| Westwoods Trails | |
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| Length | 39.0 miles (62.8 km) [1] |
| Location | Guilford, Connecticut, USA |
| Designation | CT400, Listed in Connecticut Walk Book East |
| Use | hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, geocaching, limited hunting, other |
| Hazards | deer ticks, poison ivy |
The Westwoods Trails is an extensive hiking trail system in Guilford, Connecticut. The trail system has approximately 39 miles (63 km) of trails with features such as: caves, lakes, streams, rivers, and interesting rock formations. The preserve extends across land owned by the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, which also owns many other land parcels across the town which provide hiking trails, and the State of Connecticut. The trails are accessible for walking, running, and biking. Hunting is only allowed on state land during the season.
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The Westwoods Trails is primarily used for hiking, backpacking, picnicking, and in the winter, snowshoeing.
Portions of the trail are suitable for, and are used for, cross-country skiing and geocaching. Site-specific activities enjoyed along the route include bird watching, hunting (very limited), fishing, horseback riding, bouldering and rock climbing (limited).
The Westwoods Trails are completely contained in the western section of Guilford, Connecticut. It is very close to the Branford, Connecticut border however and the 'Green Trail' connects the WestWoods Trails to the Stony Creen Quarry Trails System in Branford, CT.
The Westwoods Trails are maintained on behalf of the land trust by the Westwoods Trails Committee.
The trails are blazed with several colors as well as shapes. Trail descriptions and maps are available from a number of commercial and non-commercial sources, and a complete guide to the WestWoods Trails is published in the Connecticut Walk Book East by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association
Weather along the route is typical of Connecticut. Conditions on exposed ridge tops and summits may be harsher during cold or stormy weather.[2] Lightning is a hazard on exposed summits and ledges during thunderstorms. Snow is common in the winter and may necessitate the use of snowshoes. Ice can form on exposed ledges and summits, making hiking dangerous without special equipment.
Biting insects can be bothersome during warm weather. Parasitic deer ticks (which are known to carry Lyme disease) are a potential hazard.
Wearing bright orange clothing during the hunting season (Fall through December) is recommended.
This trail system is a part of the 'Connecticut 400', one of the official Blue-Blazed (or similar) trails listed in the Connecticut Walk Book by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) and recognized, since 1976, with an award known as the Connecticut 400 Club by the Connecticut Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). In 1976 there were only four hundred miles of Blue-Blazed trail but today (2010) the total length of the trails listed in the CFPA Connecticut Walk Books (East and West) exceeds 825 miles.[3][4][5]
The State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP) Forestry Division provides two awards for locating and visiting "letterboxes" (similar to geocaches) in Connecticut's State Forests. The commemorative 'State Forest Centennial Patch' is available to those who complete five sponsored "letterbox" hikes (in each separate state forest you must hike the described route, find the "letterbox/cache" and record your visit in the "letterbox" book). The State Forest Centennial campaign dates to 2003 (the centennial of the first official state forest in Connecticut). A walking stick is available for those who complete the letterbox hike of all thirty-two (32) of the state forests. Many of the "Blue-Blazed" hiking trails in Connecticut travel through or near one or more of the State Forests, often very close to the sponsored (DEP) letterbox.[6]
Specific to this trail:
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