Becket Quarry and Forest Preserve

 I went hunting and hiking for history today and found a very fun place to explore.  I hiked the Becket Quarry and Forest Preserve in Becket, MA.  There is much to see and some good hiking in this historic town open space.  After a short hike in along the access trail I came to the first of many grout piles (these are large piles of granite that are the leavings of the quarrying of granite).  I made the climb up to the top of this pile and was rewarded with a wonderful view to the North and East. 

I also found the first of the abandoned machinery.  At the top of the huge pile were railroad tracks and a winch and cable system from the days when the quarry was operating.  From there I followed a path and came upon the quarry itself.  A large hole in the earth filled with water.  There were cables running everywhere and blocks of granite strewn about as well.  It was very interesting to see.  I then made my way around the quarry and found more machinery winches, an abandoned old truck and a large tank that I believe was for compressed air.  There was a second truck and the remains of a building as well.  All very cool to look at and explore.  There are signs posted on granite pillars along the route that explain what you are looking at and what it was used for.  One of the trucks was a mobile air compressor and was used to power the drills used to drill into the granite for explosives.  There was also the remains of large derricks with booms and masts that were used to haul the granite to rail cars where it would be taken to be polished and sold.  The forest has retaken the area and hides much of the landscape but if you look closely you can find things that are not listed on the tablets.  I found the remains of a small building, just granite foundation and a few bricks left.  There are pipes running throughout the woods as well, maybe for the compressed air? 

After exploring the quarry for a while I then turned to hiking.  There are a number of marked trails in the forest and I decided to follow a few and see the vista listed on the map.  The trails are well marked and wander through the hardwood forest around the quarry.  I was soon at the vista that looked Northeast and sat for a bit and had some water. 

  Then I continued on that loop and worked my way back toward the quarry and to the car.  The elevation of the vista was about 1750ft.  The forest is close to the Mass Pike and the highway was loud on top of the hill.  As I worked my way back though the sound of the cars and trucks faded.  I did not follow the same way back as I head come though and found more quarry equipment and an abandoned garage.  I wonder what they stored in the garage.  There was some kind of tunnel going into the side of the hill that I did not explore today, maybe in the future.

  After seeing some more old iron I made my way back to the car.  It was a nice 2.8 mile hike with some pretty cool historical finds.  I will be back to explore the quarry and hike more of the trails in the forest.  I’m sure there is more to discover.  Here is a link to the website Becket Quarry

Whitestone Cliff Trail

 

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.