This section brings steep hills, a giant rock outcropping, and a wooden stairway with an inspirational message .

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

Walkability: Strenuous in places

Total distance: 1.6 miles

Elevation change: 298 feet (up + down), several steep slopes. 

Environment: This section starts with a climb up from Eastford Road that goes for several hundred feet. At the top of that climb, the tree with the blaze has fallen. Go left. While there are several quite steep climbs and descents, there are also some fairly level parts of the trail. The peak of the hike is Turkey Hill which tops off at 889 feet. There are a couple of sections which are so rocky that there are no trees near the trail, and the blue blazes are on the rocks. In the seasons when there are no leaves on the trees, it's possible to see the high slopes on the opposite side of Boston Hollow Road and to the east. After a descent into a ravine and a climb back out, there is a section with a lot of shagbark hickory nuts on the ground--shiny and black. The blazes in this area are faded, so look closely for them.  Other features include a giant rock outcropping (see photo) and a section of ghostly tree trunks, the remains of a red pine plantation created by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Descend to Boston Hollow Road on a stairway that has a message for you, It starts at the bottom: By now you are visiting a place that you see all too infrequently, yet it is a major part of who you are.

We hiked in November, and due to the steepness and the slippery leaves, we were happy we had hiking poles.

A bonus: we heard, then saw, a raven flying high over the trail opposite, heading toward it's nesting place somewhere on the escarpment above the trailhead on the east side of Boston Hollow Road. Later, it was seen perched on a snag right next to the parking area. A pair of ravens are year-round residents, and they raised two young this year.

Directions:  Take Eastford Road 0.6 miles from Boston Hollow. Park on the side of the road. The trailhead is marked on both sides of the road. We took the trail on the left, and traveled northward. There is a place for three cars to park at the end of this section on Boston Hollow Road.

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" to see this section. On a phone, zoom in to locate area.

Back to the Nipmuck Trail Overview page. Link to the previous leg of the Nipmuck Trail 14 E Iron Mine Lane to Eastford Road. Link to the next leg of the Nipmuck Trail, 14G Boston Hollow Road to Barlow Mill Road. 

November 2023

Photos: 1-Trailhead going northward at Eastford Road; 2-trail marked on the rocks; 3-interesting rocks; giant bedrock outcropping (adult male at right); 4-more interesting rocks; 5-top of stairway down to Boston Hollow Road; 6-the stairway from the bottom.