Thru-Hiking the Connecticut NET Part 1: Long Island Sound and Trap Rock

I section-hiked the Connecticut section of the NET back in 2012, so now let's thru-hike it! Long Island Sound to the Massachusetts border is about 107 miles, but I had to split that in half and take a break in Berlin shortly before the Hanging Hills. 

Long Island Sound, Guilford trailhead

Back in 2012, the trail was pretty new and parts were still under construction. A lot of work on the trail has been done since then, including some relocations to bypass road walks or steep sections. That boardwalk in the above picture wasn't there, for example. For the typical section-hiker, the trail has really matured. 

This hike was four days and three nights

East River 

But what about for thru-hiking (backpacking)? It's still in the early stages, with just four approved tenting locations. "Stealth camping" is not allowed. But the bigger obstacle is lack of water.  The trap rock ridges are notoriously dry. Which is why I decided to hike the NET in the spring rather than fall. There's usually more water running in the spring. I decided to start with a four-day hike and see how far I got. 

Timberlands, Guilford

The week of Mother's Day turned out to be an ideal week for hiking the NET. The seasonal streams were running (especially after 1/2" fell the first night out). The trees were partly leafed out, providing some shade and screening. The bugs weren't bad. And there were still some spring wildflowers. It was cool, but not too cold (40 degrees one night). Perfect. 

I also elected start this hike on a Monday to avoid the yahoos that clutter up the trails on the weekend with their ATVs and mountain bikes and people yelling on their cell phones. I saw very few people on this hike. 

There were plenty of signs and maps that didn't use to be there

The first part of the hike through Guilford not typical of the NET. There's the four-mile road walk to start, although this is a pretty nice road walk with lots of interesting things to see. Then the trail is pretty low and gentle as it passes through East River Preserve, Nut Plain Woods, and Timberland Preserve. My water bag started leaking badly, which is not good, especially on a trail known for little water. But I had a couple 0.5 liter bottles that were good enough for the time being. 

View from the first trap rock ridge: Totoket

Just before reaching the first of the trap rock ridges, the trail goes through some dramatic metamorphic rock called Broomstick Ledges, where the fault line is located that divides the Central Valley from the Eastern Upland. Then you cross Rt 77 (which runs right along the fault line) and now you're on the Metacomet Trap Rock Ridge. Up to this point, there were numerous seasonal streams to drink from. That would be coming to an end, although there were still a couple flowing streams between Totoket and Beseck. 

Convenience store on Rt. 17 in Durham

There's a popular thru-hiking app called Guthook that just came out with a map of the NET ($15). The app shows important places to get food and water and tells you how far it is to any location you choose on the map. People can comment about whether a stream is flowing or if the pizza is any good at a store. Guthook's NET map is so new there weren't even any comments by users yet. I added a few. One was that the convenience store on Rt 17 has a deli, but the deli was tragically closed at 3:15 when I arrived. But I was able to get some bottled beverages (especially important since my water bag was broken). 

Seasonal streams were running great (Pistapaug Mtn)

I really enjoyed Pistapaug Mountain and thenTrimountain State Park, which includes Fowler Mtn and Trimountain.  Back in 2012, I was there during a snowless winter, so the mountains seemed bleak and were covered with ATV tracks. This time they were quite pleasant aside from some distance target shooting.

Tri-Mountain State Park

The weather was great during this trip and the visibility much better than it is during our muggy summers. I could seen New Haven and Long Island Sound from a number of trap rock overlooks. 

Trimountain and Ulbrich Reservoir

There are only four designated camping areas along the NET in Connecticut so far, including Cattail Shelter in Reed Gap where the trail crosses Rt 68. And you aren't supposed to stealth camp. But people are, of course, backpacking this trail (not many - I only ran into one couple during the entire thru hike).  When there is no campsite, your options are to catch an Uber to a local hotel, or to break the rules and stealth camp. It's especially important to not camp on private property, which could lead to the trail being shut down, and to stay out of sight and leave no trace so that no one could tell you were ever there. There are actually a number of rogue camping areas with fire rings along the cliffs, made not by backpackers but more likely by local kids on ATVs. I hope backpackers are not blamed for those places. 

Cattail Shelter, between Trimountain and Beseck

I forgot how long Beseck Mountain is. It went on forever. The southern end is nice, with only seasonal views. The middle part is a combination of yahoo land and Powder Ridge resort (not just for skiing any longer, apparently). And the northern end is full of dramatic cliffwalks and views. A wicked west wind was blasting the cliff as I passed through, so no one else was up there. I was happy for the trekking poles, which helped to keep me vertical against the wind. 

Powder Ridge Resort on Beseck Mountain, Middlefield

If you are planning a thru hike and wondering about footwear, go for the heavier option. I did, and was quite happy with my choice. Trap rock ridges can be brutal on your feet with all the sharp, angular rock, including unstable stones underfoot. That uneven rock will probably slow you down, too. Allow extra time. 

View from Beseck towards Higby Mtn. It was windy. 

My husband works in nearby Meriden, so we met up at Guidas on Route 66. Best. Hot dogs. Ever. And I don't really even like hot dogs much.

Guidas!

After that incredible meal, my poor husband had to return to engineering stuff, while I rambled up the two dramatic peaks called Mount Higby. It being so windy, and a weekday, I only saw a couple people. I've been there at other times when there were maybe 50 or 100 people up there. 

Mount Higby is very popular 

I found in 2020 that most trail treads became about twice as wide as normal because so many people were on the trails due to the pandemic shutdown. The photo above shows a trail tread of about 5 feet. I wonder what it is normally. 

Meriden's Hanging Hills in the distance

Higby is always dramatic.  When thru-hiking, it's fun to look head and see the quarry at Chauncey and Meriden's Hanging Hills beyond that. 

Luna Moth up on the cliffs

There was no water from the beginning of Beseck to the far side of Higby, even this time of year, except for a seasonal stream of questionable quality running alongside Rt 68 next to Guida's. And that store doesn't sell bottled beverages. Water is a real issue when hiking this trail. 

Seasonal stream north side of Higby, Middletown

I-91 Crossing

One of the reasons I wanted to thru-hiking the Connecticut section of the NET was that when I section-hiked it back in 2012, I skipped some of the road walks. That makes perfect sense if you are section hiking. Why bother hiking a long road-walk out and back? It's usually pointless. But going north from the CT-Mass line, I had done every single foot all the way up to the Canadian border, even kayaking across the Connecticut River. So part of me wanted to complete that in Connecticut. The first road walk section I may have missed in 2012 was walking over I-91. 

Highland Pond, Middletown 

Getting across I-91 is a milestone, and then there is a long, gradual approach to the next traprock ridges of Chauncey and Lamentation. Wilcox Park and beyond were peaceful and relatively quiet. There are some suburban street walks and meandering trails. And at some point the trail enters Guiffrida Park and the flanks of Chauncey. I passed a couple guys out for a walk who saw all my gear and asked if I was in training. Turns out a friend of theirs was in the process of section hiking the NET. That would not be the first time hearing about section hikers and backpackers. Something I never once ran into back in 2012. 

Heading up Chauncey in Meriden

I'd heard about a lot of CFPA work on the trail at Chauncey, and that was evident as soon as the trail started to ascent the ridge. There were some nice switchbacks heading up the hill. This is a super popular spot, and too many feet going straight up the hill caused gulley's to form. 

Crescent Lake, heading up Chauncey

I think of the Connecticut landscape as a working landscape. There are highways and quarries and railroad tracks and houses and factories and stores. Even the trap rock ridges are part of the working landscape, preserved in order to collect drinking water. Much further north, in New Hampshire, the working landscape included huge windmills and logging and miles of ATV roads, designed to bring in the tourist dollars. 

Quarry, east side of Chauncey

So I generally enjoy seeing quarries, but was alarmed at the quarry on Chaucey because it was eating into the trail and the ridge that is so iconic and popular for hiking. 

View from the south tip of Chauncey Peak

There is no better scenic viewpoint along the NET than Chauncey. At the south end, I was able to see the long Metacomet Ridge to the east (Higby, Beseck, Trimountain); New Haven, Long Island, West Rock and Sleeping Giant to the south; and Lamentation to the west. Supurb! I took a nice long lunch here, the only person up on the peak that day. 

Black Rat Snake on Chauncey

Crescent Lake, Guiffrida Park

After grabbing some water spilling off the Crescent Lake dam, I continue on through Guiffrida Park to climb Lamentation Mtn.  There are great views of Meriden's Hanging Hills (Castle Craig, West Peak) from Lamentation, but those peaks would be for another trip. I savored the view for a spell. 

View from Lamentation in Meriden, Hanging Hills in the distance

There's a new tenting area on Lamentation, and it looked like a nice spot on the ridge, but was planning on getting picked up by the end of the day and continued on. 

New tenting area on Lamentation

Going down the north side of Lamentation is similar to heading down the north side of Higby in that it becomes a sprawling area for ATVs and few hikers. In general, the south ends of the ridges are more dramatic and that's where the popular parks and hiking trails are, while the north ends of the ridges descend quite gradually to old muddy roads and housing developments. This particular spot marked the end of the Mattabesett portion of the New England Trail. 

Long suburban road walk in Berlin to get from
the Mattabesett Section to the Metacomet Section

North of Lamentation was a very long road walk I ignored back in 2012, and with good reason. But if you're thru hiking, the road walk makes sense. Also, there was a convenience store with ice cream along Rt 5/15. I got through that road walk and eventually came to the beginning of the Metacomet section of the NET on some land trust property. I didn't get far up the trail before my ride appeared at Mile 51. Thus ended the first half of my thru hike.