Directions to Chauncey Peak

[Jeff Fengler]

Greetings CT-Lepsters:

Due to the demand, here are the directions to Chauncey Peak (aka Guifrida Park) in Meriden.

>From I-91, take exit 20 (Country Club Rd). Go east on Country Club Rd, passing the State Police HQ (becomes Westfield Rd in Meriden).  You will pass by/under a large quarry operation about 1/4 mile before the park entrance.  The park has a short one-way loop road, with the entrance being right before a golf course on the right side of the road (look for the gray park sign).  The distance from I-91 to the park is about 3 miles.

The loop I take starts to the left of the reservoir/lake, and travels north along the shoreline.  At the north end, I take the first foot bridge to the right and follow the rocky trail (White blazed) south along the east side of the lake (Toothwort patch about 100' in on left) till I reach the the south end of the lake again. When I get to the dam, I take the trail to the left (Blue blazed), which gets steep and eventually becomes a rocky scramble up to the top of Chauncey Peak.  I follow the Blue trail along the ridgeline, through typical traprock ridge habitat.  The Black Swallowtails were in the clearings along the ridge top, being very territorial.  Falcates are everywhere here.  Lots of overlooks, with views of Meriden, the Hanging Hills, and Sleeping Giant, etc...  Good view of the quarry operation from overlooks to the east.  I follow the Blue trail to the north end of the lake, and go down a few rocky slopes to meet up with another footbridge, which takes me back to the trail I started out on.  Some side trails off of this trail lead to Lamentation Mountain (Blue blazed: west and north) and along a power line cut (south).  The power line trail leads back to the parking lot.

A note for the botanists: spring wildflowers are fantastic in this park, especially at the north end of the lake and the east shore.  I've never seen so much Hepatica as there is here.

Jeff Fengler

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