The Story of the Yawgoog Trails
Green Fall Pond Area - Part I
Caution: Hikers should be very careful, by wearing at least 400 square inches (2,580 square centimeters) of blaze orange material, such as a vest, when hiking in the Pachaug State Forest (managed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection) during Connecticut's hunting season. The hunting season starts on September 1 and runs through the end of February. Hunting is prohibited in Yawgoog.
This trail is part of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Narragansett Trail and is marked with blue rectangles in Connecticut. It begins on Yawgoog's Blue Trail at the intersection of the Narragansett and Tippecansett trails, after leaving Dinosaur Cliffs and Caves. The hike occurs in Connectucut's Pachaug State Forest, named for the Pachaug River, which runs through it. "Pachaug" is a Mohegan word for "the fork or turning aside place" or "bend" -- a reference to the river's winding nature (Huden, p. 161; Hughes and Allen, pp. 748, 763).
Heading left (northwest) from the intersection, the trail comes upon a fork and stream, about 220 yards (201 meters) later. The left-hand (western) path crosses a plank bridge over the stream and leads to Green Fall Pond. Leading north from the fork, the right-hand path, the unmarked Green Fall Marsh Trail climbs large ledges that dip into the marsh (trail named in Williams and Tracy, p. 25); the marsh was also known as "Burnt Swamp" (Hughes and Allen, p. 614). Another unmarked path leads to the right (northeast) and ends at some caves. "The largest of these caves is 50 feet [(15 meters)] long running underground and is an adventure not to be missed." (Williams and Tracy, p. 25) The Marsh Trail continues north a little bit longer and ends at a good place to observe wildlife, including deer, which come to the marsh to drink.
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Returning to the fork, the main trail crosses the plank bridge and continues to go west. The plank bridge should be crossed one person at a time. Shortly after leaving the plank bridge, the remains of a stone fireplace can be seen to the left (west) of the trail, in an oak grove. This fireplace is similar to those on the Yellow and Red trails. Exploration of the area might reveal the remains of a charcoal pit similar to the "Sawdust Pile" on the Green Trail. The trail crosses an intermittent stream shortly after leaving the fireplace.
Stone fireplace in winter
The trail eventually encounters the site of an old mill on Peg Mill Brook, a tributary of the Green Fall River. The mill's complex stone foundation features a 200-foot (61-meter), underground sluiceway, which runs from southwest to northeast. The tunnel was fed by a little pond confined by a small, simple, stone and earth dam; water still flows through the sluiceway after a heavy rain. The Williams and Tracy version of the trail guide names the location as the "old Thomas Mill site" (p. 6) and the brook as "Mill Brook" (p. 22).
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Stone foundation of mill in winter
The trail passes over the remains of the dam and immediately arrives at an Adirondack shelter and fireplace to the right; a reservation is needed from the Pachaug State Forest in order to camp in the shelter. The trail becomes a wide, grassy, fire-access road and reaches and intersection with a dirt road. Following the road left (south) will take hikers away from the public beach on Green Fall Pond to a curving dam/levee, discussed later. This road also heads right (north), intersecting with the Narragansett Trail on the left (west) within a few yards; this is the trail that leads to the beach.
Unofficial