Appalachian Trail, CT - Kent to Cornwall Bridge via Caleb's Peak, St. Johns Ledges, River Walk

ABOUT THE PARK:
History of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut - CT AMC
CT 341 to CT 4 - cnyhiking.com (nice description and maps)

DIRECTIONS:
This is a shuttle hike so either 2 cars are needed or contact Backcountry Outfitters on CT 341 in Kent, CT in advance to arrange for a shuttle. They will shuttle your dog, too!
Parking A (Meet here and leave 1 car)

GPS Coordinates 41.807704,-73.391782

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Pull-out parking for about 4-5 cars along side of road just before the Appalachian Trail.

Parking B (Drive here in the second car)

GPS Coordinates 41.731029, -73.490691



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Pull-out parking for about 5-6 cars along CT 341 opposite start of hike at the stile.

TRAIL MAP:
Connecticut Appalachian Trail Guide (available in map boxes through hike but not very useful)
Appalachian Trail Kent to River Road - Connecticut Explorer's Guide (very useful topo map)

HIKE DISTANCE:  9.9 miles

PEAK BAGGING:
Glacier Rock - Peakery.com
Fuller Mountain - Peakery.com
Caleb's Peak - Peakery.com

APPALACHIAN TRAIL SECTION HIKING:
TrailHeadFinder.com - AT section miles 1,445.4 to 1,455

THE HIKE:

From Parking B on CT 341 in Kent, cross the road and climb over the stile heading north on the Appalachian Trail.

After crossing a meadow, the trail heads uphill into the woods.

View to the east of the Connecticut countryside.

American Toad

Caleb's Peak

View east from Caleb's Peak.

Garter Snake

St. Johns Ledges

View from St. Johns Ledges

The VERY steep descent from St. Johns Ledges.  There are rock steps but you'll still need your hands in a few places. 

Still going down steeply...

If you prefer to hike north to south, consider that this would be quite a climb up going the other way although it's quite knee-jarring going down.

Near the bottom of the descent, rock climbers going up the smooth rock face - makes you appreciate those stone steps.

After the descent, a smooth stretch along River Road.  Although this stretch is open to traffic, it dead ends at parking so there is very little traffic.  No cars passed us.

Housatonic River from River Road.

The Appalachian Trail continues beyond the gated road at the parking area and becomes a footpath again.

The Appalachian Trail along the Housatonic after the River Road gate.

A female Common Merganser on a rock in the Housatonic.

Easy hiking along the Housatonic.

The trail goes through a small field loaded with milkweed and beautiful butterflies but they were very fast and elusive.  The only one I got a picture of was this one on the far right.

Farm fields to the left.

Coming full circle.

Entering the fields at Liner Farm.

The Appalachian Trail following along the edge of the field.  Surprisingly, not a single tick on any of us.

Remnants of a stone silo.

If you like fresh eggs, bring some cash and a cooler.  Directly across from the Parking A at the end of the hike, there were eggs for sale.  I don't eat eggs but I get them for the dogs and will only buy from individuals or directly from small farms, never from grocery stores.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  From Parking B cross CT 341 and climb stile at AT sign; cross meadow
[  0.20]  Cross bridge over Macedonia Brook, enter woods and cross unmarked trail
[  0.70]  There is supposed to be a side trail to Numeral Rock - the trails I saw in this area went nowhere - either I missed it or it's overgrown
[  0.90]  View on the right
[  1.80]  Cross small creek
[  2.50]  Cross small creek
[  3.00]  Cross Choggan Brook
[  3.10]  Cross paved Skiff Mountain Road
[  3.25]  Overgrown overlook
[  3.40]  Cross small creek
[  3.90]  Caleb's Peak
[  4.10]  Rock steps descend
[  4.60]  Leave AT to the right downhill briefly to view at St. Johns Ledges; continue on AT and begin steep descent
[  4.95]  Keep straight when unmarked trail goes right (used by rock climbers)
[  5.00]  At parking area turn left on River Road and follow River Road (gravel)
[  5.80]  Keep straight on gravel River Road when another gravel road goes left
[  5.95]  Continue through parking area and gate towards kiosk; AT becomes footpath
[  7.30]  Cross log bridge over Stewart Hollow Brook; blue side trail goes to Stewart Hollow Shelter
[  7.40]  Other end of blue-blazed trail from Stewart Hollow Shelter comes in from the left
[  7.80]  Blue-blazed trail to left goes to Stony Brook campsites, keep right on log bridge over Stony Brook
[  7.90]  Other end of blue-blazed trail from Stony Brook campsites comes in from the left
[  8.95]  Go through small field with milkweed and lots of butterflies
[  9.05]  Trail veers left into Liner farm fields
[  9.35]  Trail leaves farm fields
[  9.40]  Cross log bridge
[  9.65]  Trail comes out on gravel road, turn right and follow gravel road
[  9.90]  Back at Parking A

Wawayanda State Park, NJ - Terrace Pond North and South

ABOUT THE PARK:
Wawayanda State Park - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 41.157558, -74.367454

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Paved parking for several cars along westbound side of Warwick Turnpike.

TRAIL MAP:
Wawayanda State Park Trail Map - New Jersey Department of Environmental Potection
North Jersey Trails Map #116 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

PEAK BAGGING:
Bearfort Mountain - NJ1K.org
Bearfort Mountain - Peakery.com

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.65 milles
Terrace Pond North only (most scenic) - 5.4 miles - NJ Hiking or Dan and Laura's Photo Album
Terrace Pond South only 4.8 miles - NJ Hiking (starts from parking on Clinton Road)

THE HIKE:

Walk back east on Warwick Turnpick to the beginning of the parking pullout and the trail starts across the street.

Views start about half a mile into the hike.

A little higher Greenwood Lake comes into view.

Mountain Laurel still in bloom.

Pretty cascades and pools.

New York City Skyline

View from the pipeline.

A tricky crossing at a "seasonally wet spot".  In case you are wondering what might happen if you fall in....

... this would be the result.

Terrace Pond looking south.

Back at the pipeline for a short distance.

Pipeline beautification in progress?

End of the blue trail at Clinton Road parking.

Blue trail ends and yellow trail starts at the bench.

Some lost dogs in the area if you happen to see them.

Bear print in the mud on the yellow trail.

Black rat snake.

Easy hiking on woods road after lots of rugged terrain.

The trail skirts a swamp on the left.

Cute garter snake.

A final look at the swamp before the camera had to be sealed up and put away due to rain, lightning and thunder.

A break in the rain back at Terrace Pond (from the east looking west)

Clouds breaking up over the pipeline.

Downpour over Greenwood Lake on the left, not raining on the right.

Double rainbows over Greenwood Lake.

A hawk flying by the rainbow.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Walk east on Warwick Pike to end of parking pullout, cross over to trail head
[  0.60]  Views begin
[  1.00]  Pools and cascades on the left, rock hop a couple of creeks
[  1.45]  New York City skyline comes into view
[  1.80]  Turn right at pipeline
[  1.90]  Turn left to other side of pipeline but stay in pipeline
[  2.05]  Leave pipeline to the left at large cairn
[  2.60]  Stay right on blue when white joins in from left; descend down vertical rock wall
[  2.65]  Cross swamp carefully on logs
[  2.70]  Short side trail on left to view of Terrace Pond; another steep vertical descent but it can be bypassed to the left; keep right on blue when white leaves to the left
[  2.85]  View west at top of huge boulder
[  3.30]  Turn left in pipeline and keep straight when passing two unmarked trails on left
[  3.40]  Leave pipeline to left on woods road
[  3.50]  Rock hop creek
[  3.70]  At fork turn right and cross creek on large rocks (easy to miss, blazes falling off tree)
[  4.00]  Blue ends at Clinton Road, make sharp left on yellow at bench
[  4.15]  Cross swamp on puncheons then large rocks, cross more wet area on rocks
[  4.45]  From this point wet areas no longer have rocks placed for crossing, pick your way across the best you can
[  5.00]  Pass through old stone wall, woods road comes in from right
[  5.10]  Yellow turns left as another woods road comes in from right
[  5.50]  Yellow makes sharp left turn at well-blazed intersection
[  5.60]  Swamp comes into view on left, trail skirts swamp
[  5.75]  Keep left on yellow when unmarked goes right
[  6.00]  Step over large concrete drainage pipe; watch for yellow trail to go right around swampy area and continue on the other side
[  6.10]  Keep left on yellow when yellow dot goes right
[  6.80]  Keep left on yellow when red joins in from right, after a few steps turn left on red when yellow goes right (I had intended to stay on yellow here but it was so overgrown and swampy it was impassible)
[  7.15]  Red ends, turn right on white (you can turn left on white also but you would have to cross that swamp again and go up the steep vertical wall from earlier in the hike - getting my dog up that wall was not an option)
[  7.35]  Left on white when yellow goes right (this is where yellow comes out had it been passable)
[  7.50]  Straight on white when yellow dot comes in from right
[  7.90]  Turn right on blue when white turns left joining blue (retracing first part of hike from this point)
[  8.45]  Turn right at pipeline
[  8.70]  Leave pipeline to the left
[  9.60]  Cascades and pools
[10.65]  Cross Warwick Pike back to parking

Hawk Rise Sanctuary, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Hawk Rise Sanctuary - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Hawk Rise Sanctuary to Open in Linden - Suburban News
Hawk Rise Sanctuary - New Jersey Audubon

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.603003, -74.251767

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Parking on the left just before the animal control facility and animal shelter at the end of Range Road.

TRAIL MAP:

Yellow is the existing trail (unblazed).

HIKE DISTANCE:  1.25 miles
This is not actually a hike but I felt it was worth mentioning since this is a new trail in an area where there are very few trails.  It is almost across the street from Merck Pharmaceuticals in Rahway - a great lunch hour place for employees - or a quick leg stretcher if you happen to be in the area.  Lots and lots of birds here!

THE HIKE:

From the kiosk the trail starts as a gravel path which leads to a boardwalk.

Boardwalk through wetlands with viewing area and interpretive signs.

First bird sighting from the viewing area - a female red-winged blackbird (Thanks, Dan Balogh for the ID!).

There is a stark difference between the boardwalk meandering through the woods and the unattractive industrial area just out of view.

The trail alternates between boardwalk and gravel paths.

Approaching the landfill where birds abound.

Observation deck adjacent to landfill overlooking wetlands.

Path between wetlands and landfill.

At the kiosk it states no pets are allowed yet there is a poop bag dispenser? 

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  From the kiosk veer left on the gravel path towards the boardwalk
[  0.15]  Keep left at end of boardwalk
[  0.40]  At the end of the boardwalk, veer right on gravel path when dirt road goes left
[  0.50]  Keep left at fork to interpretive sign; retrace
[  0.55]  Left on gravel road coming off trail to interpretive sign
[  0.65]  Turn left on boardwalk towards landfill
[  0.70]  At end of boardwalk turn right along split rail fence (no sign but left on dirt road is not allowed)
[  0.80]  Observation deck at end; circle around and retrace
[  0.95]  At end of split rail fence, turn left on boardwalk when off limits dirt road goes straight
[  1.00]  At T-intersection turn left on boardwalk
[  1.10]  At intersection turn left on boardwalk
[  1.15]  At intersection turn left on gravel path when right goes to parking lot
[  1.25]  Back at parking lot