1. Far Mill River Trail -
Rt 110 to Farmill Crossing
(1.9 miles)
Note: The
Far Mill Park & Greenway map shows mileage along the trail
which corresponds to the description below. Click on
photos to enlarge. |
| 0.0 |
Trailhead at Rt. 110 and Pine Tree
Lane. The trail goes down the bank to the left of the sign
and then goes in front of a billboard headed away
from Rt. 110 and enters the woods at 150 ft. From here to
the river the trail is poorly marked with little dots of spray
paint on the trees. With leaves on the trail it is hard to
follow. At 300 feet the trail takes a sharp
right and heads straight towards the river. If you lose the
trail in these rather open woods, just head downhill to the
river and turn left. |
click on photos |
| 0.12 |
Far Mill River. Turn left and
follow the river closely all the way to mile 1.8. The
trail is not marked. |
|
| 0.27 |
Unique chute and swimming hole |
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| 0.29 |
Waterfall & old mill wall |
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| 0.4 |
Steep embankment, trail somewhat
difficult to
follow for about 0.1 mile along outer bend of river. This
is the worst section of the entire trail, so if you can get
through this, you should be fine. It's not all that bad if
you can keep on the trail tread, which has been worn into the
side of the hill over many years, but if you lose the trail the
footing is very difficult. |
 |
| 0.44 |
House on opposite side of river |
|
| 0.49 |
Follow wide, flat sewer easement
for next quarter mile. Very pretty. |
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| 0.62 |
House on other side of river
appears very close to trail. |
|
| 0.77 |
Sewer easement and river trail
split at a weird pipe sticking out of the ground. Stay on
the river trail. The river then bends to the right and there is
a line of houses on the opposite bank. |
 |
| 0.90 |
Fire pit, and some large trees that
have been cut down. The easiest path at this point is to
veer to the left up the slope towards the Tennessee Gas
Pipeline, although it's hard to see because of the cut trees.
Just before you get to the pipeline, the trail veers back down
towards the river. There are lots of houses on the
opposite bank in this area, so veering away from the river for a
ways isn't a bad idea. |
 |
| 1.03 |
"BBQ Bend". A very pretty
flat area on the inside of a river bend in which there is
another fire ring and a grill that someone left behind.
The river here is slow and deep. Look out for kid in red shirt -
could be a Yeti. |
 |
| 1.07 |
Tennessee Gas Pipeline crosses the
river. The gas line appears to be a way for the residents
of Far Mill River Condos to get back in here. |
 |
| 1.10 |
Middle falls - the lowest of the
falls.
|
 |
| 1.25 |
Stratford/Shelton town line. You
will be in Shelton Open Space for about 150 feet, and then will
enter private property, mostly undeveloped, and none of it
posted. Please show respect for private property.
|
 |
| 1.40 |
ATV activity off of Dome and Andrew
Drive, broad flat area. An old roadbed leads up from the river
trail to the end of Andrew Drive. |
 |
| 1.47 |
Falls. Green
house on left near trail (Andrew Drive). You may want to turn
back here or at the line of boulders since the trail becomes
more difficult to follow and heads into a construction area -
for now. |
 |
| 1.55 |
Line of huge boulders across river
- very distinctive. |
 |
| 1.58 |
You can see the Health Net office
building across the river to your right, and several houses on
your left, but the path remains wooded. |
 |
| 1.70 |
New construction at Well Spring
Estate and the boundary of Shelton Open Space along the river.
You will be in Open Space for the rest of the hike. |
 |
| 1.79 |
Former road and bridge ruins at
Beard Sawmill. The sawmill, located on the other side of
the river, was dismantled by Richardson-Vicks, former tenants of
the Health-Net building, and put into storage in Stratford.
The old road and bridge were maintained by the Wells family. The
old drive leads up to the old Wells house & barn veering away from the river,
although this is part of a construction zone. Along the river in
the Open Space the fishermen's trail continues, although it is
less well defined and may be wet in places. The mileage
below is for the old drive because the trail below is somewhat
unclear at this point in time and can be wet at times. |
 |
| 1.84 |
Old Wells farmhouse and barn,
located just above the Open Space. As of fall 2005, they are
located next to a stockpiling zone for the construction
of Well Spring Estate. The little white building is a corn
crib that is on Open Space. The bridge behind it is Farmill Crossing.
You can walk below the buildings in Open space along the river.
When you get to the bridge, turn left and go up the hill at the
bridge footings until you reach the road. The area near
the bridge can be very wet. |
 |
| 1.90 |
Farmill Crossing. If you
cross the river at the bridge here you may continue down the
other side of the bank on public property to Wells Hollow farm.
The land is owned by the State of Connecticut (for Rt. 8) and
then the City of Shelton (for a pumping station). |
 |
| 2. Pine Rock Park trail
(0.3 mile) to swimming hole, falls and old mill ruins. See
the
Far Mill River Park & Greenway map. Click on
pictures to enlarge. |
| -- |
Parking on Ojibwa Trail in Pine Rock Park, east
of Open Space (other streets are too narrow and parking is
illegal). Walk along Manhassett Trail west to the Pearl
Back Open Space (see photo). From the Pearl Bach Open
Space sign, walk 200 feet along road east, back the way you
came, then step over guiderail onto washed-out sewer
easement going down to the river. Watch your footing on
the way down. |
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| 0.0 |
Manhassett Trail |
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| 0.03 |
"T" junction with main sewer easement.
Turn right to go to the falls. You are now in a Stratford Public
Park, even though you are in Shelton. Got that? |
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| 0.11 |
Path down to the chute & swimming hole |
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| 0.14 |
Falls and old mill wall. |
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| 0.18 |
River bends to right, sewer easement continues |
 |
| 0.25 |
Homeowner at #42 Manhassett has
cleared part of the easement below a big retaining wall so it
looks private, but it's not. There is grass and a picnic
table, but it's not anyone's yard, it's still a public park. You
can walk there. After the easement enters the woods again behind
#46 Manhassett, you are then on private property and the house
is close to the easement. |
 |
| 0.29 |
Sewer easement ends. It looks
like a few people scramble up the bank to Manhassett road, which
is another 150 feet. |
|
| --- |
Note:
If, at the "T" junction, you were to go the other way
along the sewer easement (east), you would come out onto private
property after 0.1 mile at Master's Restaurant on River Road
(Rt. 110) behind their horseshoe pits. |
 |
| |
Also:
If, at the "T" junction, you were to go down the hill and follow
the river to the left along a vague fishing path, you would come
across some interesting old mill ruins. |
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