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TRAIL MAPS
(see main Shelton Lakes page for the Shelton Lakes trail
maps)
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 Oak Valley Trail
2.16 mile easy loop at Hope Lake
Feature: See also the "Self-Guided Nature Hike" for Oak Valley Trail
General Description:
The Oak
Valley Trail trailhead is located at Hope Lake (Nell's Rock Reservoir) on Nell's Rock Road, and
there are several good spots along the trail to picnic or fish. If
you turn right onto Dominick Trail you can walk around the
back side of Hope Lake to the dam. Or, stay on Oak Valley Trail to
complete a two-mile loop.
Level of Difficulty:
Easy. Level terrain, but there are plenty of rocks and roots to twist an ankle
along the shore of Hope Lake, and other sections may be muddy in the spring.
About Hope Lake (aka
"Nell's Rock Reservoir")
This is a very popular local fishing spot, stocked with trout. There are also large mouth
bass and sunfish. The City owns all the property around the reservoir, and
there are picnic tables at the trailhead (but no restroom facilities).
The best place to take young children is "the
Point", 0.2 miles from the trailhead, with shallow water and interesting
features.
Children can fish, wade, pick highbush blueberry, and catch bullfrogs here. The biggest
hazard is garbage left by fisherman, especially during the spring.
There are three reservoirs in the area
originally constructed for drinking water. The reservoir on Shelton Avenue (Pine
Lake) is one other, and the third (Silent Waters) was partly emptied after its
dam collapsed. This is the reason the
region is called "Shelton Lakes."
Access Points:
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Trailhead Parking:
There
is a parking area on Nell's Rock Road with picnic tables and a kiosk
overlooking Hope Lake.
- Shelton Avenue at
the powerlines: Look for the huge powerlines that cross
Shelton Avenue between Willoughby and Nells Rock Road. You can't
miss them. Walk straight in from the gate there, pass a kiosk, and you
will eventually see white trail markings to the left and right. Orange
markings are for Dominick Trail.
-
Shelton Avenue 1/4 mile from Aspetuck:
There is a small pullout area along Shelton Avenue with an access trail
leading to Oak Valley Trail.
Detailed Trail Description:
(mileage was measured by wheel and should
be very accurate)
| 0.0
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Trailhead parking on Nell's Rock Road. Follow WHITE trail
markings. |
| 0.19 |
Dominick Trail, marked orange on left, goes to Oak Valley Road and
Huntington Center. "The Point" is on your right. During high
water times the point may be difficult to get onto without getting your
feet wet. |
| 0.25 |
Footbridge and then trail
junction. Oak Valley Trail goes left, Dominick
Trail goes right to the dam and Shelton Ave. |
| 0.41 |
Powerlines crossing, Oak
Valley loop trail junction. Go straight to follow the loop
clockwise and you will return to this spot from the right. |
| 0.46 |
Old Oak Valley Road -
This history roadbed can be seen on a map from 1868 and may go back to
the 1700's. You will follow this old wagon road for a quarter
mile. |
| 0.52 |
Shelton Lakes Recreation Path comes in on the right, marked yellow.
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| 0.56 |
Iroquois Gas Pipeline
crossing. Mountain bikers frequently use this unmarked route (it
is normally too wet for hikers, but OK for frozen or very dry periods).
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| 0.74 |
Turn right off of old
road and pass through some old ruins dubbed "Napolean's Castle". Follow white markings carefully, since
a neighbor has created illegal dirt bike trails here that cause
confusion for hikers. |
| 0.85 |
Access trail to the left
leads to pull-off on Shelton Avenue. Oak Valley Trail parallels
Shelton Avenue for about 1/2 mile. |
| 1.34 |
Iroquois Gas Pipeline and
then powerlines. Shelton Avenue parking is on the left. Go
straight across the utility easments and into the woods.
Dominick Trail (marked orange) comes in from the
parking area and joins Oak Valley Trail. |
| 1.41 |
Trail junction: Oak
Valley goes right, Dominick goes left towards Hope
Lake dam. |
| 1.52 |
Rec
Path (yellow) comes in on left, joins Oak Valley Trail. The trail
begins to follow the powerlines. |
| 1.68 |
Rec
Path leaves Oak Valley Trail on right. Stay on the powerline
road. |
| 1.77 |
Return to loop trail
junction. Go left to return to the parking area. |
| 2.16 |
Trailhead parking. |
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