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Wandering Moose Inspires 400-Mile Algonquin To Adirondack Trail

  • From the moment you enter the New Hartford preserve, the...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    From the moment you enter the New Hartford preserve, the only sounds you hear are birds calling in the deep forest and your own breathing and footfalls. Visitors travel through hemlock groves that turn day into dusk. Huge white pines and swaths of ferns border a carriage road created by Irish stonemasons at the turn of the 20th century. An overlook, simply known as the "bare spot," gives visitors a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and hills and the center of New Hartford on the banks of the West Branch of the Farmington River. There are three different trails that run through the heart of the preserve. Read story here.

  • Traveling along Cheshire's Prospect Ridge is like being on a...

    Michael McAndrews, mmcandrews@courant.com

    Traveling along Cheshire's Prospect Ridge is like being on a roller coaster. The trail starts deep in a ravine and you can almost hear the clicketyclack of the coaster being jolted up before the first plunge as you struggle up a steep hill and into a cedar forest. After winding your way past scrub oak and blueberry bushes along the top of the hill with stunning views all around you, prepare to leave that vista behind as you plunge into another deep ravine and forest. And be prepared for a long ride, because the 24-mile Connecticut Forest and Park Association's Quinnipiac Blue-Blazed Trail undulates like this all along the ridge for nearly 3 miles before visitors can catch their breath at Roaring Brook Falls, the state's highest waterfall plunge. Read story here.

  • Rich Lake from a trail at the Adirondack Interpretive Center,...

    Mary Esch/Associated Press

    Rich Lake from a trail at the Adirondack Interpretive Center, where the 400-mile A2A Trail is proposed to begin.

  • The Ponsett Ridge trail features several remains of stone foundations...

    Patrick Raycraft / praycraft@courant.com

    The Ponsett Ridge trail features several remains of stone foundations and a white-blazed winding trail. Much of Bamforth is meadow, with a milelong loop trail traversing the outside rim of the field and following old stone walls along the forested edge. Both are in Haddam. Read story here.

  • A maple tree with the trail bridge over the East...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A maple tree with the trail bridge over the East Aspetuck River in New Milford. Read more about this hike here.

  • Judd's Bridge Farm is a sight to see along the...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Judd's Bridge Farm is a sight to see along the old country roads of Roxbury. Read more here.

  • Babcock Pond Wildlife Management Area in Colchester is an artist's...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    Babcock Pond Wildlife Management Area in Colchester is an artist's palette filled with a blot of meadows, a squirt of swamps, a spot of lily-covered ponds and smudge of pine forests. It's up to you to create-your-own hike masterpiece because there is one main road bisecting the more than 1,500 acres of forest, swamp and ponds and miles of unmarked trails snaking through the natural world canvas. Read story and see photos here.

  • Bartlett's Tower, a former hilltop resort built in 1889, drew...

    Rick Hartford, rhartford@courant.com

    Bartlett's Tower, a former hilltop resort built in 1889, drew the rich and famous to the spot on the boundary of Bloomfield and the Tariffville section of Simsbury. Today, the rusted gate and carriage road welcome hikers along a portion of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association's "Penwood" section of the blue-blazed Metacomet Trail, a path that runs along ridges from the Hanging Hills in Meriden to the Massachusetts border. Read story here.

  • The Henry David Thoreau Bridge and its yellow pine timbers...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The Henry David Thoreau Bridge and its yellow pine timbers from below at Hidden Valley Preserve in Washington, Conn. Read more here.

  • An old chimney still seems to stand guard at the...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    An old chimney still seems to stand guard at the abandoned Camp Francis in Kent. Read more about this location here.

  • A neighboring tree farm from the Casertano property offers a...

    MICHAEL McANDREWS / Hartford Courant

    A neighboring tree farm from the Casertano property offers a view towards Castle Craig in Meriden. Cheshire offers two hikes, the Casertano property off Marion Road and the Brooke Preserve off Sperry Road. Story and photos here.

  • The trail blazers at Connecticut Forest and Park Association must...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    The trail blazers at Connecticut Forest and Park Association must have had a smile on their faces as they were laying out the paths along this 4-mile blue-blazed trail. And you will find yourself saying, "Are you kidding me?" throughout the journey, but in a good way as your hike in the woods becomes an adventure. Read story here.

  • The 600-acre preserve in the northern portion of Guilford is...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    The 600-acre preserve in the northern portion of Guilford is home to more than 15 miles of trails, many of them snaking around the beautiful Upper Lake, past the pristine Iron Stream and through the valley of Maupus Brook. The preserve has level, easy-to-follow trails marked with blue, green, orange, red, violet, white and yellow blazes. Read story here.

  • After a visit to Little Laurel Lime Park in Seymour,...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    After a visit to Little Laurel Lime Park in Seymour, Peter Marteka added its caves to his short list of caves to visit in Connecticut. Thar's marble in them thar hills, he says, and that's a prime ingredient for the creation of caves, plus, of course, a few centuries of New England elements and erosion. Pictures and story here.

  • CT Trails Day is June 1 and 2.

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    CT Trails Day is June 1 and 2.

  • The 267-acre Haley Farm State Park in Groton dates to...

    Bettina Hansen/ Courant file photo

    The 267-acre Haley Farm State Park in Groton dates to 1648 when Connecticut's first governor, John Winthrop Jr., owned a portion of the fields that extend to Palmer's Cove with views to Long Island Sound and Fishers Island Sound. Although its big sister park to the west, the 800-acre Bluff Point State Park, may be more popular, this little recreational jewel offers a leisurely bike path, 3 miles of some of the most incredible stone in the state, and trails that snake through old pastures. Read story here.

  • The Wallace Stevens Walk follows the route that Pulitzer-Prize winning...

    Cloe Poisson, cpoisson@courant.com

    The Wallace Stevens Walk follows the route that Pulitzer-Prize winning American poet Wallace Stevens took every day from his home at 118 Westerly Terrace in Hartford's west end to his office at the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Co. building. It is perfect for a half-day outing of 2.4 miles, or 4.8 miles round trip, mostly down Asylum Avenue, with Hartford landmarks all along the route. Thirteen granite markers were placed along the route Stevens walked, each with a stanza from one of his most famous poems, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." Read story here.

  • There is a parking area along Route 66 at the...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    There is a parking area along Route 66 at the Meriden/Middlefield border that is usually full no matter what time of the year. It's the access point for the final leg of the Mattabesett Trail, which winds north to Higby Mountain and eventually Lamentation Mountain. Next time you're tempted to do that hike, don't. You can get your kicks on the other side of Route 66 instead, high across a traprock ridge known as Beseck Mountain. Included in the journey are stunning views across the bottomless Black Pond, an overlook from the top of a revitalized ski slope and the sight of Long Island across a shimmering Long Island Sound. Read more and see pictures here.

  • A white blaze marks the "old forest" loop trail at...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A white blaze marks the "old forest" loop trail at Whitaker Preserve in Somers. Read more about this hike here.

  • Bluff Point State Park in Groton is a shockingly beautiful...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    Bluff Point State Park in Groton is a shockingly beautiful piece of Connecticut shoreline, a place that puts a little of Cape Cod in Connecticut. This is a place to fish, clam, hike, ride a horse, bike, canoe, kayak, walk, run, swim, float, wade, watch the sunrise and sunset, bird watch, propose marriage, take photographs, walk a dog, have a picnic, search for seashells and sea glass, read a book, explore the tidal areas around the granite breakwater, well, you get the picture. Read story here.

  • The dam of Lake Hammonasset has entombed what was known...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    The dam of Lake Hammonasset has entombed what was known as Nineveh Falls in Killingworth although the area's rapids and plunges still remain. According to local legend - a Native American woman hearing of her brave's death during battle plunged to her death. The brave, upon returning and hearing of the news, also leaped from the rocks. Read story here.

  • Mendell's Folly in Bethany is no wasteland. The 125-acre Bethany...

    Patrick Raycraft / praycraft@courant.com

    Mendell's Folly in Bethany is no wasteland. The 125-acre Bethany Land Trust property on the border of Bethany and Beacon Falls is the group's largest preserve, and one of its oldest. Read story here.

  • Seymour State Park is the little-known southern neighbor of Hurd...

    Michael McAndrews, mmcandrews@courant.com

    Seymour State Park is the little-known southern neighbor of Hurd State Park. The 334-acre parcel includes numerous abandoned foundations buried in the New England forest, as well as giant rock outcroppings topped by evergreens just begging to be explored. In addition to its tremendous views of the Connecticut River and abandoned quarries, the grasslands and floodplain soils have remained untouched since Colonial times. Read story here.

  • The 1,200-acre preserve to the west of historic Guilford center...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    The 1,200-acre preserve to the west of historic Guilford center has 39 miles of trails. And that's not even the time-consuming part. Once you enter this magical natural world jammed with all sorts of caves, rock formations, marshes, a lost tidal lake and clear-running streams, you are going to want to explore every nook and cranny of the place that destroys the myth of Connecticut having one of the most developed shorelines. Read story here.

  • Spiderweed and Hubbard Brook are in the southeastern portion of...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Spiderweed and Hubbard Brook are in the southeastern portion of the city along a busy Route 9 and near Pratt & Whitney's Middletown plant, but once inside the natural world it all disappears.  Read more here.

  • A visit to the Dark Hollow Brook area of the...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    A visit to the Dark Hollow Brook area of the Meshomasic State Forest in Glastonbury will ignite that inner child when you explore the abandoned former dam of the East Hartford Water Co., or slosh underneath an old culvert built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in an area known as the "10 curves" of the Old Route 2. Pictures and story here.

  • Another view of the Truss bridge across Pootatuck River in...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Another view of the Truss bridge across Pootatuck River in Sandy Hook. Read more here.

  • A new segment of the Air Line Linear Trail crosses...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A new segment of the Air Line Linear Trail crosses over Pine Brook heading toward Bolton. This is part of the Charter Oak Greenway. Read more here.

  • Visitors can do a loop hike around a farm field...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Visitors can do a loop hike around a farm field next to the park. The field was recently hayed. Read more about this hike here. 

  • Several dead trees seem to rise from the depths of...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Several dead trees seem to rise from the depths of Chapman Mill Pond in Westbrook. Read more here.

  • Beavers have dammed up a stream and created a pond...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Beavers have dammed up a stream and created a pond at the Avalonia Land Conservancy in North Stonington. Read more here.

  • The view of the Connecticut River from the top of...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    The view of the Connecticut River from the top of 75-acre Hubbard Brook Preserve in Middletown as it snakes past the hills of East Hampton, East Haddam and Haddam. Read story here.

  • Ferns, twisted trunks, moss is part of the natural landscape...

    Rick Hartford, rhartford@courant.com

    Ferns, twisted trunks, moss is part of the natural landscape that makes Highstead special. This non-profit arboretum is dedicated to conserving New England's natural landscapes and has 150 acres, with walking trails and a collection of some 75 varieties of mountain laurel, the state flower. It also has a large tall-grass meadow where bobolinks build their nests. Read story here.

  • Barn Island Wildlife Management Area is a 1,013-acre state property...

    Mark Mirko / mmirko@courant.com

    Barn Island Wildlife Management Area is a 1,013-acre state property with miles of trails through woodlands and marsh and a large public boat launch that provides easy access to some very special coastal water. Barn Island may not have a beach of its own, but it is large and worth exploring, and provides access to some nice offshore beaches. Read story and see pictures here.

  • The Lone Pine Trail crosses a small stream flowing from...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The Lone Pine Trail crosses a small stream flowing from the pond, and it is hard to imagine this waterway eventually becomes the Coginchaug and leads to one of the state's prettiest waterfalls - the thundering Wadsworth Falls. Story and photos

  • A large tree grows around the boardwalk in Groton along...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A large tree grows around the boardwalk in Groton along the Old Trolley Bed. Read more about it here.

  • The Manmade And Natural Mix In Scantic River State Park....

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The Manmade And Natural Mix In Scantic River State Park. Read more.

  • The Appalachian Trail extends 2,184 miles from Georgia to Maine...

    Steve Grant / Special To The Courant

    The Appalachian Trail extends 2,184 miles from Georgia to Maine and includes more than 50 miles in Connecticut. The trail enters Connecticut in Sherman and trends north mostly in the hills above the Housatonic River to the Massachusetts border at Salisbury, a total of 52.3 miles. Hikers on the section of the Appalachian Trail between Falls Village and Salisbury pass directly by an unusual rock outcrop aptly called Giant's Thumb. Find hiking options here.

  • When people think of Wadsworth, the main image is the...

    Stephen Dunne, sdunn@courant.com

    When people think of Wadsworth, the main image is the waterfall or the swimming hole. But if you stick only to the main trail, you will miss a spectacular stone arch bridge. Story and pictures here.

  • The view north from the Goshen Land Trust's Mountain View...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The view north from the Goshen Land Trust's Mountain View Preserve. Read more about it here.

  • Ferns grow along the stone walls and trails of trails...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Ferns grow along the stone walls and trails of trails at Pequotsepos Nature Center. Read more about this hike here.

  • The trail resides on what used to be a railroad...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The trail resides on what used to be a railroad line running through the state. Today, it is a often flooded trail, with improvements in the works featuring improved drainage and stone dust. Story and photos.

  • There are two trails at Kathan Woods preserve, a blue...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    There are two trails at Kathan Woods preserve, a blue trail and yellow trail. Read more about this hike here.

  • Wadsorth Falls in Middlefield during the height of a cold...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Wadsorth Falls in Middlefield during the height of a cold snap last week. Find out more here.

  • Sarah Walsh, president of the trail committee for the A2A...

    Mary Esch/Associated Press

    Sarah Walsh, president of the trail committee for the A2A Collaborative in Lansdowne, Ontario, pauses at the shore of Rich Lake along a trail at the Adirondack Interpretive Center, where the 400-mile A2A Trail is proposed to begin.

  • The Pleasant Valley Preserve in the quiet wilds of North...

    Patrick Raycraft / praycraft@courant.com

    The Pleasant Valley Preserve in the quiet wilds of North Lyme is four miles of trails that take visitors from the banks of the Eightmile River to the top of a granite ridge with views south and east across the high ridges of the Nehantic State Forest. Read story here.

  • A sign identifies the foundations of a vehicle maintenance garage...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A sign identifies the foundations of a vehicle maintenance garage at the old CCC Camp Hadley in Madison. Read more here.

  • The 140-acre Lilly Preserve connects to the 24-acre van Deusen...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The 140-acre Lilly Preserve connects to the 24-acre van Deusen Preserve which connects to the 59-acre Baldwin Preserve. My connect-the-preserves journey began at Baldwin after traveling down the dirt portion of Lower County Road off Route 317. Read more.

  • The Windsor River Trail is more than 140 acres that...

    Cloe Poisson / Hartford Courant

    The Windsor River Trail is more than 140 acres that includes a popular boat launch in the shadow of the Captain John Bissell Memorial Bridge. Although the trail only winds through the floodplain forest along the river for a mile south to the Hartford line, there are plans to link it with the city's Riverside Park. Read story here.

  • A trail sign directs hikers where to go on the...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A trail sign directs hikers where to go on the Naugatuck Trail in Woodbridge. Read more here.

  • Dividend Park in Rocky Hill has expanded its acreage, trails...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    Dividend Park in Rocky Hill has expanded its acreage, trails and its popularity. Read more.

  • At a moderate pace, the Pine Acres Pond Trail in...

    Patrick Raycraft / Courant file photo

    At a moderate pace, the Pine Acres Pond Trail in Goodwin State Park can be hiked in about two hours.

  • The Mad River, a waterway, running from Cedar Lake in...

    By PETER MARTEKA | Hartford Courant

    The Mad River, a waterway, running from Cedar Lake in Bristol to the Naugatuck River in Waterbury, helped power the history of the Wolcott. The Mattatuck Trail runs from Wolcott northwest to Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, is marked by blue blazes. It winds along an old road and you quickly reach the highlight of the trip about a half-mile into the journey. At what is known as "Mad River Crossing," two bridges cross a complex of waterfalls and gorges. Read story and see photos here.

  • A ladder helps visitors climb to the top of "Tipping...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A ladder helps visitors climb to the top of "Tipping Rock" at Hewitt Farm. Read more about this hike here.

  • The Hopyard is an 860-acre segment of Eight Mile River...

    Rick Hartford, rhartford@courant.com

    The Hopyard is an 860-acre segment of Eight Mile River valley just enough removed from the bustle of everyday life to serve nicely as a soothing setting for a picnic. A walk to Chapman Falls in the north end of the park will help whet the appetite. Here, the Eight Mile cascades over a 60-foot drop through a bedrock of schist, a kind of layered metamorphic rock. Read story here.

  • A loop trail was recently blazed through the preserve and...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    A loop trail was recently blazed through the preserve and passes along the banks of the tranquil river to a woods road. The trail loops along the road to a high point with distant, seasonal views south across Lyme - one of the prettiest towns along the state's shoreline. Story and photos here.

  • At Hatchery Brook, an easy, level red-blazed trail leads from...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    At Hatchery Brook, an easy, level red-blazed trail leads from the parking area across several fields, with bluebirds peeking out of wooden nesting boxes and butterflies and bees working the wildflowers. The trail enters a forest filled with beech trees and passes the Scheer Cabin. The trail runs along the top of a marsh to a connector trail that splits with an orange-blazed loop going through a field with views out to the Hanging Hills and a yellow-blazed trail climbing to the former camp. A blue-blazed trail wraps around the former camp that once included a swimming area with a concrete dam and various camp structures. A yellow-blazed trail leads to a broken asphalt road that takes visitors to the top of a ridge with views of the surrounding area. The trails wind along a traprock ridge before bringing visitors back to the fields. Read more here.

  • The 83.3-acre C.W. Luce Conservation area in Tolland includes a...

    Stephen Dunn / The Hartford Courant

    The 83.3-acre C.W. Luce Conservation area in Tolland includes a 1.5-mile loop trail and is next to the state's Charter Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Story and pictures here.

  • The 103-acre Allanach-Wolf Woodlands in Windham is a stunningly beautiful...

    Peter Marteka, pmarteka@courant.com

    The 103-acre Allanach-Wolf Woodlands in Windham is a stunningly beautiful property on the banks of Lake Marie. A driveway serves as the main path through the southern portion of the property as it snakes through a grove of huge white pines. For those who don't like manmade paths, there is a field to pass through. A trail then snakes along the banks of Lake Marie before leading to a small peninsula jutting into the picturesque pond. The views are tremendous here, not only for the hobbyist with a camera, but also for the professional photographer or landscape artist. Read story here.

  • The trail begins along the banks of the river near...

    Peter Marteka / Hartford Courant

    The trail begins along the banks of the river near its outlet into New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound.  Read more here.

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NEWCOMB, N.Y. — The 400-mile trek of a radio-collared moose named Alice is the inspiration for a proposed hiking trail from Ontario’s forested Algonquin Park to the heart of New York’s Adirondack Mountains.

Planners of the A2A — Algonquin to Adirondack — Trail liken it to Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, with the added benefit of preserving an important wildlife migration corridor between two vast wilderness regions.

“This is one of last great migration routes. It’s an area where wildlife can regenerate itself,” said Emily Conger, chair of the trail committee for the A2A Collaborative, the Ontario-based nonprofit conservation group behind the project.

Still in the planning stage with no definite route, the A2A will combine existing trails and roads following the general track taken by Alice, a moose radio-collared by New York wildlife workers in 1998 and released in a remote forest area in the central Adirondack town of Newcomb.

For two years, researchers tracked Alice as she swam across lakes, traversed the U.S. Army’s Fort Drum, swam the St. Lawrence River and loped across Canada’s busy Highway 401 before eventually reaching the 3,000-square-mile Algonquin Park, where she died of unknown causes. Her remains were found in 2001.

“We want to create a trail system that is not only a destination, but also elevates the concept of wildlife corridors and connectivity of landscapes,” said Sarah Walsh, with New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation who serves privately as A2A’s volunteer president. “People will be able to experience the way Alice made this journey.”

Sarah Walsh, president of the trail committee for the A2A Collaborative in Lansdowne, Ontario, pauses at the shore of Rich Lake along a trail at the Adirondack Interpretive Center, where the 400-mile A2A Trail is proposed to begin.
Sarah Walsh, president of the trail committee for the A2A Collaborative in Lansdowne, Ontario, pauses at the shore of Rich Lake along a trail at the Adirondack Interpretive Center, where the 400-mile A2A Trail is proposed to begin.

The Adirondack section of the trail most likely will start in Newcomb at the Adirondack Interpretive Center, a nature center where the College of Environmental Science and Forestry tracked Alice. From there, it will meander through hardwood and evergreen forest interspersed with bogs, streams and lakes.

A tentative plan includes 192 miles of existing hiking trails, 56 miles of rail-trail, 60 miles of main roads and 115 miles of back roads. Coordinators plan to engage communities along the route to provide amenities for trail-walkers.

Conger envisions something similar to the 375-mile stretch of the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain that she walked in 2014, starting in the rugged Pyrenees and traveling through villages, vineyards, farms and forests. Along the way, pilgrims were welcomed into cafes, shops and inns in communities that had a thriving tourist industry because of the trail.

“The A2A can bring a similar economic boost for small towns in northern New York and eastern Ontario,” Conger said.

A series of trail-promoting events is in the works along the Canadian section starting this fall, with a goal of seeing the full route completed in five years, Conger said.

Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, which has been building and maintaining trails in the region for more than 90 years, said the A2A Trail is feasible but will take considerable resources. The club hasn’t been asked to work on the A2A, but for the next few years, Woodworth said his organization is committed to building the Adirondack leg of the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail that stretches from North Dakota to Lake Champlain.

Walsh concedes that the A2A Trail has many obstacles outside the park boundaries, but the organization will work with civic groups, greenways, land trusts and others to design a route that communities will embrace. She said the Appalachian Trail, maintained by 31 trail clubs and many partnerships from Georgia to Maine, provides inspiration.

“It took decades to complete the Appalachian Trail,” she said. “We’ve only been working on this for less than two years.”