User:Morrowlong/Cockaponset Trail

The Cockaponset Trail is a 7 mi Connecticut hiking trail and is one of the Blue-Blazed hiking trails maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. It is a linear shaped trail.

The trail is located in the towns of Chester and Haddam in Middlesex County in south-central Connecticut. The trail is almost entirely within the Cockaponset State Forest.

Trail description
The Cockaponset Trail is a Blue-Blazed hiking trail and extends from Most of the Cockaponset Trail is on state land within the Cockaponset State Forest. It connects to public recreation areas maintained by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection at the Pattaconk Reservoir in Cockaponset State Forest.

Much of the Cockaponset Trail is flat or has gradual ascents and descents and is suitable for casual walking or hiking, running – or snowshoeing in the winter. The steepest section is where the trail traverses the closed section of Road.

Trail route
The southern end of the Cockaponset Trail starts on XXX Road in.

There are multiple connecting main and side trails with parking available at each recreational area.

Trail communities
The Cockaponset Trail passes through land located within the following Connecticut municipalities, from south to north: Killingworth.

Landscape, geology, and natural environment
The Landscape in the area is generally low-lying and flat with some rolling hills. The most prominent features are the XXX and the YYY (accessible via an unmarked trail at the eastern end).

Cockaponset State Forest features large extents of undeveloped land, consisting of mature growths of hardwood and evergreens, along with swampy areas having extensive coverage by Mountain Laurel and other shrubs and smaller trees.

History and folklore
The Blue-Blazed Cockaponset Trail was created by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association as part of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail system. The Cockaponset Trail is named due to its location in the Cockaponset State Forest. The Cockaponset State Forest is named after the Cockaponset River.

Historic sites
The foundations for stone cellars that can be found along the route indicate that much of the landscape was used for settlements and farms up until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, after which much of the land was allowed to return to forests. In particular stone foundations and extensive stone walls can be found off of the trail.

Hiking the trail
The mainline trail is blazed with blue rectangles. Trail descriptions are available from a number of commercial and non-commercial sources, and a complete guidebook is published by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

Weather along the route is typical of Connecticut. Conditions on exposed ridge tops and summits may be harsher during cold or stormy weather. Lightning is a hazard on exposed summits and ledges during thunderstorms. Snow is also common. Ice can form on exposed ledges and summits, making hiking dangerous without special equipment.

Landscape is low-lying and trails cross wetland areas. Extensive rain and snow melting can lead to wet and muddy conditions.

Biting insects can be bothersome during warm weather. Parasitic deer ticks (which are known to carry Lyme disease) are a potential hazard. Encounter with small wildlife is always possible and hikers should be alert to signs of erratic behavior or other disease symptoms and take evasive action if warranted.

Conservation and maintenance of the trail corridor
Much of the trail is flooded or muddy. There are sections filled with stones and other evidence of erosion which has occurred when the trail has turned into a temporary stream.

There is also evidence of use by all terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes and horses. Some sections of the XXXX trail are explicitly multi-use (paved roads, dirt/gravel forest roads, jeep trails and the off-road motorcycle trail which winds through Cockaponset State Forest), but in other sections there is clearly unauthorized vehicular and equestrian use.