McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Saturday, February 16, 2019
Estimated distance:  3.07 miles
Weather: 36°F, fair
Resources: McLean Game Refuge, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: beautiful sunshiny day, pileated woodpecker


I started at the Barndoor Hills Road entrance to the Game Refuge and walked toward Trout Pond.  On the return trip, I detoured on to the Werbitzkas Loop and came back along the West Branch of the Salmon Brook.  The trail conditions were a little tricky.  I wore my microspikes and used poles.  The microspikes weren't completely necessary, but the poles were quite helpful.

Cabin in the picnic grove

Basalt trap rock talus slope

Cabin at Trout Pond

This pileated woodpecker was in the tree as I headed toward Trout Pond and was still there on my return.  I spent quite awhile watching him and taking pictures and he seemed completely unperturbed.  Of course, he was above me by 20-30 feet, so I guess he had no worries.

Pileated woodpecker

Schiro Preserve from Werbitzkas Loop

West Branch Salmon Brook

McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Estimated distance:  3.53 miles
Weather: 30°F, cloudy
Resources: McLean Game Refuge
Highlights of the trip:  winter colors


Another nice day, but 20 degrees cooler than New Year's Day.  Today, I decided to hike in McLean Game Refuge starting at the parking area on Barndoor Hills Road.  From there, I walked on the woods road to Trout Pond and then took the blue loop back to the woods road. 

Trout Pomd

Winter colors

Along the blue loop

A view of the Barndoor Hills

Frost heaves

A short distance on the same woods road I had taken on the way in, led me to the green Werbitzkas Loop.  The trail took me down to a field, where on other occasions I have seen deer.  Not today.

The trail eventually comes out along the West Branch of the Salmon Brook.  There had been a lot of rain in the last few days and the brook was quite high, but based upon how the grasses were matted down all in one direction, it seems the water had been even higher.

A nice hike and it was great to get outside.

2017 Hike #28: McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Sunday, July 30, 2017
Estimated distance:  3.98 miles
Weather: 80°F, scattered clouds
Resources: McLean Game Refuge, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  Trout Pond
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  28/52 hikes; 95.26/250 miles hiked


Catching up on blog posts. 

Spring Pond

Looking across field along Werbitzkas Loop.  I think this field may be part of Schiro Preserve.

West Branch of the Salmon Brook

2017 Hike #23: McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Sunday, June 25, 2017
Estimated distance:  1.35 miles
Weather: 78°F, scattered clouds
Resources: McLean Game Refuge, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  view of Spring Pond
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  23/52 hikes; 77.62/250 miles hiked

Just a quick walk around the pond.

New signage.

Spring Pond

2017 Hike #20: Holcomb Farm to Carpenter Falls - West Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Thursday, June 1, 2017
Estimated distance:  4.52 miles
Weather: 75°F, partly cloudy
Resources: Holcomb Farm, Holcomb Farm Trail Map, McLean Game Refuge Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  waterfall, snake, millipede
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  20/52 hikes; 69.83/250 miles hiked

I should have waited a day to take this hike.  I ended up picking a warm, rather humid day and if I had waited one more day it would have dried out and there would have been a bit of a breeze.  Oh, well.  It was still a good hike.

I parked at Holcomb Farm in West Granby, went across the CSA fields and over the West Branch of Salmon Brook.  I took the Holcomb Trails to the orange, Northwest Passage Trail which comes out on Broad Hill Road.  From there, I took the dirt road to Carpenter Falls.  On the way back down, I zig-zagged my way down the Holcomb Farm Trails.

Bridge over West Branch of Salmon Brook.

Yellow trail leading to stairs.

Before I got to the stairs, I happened to see a couple of folding chairs in the woods.  I decided to walk over and take a look and see if there was some reason there were chairs sitting out here.  I have seen some crazy stuff in the woods, so you never know.  The craziest was a gorilla suit dressed up with blaze orange hunting vest and hat that my kids thought might be a dead body.  (What the heck?  I saw reference to it later in a geocaching post).  Nothing that strange this time, just chairs.  But, then I turned around...

Ugh.  I sure hope I wasn't caught on camera!  I may find out, because when I was hiking with my friend a few days later she said her son was one of the kids charged with taking care of the cameras at Holcomb Farm.  MH, please delete my picture!

Top of Carpenter Falls with plaque on rock.

Below the falls.

Falls are part of Beach Brook.

I hadn't initially noticed this jumble of boulders.

Looking downstream from the falls.

Common garter snake did not move when I got close.

Millipede.

Beach Brook near southern end of Holcomb trails before joining Salmon Brook.

Heading back across fields of Holcomb Farm CSA.

2017 Hike #19: McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Sunday, May 21, 2017
Estimated distance:  3.53 miles
Weather: 71°F, scattered clouds
Resources: McLean Game Refuge, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  wildflowers, water
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  19/52 hikes; 65.31/250 miles hiked

Cypress spurge?

Dwarf cinquefoil?

Log cabin near the parking area on Barndoor Hills Road.

Great laurel?

Starflower

Canada geese at Trout Pond.

Senator McLean's cabin at Trout Pond.

Field along Werbitzkas Loop.

West Branch of Salmon Brook near Barndoor Hills parking area.