5: Geography, Route, and use of
Existing Trails
The geography of the proposed route is as varied as
the terrain of New
England itself.
The New England Trail
would include three main branches, North, East and West,
radiating out from a common nexus, the dramatic and isolated 3,165 foot high
summit of Grand
Monadnock in southern New Hampshire.
The West Branch
From the Connecticut city of New Haven at Long
Island Sound to Amherst, Massachusetts, the
West Branch of this proposed trail would follow the
great traprock ledges of the Metacomet
Ridge that parallels the Connecticut River and Quinnipiac River
valleys through southern New England. Trails in this region are famous for having more miles of scenic cliff
face hiking than any other area in New England. The mountains here
are known for their
specialized and biologically diverse microclimates. Highlights include East
Rock and West
Rock, the Sleeping Giant, Higby Mountain, Lamentation
Mountain, the Hanging Hills
of Meriden,
Ragged Mountain, Talcott Mountain,
Peak Mountain,
Mount Tom,
and Mount
Holyoke.
Important historic sites include Heublein
Tower, Hill
Stead Museum, and Hubbard
Park.
North of the Metacomet Ridge, the West Branch would
pass through the dark hemlock-clad ravines and mountains of the central
New England upland. Highlights include the conglomerate Mount
Toby and Roaring
Falls; the
Millers River Highlands; Mount
Grace; the many waterfalls of
Royalston;
and in New Hampshire, Little Monadnock, Gap Mountain, and the
extensive, northernmost stands of native Rhododendron at Rhododendron
State Park.
The East Branch
The East Branch in Rhode
Island is characterized by sparkling glacial kettle ponds, ice-scarred rock
formations, and a remoteness that is surprising to those unfamiliar with the
back country of the Ocean State. Highlights include the pristine Ninigret
Beach, the lakes of Watchaug Pond and Bowdish Reservoir, the classic
New England Moosup River Hill
towns, mysterious pre-colonial stone
structures of the Foster Plateau, gorgeous marshlands and abandoned
farms of Carolina and Nicholas Farm, and the high ledges,
riverways, and woodlands of Arcadia
State Park including Rhode Island's
Mount Tom and
Stepstone Falls. Much
of the route shadows eastern Connecticut and is part of a biodiverse,
multi-state Nature Conservancy target area known as the Pawcatuck
Borderlands.
The East Branch in Massachusetts and New
Hampshire is a jumble of high, scenic
drumlins and
small monadnocks peppered with both abandoned and active
classic New England farmland. It culminates in the spectacular 20-mile
ridge walk of the Wapack Range of southern New Hampshire. Highlights include
the clear, sparkling
waters of Wallum Lake and
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffumville Lake and Hodges
Village Dam projects; the high, bald
drumlins
of Spencer and Charlton, the vast wildlife corridor of the Ware River Headwaters Region; Mount Wachusett and the rock
climbing mecca of the Crow Hills; Mount
Watatic; and, of course,
the
Wapack Range.
The North Branch
The North Branch would first pass over the wild backbone of southern New
Hampshire, visiting its most scenic regions, including, Mount Sunapee, Ragged
Mountain, Mount Kearsarge, Mount Cardigan, Sculptured Rocks,
Plymouth Mountain, and the Squam Range in the Lakes
Region. In the north, it would traverse the White Mountains
and
remote peaks of the Kilkenny Ridge, Nash Stream Forest, Dixville
Notch, Mount Magalloway,
and on to the
Connecticut River Headwaters and Lakes. Finally, the route would make its way into
Quebec
to
the isolated and dramatic granite summit of Mount Megantic. Highlights include numerous
waterfalls, remote wilderness areas, alpine peaks, abandoned mines, and boreal
bogs.
Current trails
The New England Trail proposal suggests using portions of
the following trails: *
The West Branch in Connecticut:
The Regicides, Quinnipiac,
Mattabessett, and
Metacomet Trails.
The West Branch in Massachusetts and
Southern New Hampshire:
The Metacoment-Monadnock Trail, Robert
Frost Trail and the Tully
Trail.
The East Branch in Rhode Island:
The North-South
Trail and the East Coast
Greenway.
The East Branch in Massachusetts and Southern New
Hampshire:
The Midstate Trail,
the French River Greenway (proposed), Wachusett Greenways, and
Wapack Trail.
The North Branch:
Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway
Trail; the Sunapee-
Kearsarge-Ragged Greenway; the trails
of Gile
Forest, Mount
Cardigan and the Plymouth
Mountain region; the Squam Range trails; various trails
in the
White Mountains; the Cohos Trail in Northern New Hampshire; and,
in Quebec, the trails of the Sentier
Frontaliers Club and Parc
national du Mont-Mégantic.
For a detailed description of the proposed route,
please take the Trail Tour.
To continue with the next part of the Introduction, click
here.
*Note: While this proposal suggests taking advantage
of the footways of existing trails, it does not always seek to follow
them precisely. This does not indicate a snub of existing trail
routes or the monumental efforts of groups responsible for them, nor does it
suggest that existing trails should be re-routed. The New England Trail
proposal recognizes and respects the historic, aesthetic, and recreational
value of existing trails. Where the proposed route of the New
England Trail diverges from existing trailways, it does so to include
certain inspiring features within its route, to promote the creation of more trails in
specific areas, and to highlight public awareness of certain features which
merit attention.
