In order to hike these trails, a permit from the Regional Water Authority (RWA) is required.
There are six trails covering more than nine miles through rolling, wooded land.
On the east side of the property, the white square Goat Lot Trail and the yellow circle Pine Trail form a nice loop over gentle grades. Here, there are old house foundations and stone walls, remnants of the Little Genesee Settlement established about 1770 and abandoned between 1850 and 1875.
Part of the red circle Durham Trail was once an important highway linking the docks on the Connecticut River in Haddam with inland areas stretching west into North Branford. The other part follows an abandoned logging road through low-lying areas.
The green circle Grandma Hall Trail is an old logging road that was once used as a cart path. It was named after an early resident of the area, a great-grandmother of an RWA employee. This trail skirts the northwest corner of the property, past a large wetland and along upland where, 20,000 years ago, a glacier scraped off most of the topsoil. As a result, the trees grow slowly here and compete with each other for water and nutrients.
The white and orange Bushwhack Trail was blazed specifically as a hiking trail and includes large, old trees.
Read more at the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) website (Madison).
A permit can be acquired through the RWA recreation website.
The Menunkatuck Trail/New England Trail can be hiked without a RWA permit.
Review the RWA Rules and Regulations for the complete list of park rules.
The Genesee gated entrance and parking area are located in Madison along Durham Road (Route 79), south of County Road.
A permit is required before using trails. Please read the detailed trail post for more information.
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