Road
Bike Loops
Short
Hill Intensive Loop (Shown via Google Maps)
Start
at Mark Twain Library, Make Right follow Route 53 to Stop
Sign, Left Up Hill Road, Make a Left Just Before Redding Nursery,
Follow to Old Stage Coach Rd., Make Right and Follow to Gallows
Hill Rd., Make Left and Follow to Route 53, Make Left and
then Quick Right onto Umpawaug Rd., up Umpawaug Hill, down
Umpawaug Hill, Left at Diamond Hill Rd., about a quarter mile
on right turn on Fox Run Rd., at the top of Fox Run stay left
onto Umpawaug Rd. and then quick right onto Seventy Acres
Rd., up Seventy Acres hill and take Windy Hill Rd. on the
right, follow to Old Redding Road and make a right, make a
right onto Umpawaug Rd., down to Diamond Hill again and make
left, follow Diamond Hill Rd. to Route 53, make a right and
Mark Twain Library is on your right.
Looooooong
Hill Intensive Loop:
Start
at Mark Twain Library, Make Right follow Route 53 to Stop
Sign, Left Up Hill Road, passing the Redding Nursery, look
for Cross Highway branching to the Right, follow Cross Highway
to Route 58 (Black Rock Trpk) and Make a Left, about 1/4 to
a 1/2 mile down Rt. 58 stay Straight where the road curves
and Head up Sunset Hill Rd., Follow Sunset Hill down to the
Wolfpit Area and Make a Left to connect with Rt. 58 again,
Make a Right toward Bethel, 1/2 mile on your left will be
Hoyts Hill, Take Hoyts Hill and follow through to Milwaukee
Ave. Bethel, at Stoplight take a Left and stay left up Chestnut
Ridge Rd. follow into Redding, past the Redding Country Club,
Make Right onto Gallows Hill Rd., Follow to Route 53, Make
Left and then Quick Right onto Umpawaug Rd., up Umpawaug Hill,
down Umpawaug Hill, Left at Diamond Hill Rd., about a quarter
mile on right turn on Fox Run Rd., at the top of Fox Run stay
left onto Umpawaug Rd. and then quick right onto Seventy Acres
Rd., up Seventy Acres hill and take Windy Hill Rd. on the
right, follow to Old Redding Road and make a right, make a
right onto Umpawaug Rd., down to Diamond Hill again and make
left, follow Diamond Hill Rd. to Route 53, make a right and
Mark Twain Library is on your right...head to Redding Roadhouse
and eat all you want.
The
Ridge Loop:
Park
at the Redding Boys and Girls Club (if crowded park at the
Episcopal Church) head South on Route 58, after passing the
Joel Barlow High School entrance start looking to take a left
onto Pine Tree Road. Pine Tree is tight so be alert, Pine
Tree Rd. will eventually turn into Rock House Rd. when you
hit a 4-way stop sign make a left onto Sport Hill Rd. Follow
Sport Hill to the end and make a left onto Stepney Rd. and
then a right onto Poverty Hollow Rd. Make a left on Church
Hill Rd. and get ready to climb! You'll come out on Rt. 58,
just head across the road to your car.
To
extend the above loop pass the Church Hill Rd. left and continue
to Hopewell Woods, Rd. Make a left on Hopewell and continue
until you hit Rt. 58, make a left and in 3/4 mile you'll make
a right at the 4-way stop sign.
The
Lonetown Loop:
Park
at John Read Middle School, head South, at 4-way stop make
a left onto Great Pasture Rd., follow and stay right until
you hit Hill Rd. (Rt 107), once on Hill Road stay left and
you'll soon be passing the Police Station and Town Hall. Follow
Lonetown Rd. (Rt. 107) past Redding Country Club and after
stop sign start looking to make a left on Limekiln Rd. Follow
Limekiln Rd to end and make a left on Rt. 53. Follow Rt. 53
back to John Read Middle School.
More
loops to come soon, feel free to add your own by emailing
me map links or routes: bcolley@colleyweb.com.
Mountain
Biking
Trails
Huntington
State Park
Acreage: 900
Miles of Trail: 7.5
Entrance: Sunset Hill Road
Easiest
way to get there: Route 58 East or West. Coming from
Bethel, you will pass Putnam Park Pond on your left, bear
left at the fork following Rt. 58 for approximately 1.5 miles,
Sunset Hill is to the left at the apex of a right-hand curve,
you will travel up a steep incline for about 3/4 miles, Huntington
State Park is on the right. Coming from Easton, your point
of reference is the four way stop at the junction of Route
58, Cross Highway, and Church Hill, from there Sunset Hill
is the third road on your right about 3/4 miles up. Also,
see Tom's Notes below.
What is
it like? Wide open. Very good place to introduce
the children to the great outdoors. The trails are well maintained,
there are four ponds and a lake(state permit required to fish),
it is also open to horses and bikes
Tom's
Notes: The map in the book provides a useful overview
of the park. However, it does not include many key details,
including the parking area on Dodgingtown Road, the full trail
loop in Bethel, and the color codes for the trail. By far
the best map of Huntington State Park is published by the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. This full
color map includes point-to-point distances along the trail.
You can download the map at http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/parks/huntington.htm.
The Sunset Hill
Road parking lot is better known and more commonly used, but
the Dodgingtown Road lot has some advantages. When you finish
your hike and you return to that lot, you do not need to slog
up the steep hill, which is often windswept. This other lot
also has more parking. Alas, you do give up the views of the
wolf and bear statues. To reach the Dodgingtown Road parking
area, continue north past the Sunset Hill Road parking area.
Changes from Book
III to Book IV: There are two updates to the map printed in
Book 4: The open area north of the Sunset Hill Road parking
area is now the Couch Hill Preserve, owned by the town of
Redding. A description of this property may be found on page
22 in Book IV. Wood Road is labeled on the map in Book IV,
but not in Book III. .
Topstone
Park
Acreage: 274
Miles of Trail: 3.69
Entrances: Topstone Road
Easiest
way to get there: From Route 53, turn onto Umpawaug
Road and follow past the Fire House and Red Schoolhouse, continue
up Umpawaug, Topstone is the second road on the right, park
at Topstone Town Park about a mile down the road on the left.
Tom's
Notes: According to the Redding Park and Recreation
Department, parking at Topstone is no longer limited to Redding
residents. I would confirm this at the park during the summer
season to make sure you do not get a ticket. Park near the
entrance in the off-season where there are nine parking spaces.
The gate is open during swimming season. (Users must purchase
a pass to swim). There is no realistic parking on Old Redding
Road or Topstone Road. The trailhead off Old Redding Road
is by 74 Old Redding Road. There is adequate parking available
on Topledge Road or White Birch Road. The trailhead off Topledge
Road is between 23 and 26 Topledge Road. The trailhead to
the Saddleback Trail off Old Redding Road is located near
140 Old Redding Road.
Changes from Book
III to Book IV: The connection to Windy Hill is indicated
in Book IV with the beginnings of a trail.
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