Peoples State Forest Trails

Peoples State Forest Trails
Three erratic boulders on the Jesse Gerard Trail in Peoples State Forest.
Length11.22 miles (18.06 km) [1]
LocationBarkhamsted, Connecticut, USA
DesignationCFPA Blue-Blazed Trail
Usehiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, geocaching, other
Hazardshunters, deer ticks, poison ivy

The Peoples State Forest Trails is a system of blue-blazed hiking trails in the Pleasant Valley section of Barkhamsted, Connecticut, United States. The trails, which collectively total 11.22 miles (18.06 km) in length, are entirely within Peoples State Forest.

The Peoples State Forest Trails consist of seven official "Blue-Blazed" hiking trails:

  • Elliot Bronson Trail (2.02 miles, Blue & Red Blazed)
  • Walt Landgraf Trail (0.5 miles, Red Blazed)
  • Jessie Gerard Trail (1.8 miles, Blue & Yellow Blazed)
  • Falls Cut-off Trail (0.2 miles, Blue & Red Blazed)
  • Charles Pack Trail (1.9 miles, Blue & Yellow Blazed)
  • Robert Ross Trail (2.2 miles, True Blue Blazed)
  • Agnes Bowen Trail (2.6 miles, Blue & Orange Blazed)

Trail description

The Peoples State Forest Trails are primarily used for hiking, backpacking, picnicking, and in the winter, snowshoeing.

Portions of the trails are suitable for, and are used for, cross-country skiing and geocaching. Site-specific activities enjoyed along the route include bird watching, hunting (very limited), fishing, horseback riding, bouldering and rock climbing (limited).

Trail communities

The official, Blue-Blazed Peoples State Forest Trails pass through land completely located within Barkhamsted in the Paradise Valley area near the Riverton area.

History and folklore

The Blue-Blazed Peoples State Forest Trails were created by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

Hiking the trail

The two trails are 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

The trails are regularly maintained, and are considered easy hiking, with very few sections of rugged and moderately difficult hiking.

Much of the trail is close to public roads. There are no camping facilities in Peoples State Forest. There are camping facilities in the neighboring American Legion State Forest but camping is controlled and must be arranged.

Weather along the route is typical of Connecticut. Conditions on exposed ridge tops and summits may be harsher during cold or stormy weather.[2] Lightning is a hazard on exposed summits and ledges during thunderstorms. Snow is common in the winter and may necessitate the use of snowshoes. Ice can form on exposed ledges and summits, making hiking dangerous without special equipment.


Biting insects can be bothersome during warm weather. Parasitic deer ticks (which are known to carry Lyme disease) are a potential hazard.

The trail is adjacent to, or is on lands where hunting and the use of firearms are permitted. Wearing bright orange clothing during the hunting season (Fall through December) is recommended.

See also

References

  1. ^ Colson, Ann T. (2006). Connecticut Walk Book West (19th ed.). Connecticut Forest and Park Association. ISBN 0-9619052-6-3.
  2. ^ NOAA

Further reading

Books – Connecticut hiking [edit]

  • Colson, Ann T. (2005). Connecticut Walk Book East (19 ed.). Rockfall, Connecticut: Connecticut Forest and Park Association. pp. 1–261. ISBN 0961905255.
  • Colson, Ann T. (2006). Connecticut Walk Book West (19 ed.). Rockfall, Connecticut: Connecticut Forest and Park Association. pp. 1–353. ISBN 0961905263.
  • Emblidge, David (1998). Hikes in southern New England: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont (1 ed.). Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. pp. 1–304. ISBN 0-8117-2669-X.
  • Keyarts, Eugene (2002). Pietrzyk, Cindi Dale (ed.). Short Nature Walks: Connecticut Guide Book (7 ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Falcon Publishing. pp. 1–192. ISBN 0-7627-2310-6.
  • Laubach, Rene; Smith, Charles W. G. (2007). AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut (1 ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Appalachian Mountain Club Books. pp. 1–320. ISBN 1-934028-10-X.
  • Ostertag, Rhonda; Ostertag, George (2002). Hiking Southern New England (2 ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Falcon Publishing. pp. 1–336. ISBN 0-7627-2246-0.

Books – Connecticut history and geography [edit]

  • De Forest, John (1853). History of the Indians of Connecticut from the earliest known period to 1850. Hartford, Connecticut: Wm. Jas. Hamersley. pp. 1–509.
  • Hayward, John (1857). New England Gazetteer: Containing Descriptions of the States, Counties, Cities and Towns of New England (2 ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Otis Clapp. pp. 1–704.
  • Trumbull, Benjamin (1797). A Complete History of Connecticut - Civil and Ecclesiastical. Vol. I (1818 printing ed.). New Haven, Connecticut: Maltby, Goldsmith & Co. and Samuel Wadsworth. pp. 1–1166.
  • Trumbull, Benjamin (1797). A Complete History of Connecticut - Civil and Ecclesiastical. Vol. II (1818 printing ed.). New Haven, Connecticut: Maltby, Goldsmith & Co. and Samuel Wadsworth. pp. 1–1166.

External links

Specific to this trail:

  • CT Museum Quest Article on the Peoples State Forest Trails
  • History of Peoples State Forest

Government links:

  • State of Connecticut American Legion and Peoples State Forest website
  • State of Connecticut American Legion and Peoples State Forest Letterbox website
  • State of Connecticut American Legion and Peoples State Forest Hiking Map
  • State of Connecticut American Legion State Forest Camping Map
  • State of Connecticut American Legion State Forest Camping Information
  • v
  • t
  • e
  • v
  • t
  • e
National Park Service
National Wildlife Refuges
National Trails
Wild and Scenic Rivers
State Parks
State Forests
Wildlife Management Areas
  • Aldo Leopold WMA
  • Assekonk WMA
  • Babcock Pond WMA
  • Barber Pond WMA
  • Barn Island WMA
  • Bartlett Brook WMA
  • Bear Hill WMA
  • Belding WMA
  • Bishops Swamp WMA
  • Black Pond WMA
  • Candlewood Hill WMA
  • Cedar Swamp WMA
  • Charles E. Wheeler WMA
  • Cromwell Meadows WMA
  • Durham Meadows WMA
  • East River Marsh WMA
  • East Swamp WMA
  • Eightmile River WMA
  • Franklin Swamp WMA
  • Goshen WMA
  • Great Harbor WMA
  • Higganum Meadows WMA
  • Housatonic River WMA
  • King's Island Coop WMA
  • Kollar WMA
  • Larson Lot WMA
  • Little River Fish and Wildlife Area
  • Lord's Cove WMA
  • Maromas Coop WMA
  • Meadow Brook WMA
  • Menunketesuck WMA
  • Messerschmidt WMA
  • Newgate WMA
  • Nod Brook WMA
  • Nott Island WMA
  • Pease Brook WMA
  • Plum Bank WMA
  • Quinebaug River WMA
  • Quinnipiac River Marsh WMA
  • Ragged Rock WMA
  • Raymond Brook Marsh WMA
  • Robbins Swamp WMA
  • Roger Tory Peterson Wildlife Area
  • Roraback WMA
  • Rose Hill WMA
  • Ross Marsh WMA
  • Salmon River Cove and Haddam Neck WMA
  • Sessions Woods WMA
  • Simsbury WMA
  • Skiff Mountain Coop WMA
  • James V. Spignesi WMA
  • Stanley Works WMA
  • Suffield WMA
  • Talbot WMA
  • Tankerhoosen WMA
  • Wangunk Meadows WMA
  • Wopowog WMA
  • Zemko Pond WMA
Reservoirs
Private
Trails
Nature centers
Local Government
Forest/Parks