This trail in the Natchaug State Forest combines a walk along the bold Knowlton Brook and a more traditional walk in the woods. 

Rules: Foot travel only: no vehicles, bicycles or horses. Dogs must be leashed. Blue trails sometimes pass through private property, so stay on the trail. Practice Leave No Trace principles on your outing.

Walkability: Moderate due to exposed roots and rocks in the trail early on, with one steep climb in the middle.

Total distance: 1.3 miles.

Elevation change: 187 feet (up + down).

Environment: Caution: This leg begins on busy Nott Highway (Rt. 74). The parking lot sign says, "Don't walk on Rt. 74" and that is excellent advice. The trail crosses Rt. 74 a bit north (0.1 mile) of the parking lot, but there is a short purple-blazed spur trail from the parking lot to the blue-blazed trail. 

We measured mileage from the parking lot. If you are walking straight across Rt. 74 from the previous leg, subtract 0.1 mile from distances given here.

The first part of this leg is noisy due to the highway traffic. Once on the blue-blazed section, the trail follows Knowlton Brook for about 0.25 miles. It's a beautiful stream here as it tumbles over rocks on its way to joining the Mount Hope River to the east. There is easy access to the brook: the banks are quite level, and the water looks inviting. It would be a good place to stop for a picnic. The trail here is rock-strewn and filled with exposed roots, apparently the result of flooding, so we needed to keep our eyes on our route. There are some very large mountain laurels here that will be spectacular with blooms in June. 

The trail goes around a hill here, turning east, then north. At 0.4 mile, after the trail turns east, we no longer heard the creek or the highway.  This section is quite flat. At about 0.5 mile there is an open area filled with mossy rocks, where imaginative hikers can conjure up fairies or dragons. We crossed a board bridge across some wetlands which should be extended about 10 feet at each end; we had to detour to keep from sinking in mud. At about 0.9 miles we came to the steep slope. It's not very long, but needs some water bars to stop erosion. 

As we got closer to Perry Hill, at about 1.2 miles, we walked along the top of a ridge with a valley to the left, somewhat more extensive than some of the ravines on other trails. The view was open at this time of year, with no leaves on the trees, and we could see down into the rift and across to the ridge on the other side. A very restful and contemplative spot.

Before long we could see our car on Perry Hill Road. We passed a woods road that went easterly about 50 yards from the road, but the Nipmuck's blue blazes kept us on the trail.

Directions:  There is parking for 4 cars on the east side of Nott Highway (Rt. 74) at the low area between Krapf Road and Zaicek Road, near the sign for Lipps Brook. Take the spur trail from the parking lot north 0.1 mile to meet the blue-blazed section. Don't walk on Nott Highway.

Link to Connecticut Forest and Parks Association interactive trail map: https://ctwoodlands.org/explore-trails/interactive-map/ On a computer, type in "Nipmuck" and select "Nipmuck Trail" and navigate to see this section. On a phone, zoom in to locate the leg.

Back to the Nipmuck Trail Overview page. Link to the previous leg of the Nipmuck Trail, 14B Nott Highway to Perry Hill Road.  Link to the next leg of the Nipmuck Trail, 14D Westford Hill Road to Iron Mine Lane.

December 2023

Back to the Nipmuck Trail Overview page. Link to previous leg, 14A Marsh Road to Nott Highway. Link to next leg, 14C Perry Hill Road to Westford Hill Road.