Friday, December 24, 2010

TA Report: West Woods Preserve

A challenging climb on the Green Circle trail.


Date of Activity: Dec. 24, 2010
Location: Westwoods Preserve, Guilford
Condition of Trails(s): Dry and solid
Observations: The trails at Westwoods are in impressively good shape with dry conditions throughout, except for a few minor muddy patches. The blazes mostly looked fresh. There was almost no deadfall on the trails. My praise to the volunteers from the Guilford Land Trust who keep the trails in such top-notch condition. The Green Circle Trail is highly technical single-track that will challenge even the best of riders. The Green Rectangle and Blue Rectangle Trails are mostly mellow woods roads. The Red Square was mildly technical single track. The Yellow Circle Trail is a rock scramble not suitable for mountain bikes. If you plan to ride at Westwoods, sit down with the map and sketch out a route ahead of time. Westwoods is HIGHLY confusing with the same trail color used in a rectangle, circle, and sometimes a square and a triangle. If you want to buy a map, stop first at Bishops Orchards on Rt. 1, or download one from http://guilfordlandtrust.org/wordpress/properties/westwoods. A recommended starting location is Peddlers Rd. Take I-95 to Exit 57 and head north on Rt. 1 for 0.5 miles. Sharp right on Peddlers Rd. (opposite Bishop's Orchards) and go 1 mile. Just past Denison Dr., the trailhead is on the left.
Encounters: A pair of mountain bikers and a few hikers.
Trail Ambassador Name: Tom Ebersold

Trail Ambassador Email: bikehikekayak {at} sbcglobal {dot} net
Town: Guilford
Trail(s) Walked: White Circle, Green Circle, Green Rectangle, Blue Rectangle, Red Square, Yellow Circle
How did you use the trail: Hike
What was the time of day: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Duration (Hours): 4 hours
Distance (Miles): 7 miles
Work Performed: None

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