I finally made it out on a short hike on a new trail today. I hiked the Whitestone Cliff trail which is in the Mattatuck State Forest. It is a relatively well used loop trail that is about 1.7 miles long. From the road, which has parking room for 3-4 cars, the trail climbs quickly up and over a small hill. The junction with the Jericho connector trail comes up in about .2 miles but I turned right and followed the blue blazes toward the cliffs. After crossing a dry creek bed I climbed through hardwoods and Laurel bushes until a nice rock scramble leads to the first view of the day.
Looking out over the Naugatuck River valley, with Waterbury to the South, was a nice view. Unfortunately, CT Route 8 is noisy and there is quite a bit of development to be seen, but all in all it was a pleasant view and nice area on top to explore.
After a few pictures, I continued on along the ridge. The trail stays on top for a bit with other scattered views before descending back into the forest. There are a number of blow downs scattered along blocking the trail but I was able to get around or over them without too much trouble. Rounding the loop brings the trail close to the road again and traffic can be heard easily. Then back up to the top of another ridge, maybe some seasonal views, and then back down to the main stem of the trail and out to the car. There is a lot of ATV activity in the area and many trails that crisscross the blue blaze trail, which could be a little confusing. I enjoyed the short hike and glad I made the trip down, but there is a little too much activity and noise in the area to feel like you are away from it all.
