HALEY FARM STATE PARK LETTERBOX:
GROTON, CONNECTICUT
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Planted: July 31, 2002
Length: Haley Farm to Letterbox; 1/2 mile
Haley Farm to Bluff Point SP; 1.8 miles
Bluff Point SP loop trail; 3.7 miles
Difficulty: Haley Farm Trail; Easy. Flat, stone dust surface.
Bluff Point Trail; Moderate. First section mostly flat, hard packed surface.
Second section more hilly with rougher surface.
Directions:
To start at Haley Farm SP, take exit 88 off of I-95 to Route 117 south. Turn left on Route 1 east and go 0.9 miles. Turn right onto Route 215 south and go a ½ mile. Take a right on Brook Street, go a ½ mile and then turn right on Haley Farm Road to the parking lot.
To start at Bluff Point SP, take exit 88 off of I-95 to Route 117 south. Turn right on Route 1 west and go 0.2 miles. Then turn left onto Depot Road and bear right after a ¼ mile, passing underneath the railroad tracks. Continue down the gravel road to the parking lot.
From the Haley Farm State Park parking lot,
the trail starts to the left of the sign board. You'll see a "bike
route" sign. You pass by a small pond and nature trail to your left. You
then go alongside a massive stone wall that Caleb
Haley built using a stone puller, which was drawn by oxen and could move a 3
ton boulder. This trail consists of stone dust and soon enters the shade of the
woodlands. After a ½ mile, the trail comes to an intersection at a green gate.
Note;
Turning right takes you down the Mystic-Groton Bike Route along a
utility corridor and ends in a residential neighborhood at Midway Oval. The
first ¼ mile is a hard packed surface, while the last 0.6 miles is old
pavement.
Directly across from the green gate is a small
path. Take 3 paces (1 pace = 2 steps) down this trail, passing a single tree on
your left, to a large rock on your left. Behind this rock, under some leaves and
branches is the Haley Farm State Park Letterbox. Please recover with
sticks and leaves. To continue towards Bluff Point SP, follow the trail
left over a bridge spanning the railroad tracks. This is a busy railroad
corridor and while there we saw three trains go by. After you cross over the
tracks, the trail takes a sharp right at the sign for Bluff Point. Don't
go straight down the utility line path. You then ride alongside the railroad
tracks for a ½ mile. You will pass by one green gate on your left before the
trail veers left back towards the woods at a second green gate. To your left is
a view of Mumford Cove. Be sure to travel straight along the stone-dust
trail, as there are a lot of side trails along this section. After 1.8 miles you
come to
Bluff
Point
SP.
The Bluff Point State Park Loop Trail starts here. Bluff Point was a popular vacation destination in the 1920's and 30's and even had a small amusement park along with the summer cottages. However, the Hurricane of 1938 destroyed much of the area and in 1975 it became a state park. For more information and a park map, visit; BLUFF POINT SP .The trail starts to the left of the sign board, which has a map of the area. The trail is a hard packed/gravel surface that runs alongside the Poquonnock River. You quickly come to a Y in the trail, this is where the trail loops back to. Head right along the river. Just shy of a mile you come to the crossover trail that leads up to the Winthrop Home Site on your left, however, continue to the right. After 1.5 miles, you’ll pass by the beach entrance on your right. As you head up the trail, there will be two outhouses on your left and another sign board on your right. Just after the sign board is the trail up to Bluff Point. Great views of Long Island Sound from this rocky bluff. After visiting the bluff, continue up the trail, where another trail leads to a second overlook. From here the trail turns inland and becomes rougher and hillier. At just over two miles, their will be a bench on the left side of the trail. Across from this bench is a small trail that leads down to the shoreline of Mumford Cove. At about the 2.5 mile mark is a sign for Sunset Rock. This trail leads to a huge boulder where sunset religious services were once held. The trail climbs uphill to the site of the Winthrop Home, near the 2.8 mile mark. Some of the old foundation is among an overgrown meadow. This was the former home of Connecticut's first governor, John Winthrop. A side trail leads to Mumford Cove. Take the trail that says "picnic area". This heads downhill, on a rocky trail, to where it loops back in to the main trail. You coast back into the parking lot after a 3.7 mile round trip.
HH
CLICK HERE FOR HALEY FARM MAP:
CLICK HERE FOR BLUFF POINT MAP:
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
SEPTEMBER 5, 2009
TO EMAIL A VERIFICATION
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WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT LETTERBOXING