Location: Paine Open Space, Easton
Condition of Trails(s): Deep snow
Observations: Paine Open Space is mostly town of Easton Open Space with two small areas that belong to the Aspetuck Land Trust. Even if you have been here before, this area is VERY confusing to navigate. The signage (in the form of arrows on plastic signs) is inconsistent and scattered on some trails. The trail colors almost never correspond to the colors on the map. There are unmarked trails leading off to private land. The trails are a mixture of easy double-track with some technical single-track. Elevation changes are mild. There are a series of ponds on the west side of the property. The snow on this outing was deceptive. From the parking lot, the snow along the main trails looks packed down, but if you walk in boots, you easily plunge down eight inches. Snowshoes were essential for a successful outing. In the photo, my hiking pole is pushed down about 20 inches into the snow by the sign. Part of the snowshoe took place at the nearby Poindexter Preserve. As the photo indicates, bikes are not permitted in the Poindexter Preserve, which was news to me, as I had not seen the "No Bikes" sign before. The Paine Open Space is located at 220 Maple Rd., Easton, off Rt. 59, about 1 mile south of Rt. 25. You can download a trail map at the website: www.aspetucklandtrust.org. The site will ask you to enter your name, address, etc. and once you do this, you will be redirected to the page for the maps. On that page, click on "Easton," then you will see the list of land trust preserves in Easton. The Paine Open Space area is listed twice: as 1. Pond View (Paine O/S Preserve) and 2. Island Pond (Paine O/S Preserve). Pond View and Island Pond are part of the Paine Open Space area. Choices 1 and 2 are actually both the same map, so you only need to click on one of these two options. This is the key to the trail colors:
Seven Ponds Trail (Brown on the map; poorly blazed in White); Meadowview Trail (Green in the map; sort of blazed in Red); Oak Hill Trail (Red on both the map and the blazes); Laurel Ledges Trail (Purple on the map, clearly blazed in Yellow); Seven Ponds Trail (Brown on the map; clearly blazed in White); Evergreen Trail (Green on the map, you might see a Yellow blaze or two). There are two loops by the pond near the parking lot. The map lines are Green. The loop above the pond is blazed White. The loop around the pond is blazed Red. Near the hay barn are two unnamed trails: one is blazed Yellow; the other is blazed Red. Near a stonewall, the trails colors mysteriously and abruptly change from Yellow to Red when headed north.
Trail Ambassador Name: Tom Ebersold
Trail Ambassador Email: bikehikekayak {at} sbcglobal {dot} net Town:
Trail(s) Walked: Most of them
How did you use the trail: Snowshoe
What was the time of day: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Duration (Hours): 4
Distance (Miles): 5
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