Number twelve! Just before June ended OTH was able to take the twelfth, and final, walk in the Wilton Walk in the Woods contest. As previously reported he submitted his form for the July 4th raffle drawings by June 30, as required, but sadly there was no raffle prize for Old Trail Head. But not to worry, OTH will stoically soldier on, walking the trails of S.W. Connecticut, and regions beyond, to bring these enjoyable opportunities to the attention of seniors and anyone else who might read this blog. But OTH digresses, back to the important stuff, a report on Cherry Lane Park.
This park is located on the eastern side of Route 7 in Wilton, on Cherry Lane, which is reached from Sharp Hill Road (Rt. 106). OTH was somewhat surprised at its size of 50+ acres. For some reason he expected a smaller property. He was also pleasantly surprised at what he found. Cherry Lane Park is a delightful walk. Tall hardwoods cover much of the land, but there is a pond ringed with a loop trail and in the southern portion, there is a wetlands area.
The trail system is the familiar loop around the park (orange) with smaller loops around specific features (e.g. pond, wetlands). Overall there are about two miles of trail available, the orange perimeter trail being .84 miles in length. Near the pond OTH came across two benches and a picnic table, all nicely situated to take in the sights and sounds of nature. As he circumnavigated the pond a bullfrog or two were heard croaking away. OTH made a mental note to bring a lunch to this park soon and take advantage of the picnic table.
Pond in Cherry Lane Park
The pond is created by a dam on a stream that the blue trail that circles the pond crosses over.
Dam at Cherry Lane Park
Having the pond and a wetlands area combined with stands of hardwoods and conifers Cherry Lane Park offers the walker an abundance of wildlife in a eastern woodlands setting. The benches make it very inviting.
For OTH, it was a very nice way to wrap up the 12 Walk in the Woods series in Wilton. He plans shortly to post a summary of the whole experience with the hope of enticing others to take advantage of the many open space opportunities there are in Wilton.
For more information, visit Cherry Lane Park.
Old Trail Head 