Date of Activity: Nov. 25, 2010
Location: West Rock Ridge State Park
Condition of Trails(s): Good
Observations: The best news this month at West Rock actually takes place outside the park. Hamden has finally paved Main Street from Benham Street all the way to the Lake Wintergreen parking lot and beyond. This means you can access the parking lot without risking suspension damage to your car if you are coming from Exit 60. Hamden has also done some paving near the main entrance to smooth out some of the bumps, but Wintergreen and Springside avenues in New Haven remain a bumpy proposition if coming from Exit 59.
On another topic, when heading north on the Red Trail at Mountain Road, mountain bikers have created TWO ways to exit the Red Trail onto Mountain Road bypassing the metal gate. In the past, I blocked off one of those pathways, both of which are rapidly eroding, and returned to find it unblocked. I figure that one pathway is enough, so if you or anyone you know is unblocking the one pathway, please leave it blocked to protect the park.
Encounters: A father and his two children rode through on mountain bikes, highlighting the importance of keeping the trail accessible to all users. If the trail were too difficult, they might get discouraged and not want to come back. There were also two adult runners and one man hiking alone.
Trail Ambassador Name: Tom Ebersold
Trail Ambassador Email: bikehikekayak {at} sbcglobal {dot} net
Town: Hamden
Trail(s) Walked: White
How did you use the trail: Trail maintenance
What was the time of day: 11 a.m. to noon
Duration (Hours): 1 hour
Distance (Miles): 1 mile
Work Performed: Using my handtruck and two buckets, I hauled five loads of gravel up to the junction of the Purple-White Trail to firm up the trail alongside the seasonal watercourse. This area can be quite soft and muddy when the spring rains come. While riding through mud may not be a big deal for a mountain biker, it is a problem for people on foot, particularly runners. I have seen track teams use this trail for running. I also pushed a load of gravel a LONG way down the Red Trail to patch two spots that are low and frequently muddy. There are many other potentially muddy spots along the Red Trail that I will ask the DEP to see if a crew could drive through and harden up. There are too many small spots too far apart for me to realistically fill and patch
1 comment:
But if the trail is not difficult then once they master this trail, they'll move on to other trails that are more challenging, elsewhere.
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