Emily
Griffith Beardsley Preserve
is a great find for those who
looking for thick forest cover and
secluded woodlands. The start of
the hike is deceiving as the trail
skirts between two residential
lawns before heading into the
woods. If not for the clearly
marked sign signifying the
entrance, you'd never know a nice
jewel of a hike is present here.
There's a peaceful hike awaiting a
trekker with a nice cascading
stream that at one point flows
through a small but very
picturesque gorge.
The preserve is part of Roxbury's
Land Trust and like all property
associated with Roxbury's Land
Trust, the trail system is
extremely well maintained. Like a
lot of the hikes in this part of
Connecticut (Southbury, Woodbury,
Bridgewater) the trails aren't
extremely challenging or great
distances like the more
challenging mountains of the
northwest corner, but they all are
really nice hikes. And many of
them have remnants of colonial
history in their midst...an old
sawmill once cranked away at the
gorge part of Griffith Beardsley
Preserve. It's very su prising to
pull off a main road (Route 199)
in the middle of a neighborhood,
hop out of your car, and within a
few minutes find yourself in
another world. And because Roxbury
is not overpopulated with "suburb
invasion" like a lot of
surrounding towns, it's very easy
to find yourself deep in the woods
with nothing but the sounds of
nature or an occasional overhead
plane to be heard.
The tall pines that greet you and
the cascading river that tumbles
down the hillside provide a rain
forest type feeling at certain
times. The small gorge is a nice
su prise and although not huge in
size it still captures the
imagination. Be careful as you
walk up to see the gorge as
there are no signs warning you
of the drop off which is
obviously dangerous if you're
not exercising caution and
common sense. After taking a
few minutes to check out the gorge
make your way up to the footbridge
that was built by a local Boy
Scout chapter. At this point you
have a choice. Stay with the blue
trail loop or go over the bridge
and take the red trail loop. The
red trail rises up the hill and
takes you through deep woodlands.
(The large wooden map at the
beginning of Emily Griffith says
there's a lookout at the highest
point of the red trail but it
appears to be outdated. Maybe out
one time there was but trees and
forest growth have probably taken
over at the spot and there isn't
an overlook that we are aware of
at this time. Please let us
know if we are wrong about this.)
But the red trail is a nice
excursion and will also afford you
a nice look of the gorge and
stream for the other side. The
blue trails loops around the other
portion of the preserve and is
primarily heavy forest cover which
makes for some peaceful hiking.
It's relatively flat in relation
to the red trail.
All in all, Emily Griffith
Beardsley Preserve offers a great
forest hike with a nice cascading
stream to highlight your
experience here. If you like peace
and quiet and tall forest feeling
then you should make tracks for
Emily Griffith Beardsley Preserve.
(For the cascading stream and
gorge area it's best if you can go
after a recent rain as the stream
probably is minimal during very
dry times.)
Directions: Emily
Griffith is located Route 199, 0.6
miles up the road from the Route
67 and Route 199 intersection at
Roxbury center. Whether you're
coming east from the
Bridgewater/New Milford region, or
traveling west from the
Southbury/Woodbury area, you'll
need to take Route 67 into the
center of Roxbury. For those
traveling east from
Bridgewater/New Milford the Route
67 and 199 intersection will be
just before you get to the
town's center. If traveling west
from the Southbury/Woodbury
region, the intersection will be
about a 1/4 of a mile up from the
village market and post office
building in the center of town.
At the 67/199 intersection, you
see a sign for the Indian museum
which is another marker to look
for to get on Route 199. Take
Route 199 and head up the road 0.6
miles. Drive slowly here as it
would be easy to drive by the
entrance to Emily Griffith
Preserve. On your right hand side
you'll notice a large wooden sign
signifying the entrance. Park in
the grassy area within the
provided space. On your left will
be a large residential home and on
your right is a large fenced in
field with horses. Walk straight
into the woods and the trail will
be obvious. For a few hundred
yards the trail comes up close to
a couple of homes. Just stay
straight and within few short
minutes the world you started in
will soon fade away and you'll on
your way to a nice forest hike.
Printable
version of the Emily Griffith
Preserve
If you have any trail updates to
share or have feedback/questions
please click
here to send email or call
203.788.7665
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