Machimoodus State Park

Date: September 30, 2012
Report Type: TA Report:
Trail Name: Machimoodus State Park
Town: East Haddam
Trail Conditions: Good, dry
Observations/Information: I'd been meaning to check out this park by bike for some time, and I finally got a chance on Sunday. Machimoodus State Park is located in the Moodus section of East Haddam, adjacent to Sunrise State Park. There is a large parking lot and privy, and admission is free.

The park is a mixture of fields and woods and it borders the Salmon River. There are several miles of carriage roads and the park is popular among the horse crowd (four trailers in the lot when I visited). There is high ground at the southern end of the park and two scenic overlooks- one of the village of Johnsonville (an old resort area), and one view south down the Connecticut River to the swing bridge in East Haddam. The soil on the carriage roads is strangely sandy (put down for the horses I think). As well as the horse people I encountered the usual gaggle of hikers and dog walkers.

There is also a mile or so of single track on the ridge along the river, but it's un-blazed, very rudimentary, riddled with fallen trees, and not sustainably built. Not worth coming for. It's not getting much use and won't hold up long if it ever does.

This park might be a decent place for beginner or family riding on the carriage roads buy even they're not ideal, due to the sandy soil. I'd suggest going to Hurd Park a few miles north instead. What Machimoodus does have is potential. Much of its acreage is exactly the type of rolling terrain that's ideal for flow trail. A future chapter trail project? We'll see.

Trail Ambassador Name: Glenn Vernes

Trail Ambassador E-mail: glennvernesatgeemaildotcom
How did you use the trail? MT Biking
Trails Ridden: All of them.
Time of day: Afternoon
Time/Duration (hours): 2.0
Approximate Distance (Miles): 10 miles
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