Hiking The Aspetuck Valley Blue Blazed Trail

Diverging trails on the Aspetuck Valley Blue Blazed Trail

The Apspetuck Valley Trail is a Connecticut CFPA Blue Blazed Trail that travels along the Aspetuck River from Redding through Bethel to Newtown.It is a 7 mile linear trail and can be accessed from 4 parking lots along its length. The trail passes through Huntington State Park, and The Centennial Watershed State Forest. There is also 1 mile of walking along residential roads.

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The Apetuck Valley Trail was not featured in my copy of the Walk CT Book. I had heard of it, or seen it listed on other websites and blogs, but I assumed they were referring to the trail system at Trout Brook Valley in the Aspetuck Land Trust. Then, one day I looked more closely. It is its own Blue Blazed Trail.

Tonka Tree, Aspetuck Trail

I am happy to have found this trail. It is on the same street I live on - Black Rock Turnpike, and not too far of a drive. The trail is wide and easy. I began it from the Centennial State Forest parking lot in Redding. The first few miles meanders along the babbling Aspetuck River. It turns onto some quiet residential dirt roads. The miles along the road are not the greatest part of the trail. But, the trail returns to the State Forest after a while.

There is one feature along the roads not to be missed: the famed Tonka Tree. You'll have to see it to understand it's allure.

I returned the next day and began from Huntington State Park. The park is popular with joggers and dog walkers. Huntington has many miles of convoluted trails that interconnect. It can be a chore to find your way through to the Blue Blazed trail head without taking a wrong turn. But, when you do make it, the signatures of Blue Blazed hiking are immediately apparent. The narrow single track trail ascends rapidly to the trail peak of 800 FT. The forest closes in and the activities of the State Park become distant. After the first road crossing there is a short walk through a prairie where every kind of berry is available to be sampled. The remainder of the path follows along high ground where good breezes keep the mosquitoes at bay.

Though the trail lacks defining geological features, it is a nice walk, easy, and very accessible.

Aspetuck Valley Trail, Redding CT

Aspetuck Valley Blue Blazed Trail

COUNTY:Fairfield
COMMUNITIES: Redding, Weston, Newtown

POINTS OF INTEREST: Aspetuck River, Tonka Tree, Huntington State Park

ARTICLE LINKS: Hiking The Aspetuck Valley Blue Trail - Connecticut Explorer

Directions and Trail Map

Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.

Address for your GPS: 530 Rock House Road, Redding CT

| coordinates: N41.286594,W073.331877 |

From Bridgeport	12 Minutes
From New Haven	30 Minutes
From Hartford	1 Hour
From New London	1.5 hours
From Providence	2 Hours
From New York	1.5 Hours

Links

Official Trail Map - Centennial State Forest

Huntington State Park Map