Nepaug series LbNA #9117
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Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jul 4, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| City: | New Hartford |
| County: | Litchfield |
| State: | Connecticut |
| Boxes: | 3 |
| Planted by: | Jonah's Whalers  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Trailhead Tessie (2) |
| Last found: | Oct 22, 2017 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFaFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Jul 4, 2004 |
Originally planted by the Cunning Kids and adopted in September 2008 by Jonah's Whalers.
10/10/08: We have performed box maintenance, and the clues have been re-written. The order is the same, but the route is not. Bring your own ink, as well as the CT Walk Book West for additional navigational aid. The mountain biking here is reportedly excellent, and all of the boxes are accessible by mountain bike if you are so inclined.
DIFFICULTY: 2 (of 5)
TERRAIN: 3.25 (of 5)
CLUES:
Park in the main parking area for DEP Nepaug State Forest off route 202 in New Hartford, marked by the usual brown shield, but the blue oval Tunxis Trail sign is easier to spot. N.B.: The gate is closed during colder seasons. The clues that follow begin from the parking area BEYOND the gate!!!
See the Tunxis Trail heading uphill? Remember it for the way back. Look for a wide, unmarked, but well-worn trail heading roughly south between the two different closed at sunset signs - there is now (5/23/10) a rough "bike ramp" (fallen logs) across the entrance. Follow this unmarked trail as it wanders generally uphill through some beautiful pine forest. After crossing a dirt road, more deciduous trees join the party, and the slope increases. Near the top, continue along the top, passing a fork to the right. You cross a few fallen logs that are now bike ramps. The biggest of the ramps you will cross is on a slight downhill slope, shortly after which the trail forks. Bear left to remain along the hillcrest. The trail shortly makes a tight S-curve, first left, then right. In the right turn, there is a ‘two sister tree’ just off the trail on the left. You will find The Grumpy Frog buried between the sisters.
Continue in your original direction of travel. You will see a wide woods road descending on the right. If you look carefully, you may spot the remains of a fire ring at this intersection. Take the right, going downhill. (N.B. - if you miss it, you will intersect with the Tunxis Mainline - take a right to follow it downhill, and pick up clues below.) If the season is right, you will find lots of tasty wild berries along the sides of this trail! The Tunxis Mainline will join you from the left, but it is very narrow and easy to miss. Follow the blue blazes across an intersection as they join a dirt road. At the next major intersection you reach (about ¼ mile), bear to the right, following the blue blazes along Pine Hill Road. At the next intersection you will see a tree with yellow diamonds on the right. Take a SHARP left off the road and up the yellow-dot Tipping Rock Loop (there is a tree with 3 white circles on both sides of it). At the top of a short, steep hill you will come to the power lines. There is a blue blaze on a tree to the right of the trail and 2 side by side large white pines on the left. You will find The Coconut Tree letterbox under a rock and branch pile, between the two white pines. Please do not crush the box when replacing the rock on top!
To find the third box, cross the power line trail and continue along the yellow-dot trail. You will go up a hill with a lot of rocks on the trail and to the sides. Near the top you will pass a triple tree on the left. You will come to another triple tree on the right at the top of the hill. Across the trail from the second triple tree, there is a large, split boulder. You will find The Marble Dragon within the rock.
To return to your car, you may turn around and follow the Tunxis Mainline the whole way back, or refer to the CT Walk Book West (75th Anny. Ed.) for other worthwhile routes. There are several other letterboxes in this section of the Nepaug State Forest, including the DEP #10 box. There are a LOT of unmarked trails and dirt roads here as well, so please do not get lost!
Hope you enjoyed your hike! Look for updates as we may add more letterboxes to this trail – lots of prime forest!
10/10/08: We have performed box maintenance, and the clues have been re-written. The order is the same, but the route is not. Bring your own ink, as well as the CT Walk Book West for additional navigational aid. The mountain biking here is reportedly excellent, and all of the boxes are accessible by mountain bike if you are so inclined.
DIFFICULTY: 2 (of 5)
TERRAIN: 3.25 (of 5)
CLUES:
Park in the main parking area for DEP Nepaug State Forest off route 202 in New Hartford, marked by the usual brown shield, but the blue oval Tunxis Trail sign is easier to spot. N.B.: The gate is closed during colder seasons. The clues that follow begin from the parking area BEYOND the gate!!!
See the Tunxis Trail heading uphill? Remember it for the way back. Look for a wide, unmarked, but well-worn trail heading roughly south between the two different closed at sunset signs - there is now (5/23/10) a rough "bike ramp" (fallen logs) across the entrance. Follow this unmarked trail as it wanders generally uphill through some beautiful pine forest. After crossing a dirt road, more deciduous trees join the party, and the slope increases. Near the top, continue along the top, passing a fork to the right. You cross a few fallen logs that are now bike ramps. The biggest of the ramps you will cross is on a slight downhill slope, shortly after which the trail forks. Bear left to remain along the hillcrest. The trail shortly makes a tight S-curve, first left, then right. In the right turn, there is a ‘two sister tree’ just off the trail on the left. You will find The Grumpy Frog buried between the sisters.
Continue in your original direction of travel. You will see a wide woods road descending on the right. If you look carefully, you may spot the remains of a fire ring at this intersection. Take the right, going downhill. (N.B. - if you miss it, you will intersect with the Tunxis Mainline - take a right to follow it downhill, and pick up clues below.) If the season is right, you will find lots of tasty wild berries along the sides of this trail! The Tunxis Mainline will join you from the left, but it is very narrow and easy to miss. Follow the blue blazes across an intersection as they join a dirt road. At the next major intersection you reach (about ¼ mile), bear to the right, following the blue blazes along Pine Hill Road. At the next intersection you will see a tree with yellow diamonds on the right. Take a SHARP left off the road and up the yellow-dot Tipping Rock Loop (there is a tree with 3 white circles on both sides of it). At the top of a short, steep hill you will come to the power lines. There is a blue blaze on a tree to the right of the trail and 2 side by side large white pines on the left. You will find The Coconut Tree letterbox under a rock and branch pile, between the two white pines. Please do not crush the box when replacing the rock on top!
To find the third box, cross the power line trail and continue along the yellow-dot trail. You will go up a hill with a lot of rocks on the trail and to the sides. Near the top you will pass a triple tree on the left. You will come to another triple tree on the right at the top of the hill. Across the trail from the second triple tree, there is a large, split boulder. You will find The Marble Dragon within the rock.
To return to your car, you may turn around and follow the Tunxis Mainline the whole way back, or refer to the CT Walk Book West (75th Anny. Ed.) for other worthwhile routes. There are several other letterboxes in this section of the Nepaug State Forest, including the DEP #10 box. There are a LOT of unmarked trails and dirt roads here as well, so please do not get lost!
Hope you enjoyed your hike! Look for updates as we may add more letterboxes to this trail – lots of prime forest!