New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Hidden wonders await
HIKE THROUGH PETERS MEMORIAL WOODS IN CLINTON
Visitors know they are in for a treat when they pull into the parking area of Peters Memorial Woods and see Rocky Glen sprawled before them in the distance. A combination of sheer ledges, outcroppings and large boulders created by the receding glacier millions of years ago, Rocky Glen is immediately inviting and quickly pulls you into the 60-acre Clinton Land Conservation Trust preserve located in the northeastern part of the shoreline town.
A half-dozen trails snake through the property, owned by the group that has preserved more than 880 acres of marshland, swamps, woodlands, and unique scenic and historic sites in town during its 55-year existence.
Visitors can either enter the preserve along the flat, easy “Bougie Trail” marked with red blazes or be a little daring and head for the glen. Many adventurers will be drawn to the rugged “Brook Trail,” marked with yellow blazes, that leads over the glen’s huge moss-covered rock ledges and outcroppings and across some strategically placed boardwalks. Marais Creek flows energetically past the glacial rock deposits and the remains of volcanic upheaval with hidden waterfalls cascading through the gorge. As the trust notes, the trail “requires moderate endurance and agility,” but it is well worth the effort.
The main red-blazed trail — the .4-mile Bougie Trail — is perfect for those who enjoy a leisurely stroll in the woods. The trail leads to the highest point of the preserve and a decent view of the surrounding hillsides when the leaves are off the trees.
The neat part of the trail is that it’s also a “story hike” with the book A Butterfly Is Patient showcased on a dozen signs along the path. The hike will fascinate the young and young-at-heart with incredible illustrations of a variety of butterflies — some that can be seen at the preserve — and their natural history, from the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing and its foot-wide wingspan to the tiny Arian Small Blue and its grain-ofrice wingspan. Explorers of all ages will enjoy the many fascinating butterfly facts.
There are also interpretive signs on various trees with nifty nuggets like “more than 200 species of animals, insects and birds may live together in a mature white oak tree that can grow to 100-feet-tall” or “rock oak produces tannin in its bark that is used in the leather industry.”
I’ve visited the preserve in every season, and the bright green moss is always incredible, growing on trees and rocks where you almost expect a fairy or gnome to peek out from behind. During the summer, the preserve is a perfect spot to beat the heat with the shade from the oaks and evergreens.
The longest path is the .65-mile Princess Pine Trail that takes visitors along dramatic rock outcroppings and stone walls. According to the trust, visitors will find lady slipper orchids in June. And true to the trail’s name, you’ll find princess pine along the ground. The ancient clubmoss’s relative once grew as high as 130 feet tall and with a five-foot circumference back in the age before the dinosaurs. The princess pine of today grows about a foot high.
The orange-blazed Burnham Trail takes visitors along the northern boundary of the preserve through an abandoned rock quarry and along a rustic boardwalk over seasonal vernal pools and wetlands. The sounds of frogs jumping in the water can be heard in the spring and summer as you gingerly navigate the wooden planks. The Laurel Ridge Trail takes visitors through mountain laurel groves and along a neat series of stone steps to the top of a hill.
Georgia’s Trail or Spoonwood Trail is a bit of a challenge with steep climbs up ledges and outcroppings. According to the trust, the trail gets its name from the abundance of mountain laurel or “spoonwood.” Indigenous peoples used to make spoons out of the wood from the mountain laurel. The pale green-blazed trail also passes crystal-clear vernal pools where the fallen leaves of the past autumn can clearly be seen at the bottom of the ponds.
A sign at the trailhead reminds visitors that the “trails in this forest were created for recreation, not to wreck creation.” A good thing to remember no matter how you enter the wonders of Peters Memorial Woods.
This article appears in the April 2022 issue of Connecticut Magazine. Follow on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag.