On the Trail
Paugussett Trail
By Teresa Gallagher
The heart and soul of Shelton’s Paugussett Trail is the old section where it follows the Housatonic River bluff through Indian Well State Park and the adjoining Birchbank Mountain Open Space for about three miles. This is where I go hiking if I want to pretend I’m in Vermont without the long drive. Each park has its own scenic overlook of the river, accessible from side trails and loops that offer heart-pounding ascents.
Rock formations and fall foliage along a wooded hiking trail.
Between these two popular overlooks is a challenging stretch of terrain called “Burritt’s Rocks.” The trail picks its way through rocks of all sizes while the riverbank drops off in green piles of mossy boulders and ferns. There are a few spots you need to use your hands, along with some interesting caves to explore. You’d never know you’re just a few miles from Bridgeport.
If you’ve hiked this part of the Paugussett Trail and didn’t care for it, try it again. There have been many improvements over the past decade, and the trail is now closer to its original character. To be honest, I was not a fan of this section when CFPA asked my husband and me to become trail managers in 2015. There were miles of sketchy footing and relentless ups and downs with little reward. We had helped create Shelton’s local trail system and were part of the team that in 2013 extended the Paugussett Trail five miles south to Shelton Lakes. Yet I rarely hiked the trail through Indian Well or Birchbank. I preferred to walk the Paugussett along the reservoirs at Shelton Lakes or head to Monroe’s Webb Mountain Park and take the trail up “the wall” to the Lake Zoar overlook.
But there was opportunity for improvement, so we accepted the role of CFPA Trail Manager and got started. My husband wields the chainsaw, and I do the rest. Being the City of Shelton’s Natural Resource Manager has been an advantage since I’m responsible for managing some of the lands that the trail passes through; my husband is a member of the city’s Trails Committee. Previously, I restored a former CFPA loop at Birchbank that had been abandoned due to ATV damage. After the city purchased the property, I was able to evict the ATVs and open a “new” town trail. With an outstanding spring wildflower display and scenic cascades, the Birchbank Trail has become one of my favorite trails to the Paugussett.
During my first year as a CFPA trail manager, I focused on the Birchbank section and proposed a major relocation that would pull the trail closer to an earlier route and restore a scenic overlook. The trail had been urgently relocated a few decades earlier in response to proposed housing developments and the footing was tricky in places. Many people were involved in the project, including CFPA, the Shelton Trails Committee, the local tree warden, and an army of high school students in need of community service hours.
Teresa Gallagher hiking.
The following year the focus turned to Indian Well State Park, where CFPA took the lead and spent the summer working on another major relocation for better footing and drainage. A highlight for me was when CFPA’s former trails coordinator, Colin Carroll, scrambled down the slope with his chainsaw and cut a towering oak that was blocking the view. I was his spotter up above and recorded the immense crash when the tree finally fell. The overlook is now a popular hiking destination.
I find solo trail work to be the most relaxing and rewarding, but some projects require a group effort. In addition to CFPA, I work with the Shelton Trails Committee’s volunteers, including several members who received chainsaw training from CFPA.
Each year I pick a section and work to make it better. Due to the challenging terrain, one stretch of trail meandered out of the state park and crossed private property near single family houses. After a hunting stand was set up over the trail, I spent days scouting the precipitous hillside below for an alternate route on state property. That was the trickiest relocation I’ve ever done. I very much enjoy passing through this scenic section.
As the trail has improved, it’s been gratifying to witness the growing number of families out enjoying it, especially visitors who are new to hiking. A journey between the two overlooks through Burritt’s Rocks is now challenging in a fun way. As I’m walking, I nod with satisfaction where the treadway was shifted for better footing or to beautify the trail. The aesthetics of the trail are important— the artful curve around a boulder, hand-painted blazes, and even the removal of invasive garlic mustard to reveal a patch of native bloodroot are details that add charm to any hike. If you haven’t hiked this section of the Paugussett in a while, fall is the perfect season to explore it.
Teresa Gallagher took up backpacking later in life and has completed CFPA’s 800-mile Hiking Challenge, the NET-Cohos route, New Hampshire’s 4000-footers, and is currently working on the north half of the Appalachian Trail.