This guide will give you everything you need to enjoy this trail including parking, pictures, gpx files and videos as well as some background history and hints and tips.

In Depth Guide

The Mattatuck Trail is 42 miles long in total in Connecticut. It has a rather large gap of ‘no trail’ between the two segments so really it should be viewed more like a northern 14 mile trail and a longer 28 mile ‘southern’ trail. This guide covers the 14 mile ‘northern’ stretch first and I will add in details of the ‘southern’ section later when I get on the trail.

Setting off from Mohawk Mountain – The Northern Trail Segment

The northern terminus of the Mattatuck Trail meets the Mohawk Trail. There is ample parking at the Mohawk Mountain State Park. The Mohawk State Park has over 4000 acres of forests and amazing views. Its also a popular Skiing location in the winter.

Heading South through Mohawk State Forest

We traveled the 14 mile section from north to south so the trail quickly takes you off the peaks and down into the Mohawk State Forest. The terrain is quite varied, some of the sections are easily walk-able and meander through the woods but this trail also has sections that can be quite challenging with large rocks and boulders and a bit of a scramble.

Near the northern tip is the Cunningham Tower which has stood in one guise or another as a watchtower since 1882. As you head south you also go through the Black Spruce Bog which is a 19 acre unique bog as it is one of the only bogs in CT and eventually get to Mohawk Pond after about 5 miles.

Mohawk Pond

Mohawk pond has a car park and the trail south of here is really the most stunning section of this 14 mile trail. The trail ambles through easy to walk in woodland and eventually ends up round the Upper Shepaug Resevoir. This section is beautiful, with stunning rocky scrambles, winding dark pine woods and waterfall crossings.

After the Upper Shepaug Resevoir the trail loses some of its lustre. It’s not that the last 5 miles of the trail to the final car park is ‘bad’ in any way, its just that the trail goes randomly through a few miles of forest with no real views and a large amount of rocks to trudge round. If you are looking for the best part of this 14 mile segment then head for the top or middle segment and give this part a miss.

The Southern Segment – Bantam Road to Black Rock State Park

The southern segment starts at a Trail Head in Bantam Rd and winds its way through about 4 to 5 miles of wide easy track with plenty of road crossings and parking. This area is very low lying in a very swampy area so be aware that after a lot of rain some of the path may be very muddy or waterlogged.

Once past Beaver Pond the trail starts to get a bit more difficult under foot and has more ups and downs as it winds through the quiet forest. This next section is the most peaceful as its far away from lots of roads and parking.

As you go through this section you’ll also notice a few poems in frames set out on some of the trees.

Half way along the ‘southern section’ you’ll get to the stunning Black Rock State Park which was also part of the route I used on my Leatherman Loop and the leatherman cave also marks the point where the trail meets up with the Jericho Trail .

Black Rock State Park to Wolcott

This segment is about half of the overall ‘bigger segment’ and runs from Black Rock State Park to Wolcott.

Its generally less well marked than some of the other sections so youll need to take more care, particularly when in the winding woodland sections where the direction changes often and the markings can be sparse.

The gpx file for this 15 mile segment is here .

The Buttermilk Falls on this section are really stunning and feature a series of cascades leading to an eventual taller final drop with the trail winding steeply down one side of it.

Parking Info

Northern Parking at Mohawk here

Southern parking at the 14 mile mark here. Note this end to the trail doesn’t really have a car park so there is room for about 2 or 3 cars on a flat bit of offroad right next to the trail head and that’s it.

Garmin GPX Info

Information here on the trail with my GPX file and elevation and distance details of the ‘Southern Section’

Information here on the trail with my gpx file for details of the northern section.