River Highlands State Park

   

Date: July 31, 2011

Report Type: TA Report:
Trail Name: River Highlands State Park
Town: Cromwell
Trail Conditions: Dry but neglected
Observations/Information: Hit the Blow Hole after work on Sunday. I was treated to hot, humid air, strong sun, no breeze to speak of, and a lot of bugs. Good ride, though. The river was heavy with boat traffic, not surprisingly. I met a group of canoeists down in the Blow Hole, taking their lunch break while en route down river, as well as a pair of hikers and their hot, but happy, dogs.

   

The trails were in good shape- almost completely dry, just a little soft at the top of the yellow trail and the green trail through the swamp. Vegetation has also grown into the green trail near the swamp. Maintenance has slacked off since I relinquished my TA-in Residence duties three months ago. Quite a few blowdowns had accumulated (I cleared what I could). One of the bridges on the yellow trail has been repositioned and the approach angles are now more difficult in each direction. I saw plenty of bike tracks, and someone has created a new and very skinny (4x4) plank bridge on the yellow trail. I also saw a lot of ATV tracks- they're coming in from the cul-de-sac at the southern end of the park and through a breach in the fence at the northern end. They seem to be staying off the singletrack. Saw some graffiti on the yellow trail, and partying continues in the parking lot- I took away a small bag of litter.

Trail Ambassador Name: Glenn Vernes

Trail Ambassador E-mail: glennvernes33athotmail.com
How did you use the trail? MT Biking
Trails Ridden: All
Time of day: Morning
Time/Duration (hours): 2
Approximate Distance (Miles): 10
Images/Photos: Blow Hole 073111 007.JPG
2nd image: Blow Hole 073111 006.JPG
3rd Image: Blow Hole 073111 009.JPG
4th Image: Blow Hole 073111 002.JPG