the Shepaug River on either side, crossing two bridges. The bridges are a highlight. The first one, the Thoreau bridge is is a "cable stayed, mass timber suspension bridge", similar to one over the Hockanum River in Vernon. This one is a bit longer than the one in Vernon. The Memorial Bridge is the other one here. It is a big wooden bridge with a large stair case on one side that leads to the river crossing. Mandy did not like either bridge! Mandy did like taking a dip in the river at one point.

More Images

Date visited: 4/14/2021

This is a nice nature preserve in the New Preston section of Washington. The trail we walked on was different from most trails we've done, as the majority of it circled a large grass field. It was really quite nice. I love the two pictures here of the dogs on the grass. I can't decide which I like better so I've included both of them. There are also some shots from the trail leading up to the loop.