Thanks to Ehrick Rossiter the 1000 acre Steep Rock Preserve near Washington in Connecticut really does have it all. From a magnificent view from the top of a ‘Clamshell’ to a disused railway tunnel (which we were lucky enough to do on a day with huge icicles everywhere!) and a gorgeous Pine Wood holding on to the steep sides of the park.

This trail guide will give you everything you need to know from parking info, map, location, pictures and video to enjoy this preserve as much as we did.

We turned up to explore this park on a cold December day because Shona had heard a lot about how brilliant the disused railway tunnel was from a lot of local runners. The trail we took was a loop ( map and gpx data at the end of this blog). We started with a steep climb up a sloping hill known as ‘The Clamshell’ because of its shape from the air and how it is surrounded by the river. The view from the top is spectacular and gives you an impression of why this was such a popular destination for New York city types in the past who stayed here in a hotel that is sadly no longer here.

The descent down The Clamshell is on a nice smooth path (none of the usual ‘gods gravel’ of rocks we see so much of in the trails of Connecticut) and you really get to enjoy the peace and quiet thats very specific to a pine wood.

After a meander back to river level we found ourselves on a path that was VERY straight. An easy indication that this path was probably part of the railroad tracks leading through the area. In the distance we eventually saw the dark black rectangular tunnel entrance, made even more striking by the hundreds of icicles hanging off the outside and inside.

The railroad tunnel was constructed from 1871 to 1872 as part of the Shepaug Valley Railroad. A crew of coal miners from Pennsylvania built the 235-foot curved tunnel by hand using picks, dynamite and nitroglycerin to blast through Steep Rock Ridge.

It was great to run through it in both directions but we were wary of the huge icicles that had formed and worried they would fall and hurt us! After that it was a pleasant mile back to the car park where we started as the path meandered along next to the river.

The loop was did was a wonderful 2 hours hike. This park certainly deserves its reputation for having a few surprises and we both agreed that it would be a wonderful place to come back to in the Summer.

Useful Information

Easy Parking at the Park with a campsite as well. The trails are not challenging and don’t have any of the rock scrambles that some parts of CT have. Gorgeous trails along the river as well as hilly trails up to the views….and of course the abandoned tunnel. Only ten mins drive from here is another gem of a Preserve called Hidden Valley Preserve which can easily be done on the same day of your visit to Steep Rock.

Steep Rock Preserve
2 Tunnel Road
Washington Depot, CT 06794

PDF Downloadable map of all the trails in this park here

Garmin Connect Account details, map and elevation details with GPX file click here