Report Type: TA Report
Trail Name: Naugatuck State Forest
Town: Oxford/Beacon Falls
Trail Conditions: Weed tunnels in places
Observations/Information: Naugy, West Block, first thing AM ride.
The weeds in the piney mess are really taking over (and I was thankful it was cool enough to wear long pants and sleeves, or I'd have been ripped open by prickers). The pine litter around that log I defanged last time through there was wet with dew and extremely slippery - almost dumped it there. (DID, in fact, dump it farther down when I attempted a hop and failed cuz klutz.)
Crossed the Res 3 dam and proceeded down to Res 2, making the loop counterclockwise down to Res 1, then back up and around the east side of 2. Decided to ride up the trail I normally ride down, then - since I hadn't been that way in a long time (and was promptly reminded why) - headed right and up the Powwah Line Trail: steep, rocky, nasty, grown in with mountain laurel and prickers, and did I mention steep?
Did that hike-a-bike all the way up the hill. Where the trail (finally) flattens out a bit and crosses to the north side of the power lines, in the woods there is a tree down I don't seem to recall, you have to duck your way under. Rode the rest of the power line trail up top, then connected with the fire road branch, taking the quick detour out on the fork to the right for the view over Beacon Falls and Route 8.
Rode the fire road branch back toward the main fire road, and at the four-way intersection just before the stream crossing, stood there for awhile trying to decide which way I wanted to take back, when I remembered the loggers had been by the bend in the fire road last time I was there, so figured a look would be in order.
Yes, they definitely were there. The area around the intersection of that branch with the main fire road had been logged (and the intersection widened). Much more dramatic, though, is up at the bend, where the trail branches off to the south and back down towards the reservoirs. Presently it's a big mess of branches, logs, and logging debris, to the point of being completely unrideable. (Barely hikeable in fact.) It continues in that condition past the swamp, and down almost to the mucky patches (which are still a bit mucky).
After where the left branch of that 4-way intersection joins in is, of course, the badly washed out patch (walked that), then rode down the hill to the big tree across the intersection with the north-south trail. Crossed over onto the singletrack bypass (which I rode up, and thus backwards the way I usually go), then left on the fire road past the Camaro, and back to Res 4.
Users: a couple walking dogs between Res 1 and 2; guy fishing on Res 4. One last item of note: copious poop on the trail (esp. the fire roads): dog poop, horse poop, here a poop, there a poop, everywhere a poop poop, so be mindful.
Trail Ambassador Name: John Joy
Trail Ambassador E-mail: jmj [at] savagejoy [dot] com
How did you use the trail? MT Biking
Trails Ridden:
Time of day: Morning
Time/Duration (hours): 1:50
Approximate Distance (Miles): 6.02
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