This is a fantastic little 5 mile trail. You’ll come for the famous Comstock Covered Bridge but you’ll stay for the waterfall section, Pine and Hardwood forest and fishing and swimming spots. There are also some lovely areas with old farmstead stone walls and even a wrecked ‘farm car’ woven through the woods. Easy large parking area and the trail is ‘nearly’ a loop so its easy to get back the car after. Although steep in some sections there isn’t the usual ‘rock fest’ many CT trails have so provided the weather is favorable this trail is accessible for most walkers. Bring bug repellent !The Salmon River Trail is part of the CFPA Blue Blaze Trails system in Connecticut in the USA. It is a varied 5 mile ‘lollypop’ shaped loop with easy parking at the start next to the Iconic Comstock Covered Bridge. The trail is between Colchester, East Hampton and East Haddam.The trail passes through the Salmon River State Forest . One of the early and notable settlers in this area was John Carrier who was reputed to be the executioner of Charles the First and who fled England when the monarchy was restored. His family name still exists on the land records of the area. This gives this trail a very personal link with both the Regicides Trail in CT and the Monarchs Way in the UK.
Note that the short out & back section to the waterfall (along Day Pond Brook) is not required for the FKT.
https://theairlandandsea.com/2019/04/salmon-river-trail-guide.html
Comments
Last weekend, we did this wonderful "lollipop" in Salmon River State Forest. We fell short of beating either the male or female top times. Both times are strong. Conditions for us weren't ideal with packed snow the entire way. It was also our second FKT attempt of the day. Even with a snow free course, it would be a stretch for us to get a top time given how hilly the course is. We started/finished at the iconic Comstock Covered Bridge which is a neat spot to begin/end. The trail was completely snow covered, but packed in. We went counterclockwise on the lollipop. We opted for traction and used our Kahtoola MICROspikes. They helped. The climbing is intense on this short route. You can read our full report on my blog. Whether you want to push it or now, check out this route. It's a good one. We plan to go back and hike it with our kids.