Gone Hikin': American Legion State Forest, CT

Saturday, May 11, 2019

American Legion State Forest, CT - Turkey Vulture Ledges Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
American Legion and Peoples State Forests - Connecticut DEEP

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.924289, -73.012490
This involves a 1.5 mile drive up Legion Road, a gravel road. I had read it would be difficult with a low clearance vehicle like mine. Figured I'd see how far we could get and maybe find a pullout and walk the rest of the way. (The road is closed in the winter and has to be road walked.) But turns out the trick is not to drive up the middle of the road in the tire ruts where the car bottoms out, rather off to the side so the driver's side tires are on the hump in the middle. Piece of cake that way and I made it all the way to the top.

Pullout parking across from the Turkey Vulture Ledges Trail trail head.

TRAIL MAP:
American Legion and Peoples State Forests Trail Map - Connecticut DEEP

HIKE DISTANCE: .8 miles total out and back
Hiked together with:
Peoples State Forest - 7 miles
American Legion State Forest - Henry Buck Trail - 2 miles

THE HIKE:

The Turkey Vulture Ledges Trail trail head directly across from the parking pullout.

It's an easy blue-blazed out-and-back trail.

The trail ends at the three blue blazes at the overlook.

There was constant photo bombing by those annoying gnats.

I had just ordered this hat with built in netting and I don't care how dorky it looks, I can breathe without gnats going up my nose and in my mouth. It works beautifully!

There is an unmarked trail that goes out farther along the ledges beyond where the blue trail ends. The views from that trail are even better.

Heading back.

Eagle Eyes Brodie noticed something off the trail just as I took this picture. He stuck his nose over there then suddenly jumped back three feet in the air.