Griffith L. June, a past GLCT board member who currently serves on the Trails Committee of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, has established a 0.94-mile trail from Fire Tower Road and Route 77, up the unimproved Fire Tower Road and north across the Marlowe piece. This alternate Mattabesett Blue Trail, know as the Orange Dot Loop, provides an easier access to the escarpment of Bluff Head via interior lines and reduced grades. The well-known Mattabesset Blue Trail accomplishes its ascent to the escarpment from the same starting point in a mere 0.32 miles.
Although Griff did the reconnaissance work in mapping out the lines of the trails and the blazing, some members of the Klamberers pitched in on the actual trail construction phase. In addition to Griff’s, we are most appreciative of the efforts of Jim Shattuck, Win Smith, Marty Wright, Roger LeMontangue, and Win Bullard.
A 0.52-mile portion of the Orange Dot Loop passes entirely over lands preserved for posterity by the Guilford Land Conservation Trust. Striking views of Lake Quonnipaug may be had from many points on this stretch of the new trail, especially when the trees are not in leaf. The trail reaches the escarpment at the first lookout on the Bluff at an elevation of 600 feet above sea level, from which the best views of Faulkner’s Island may be obtained. At this point the loop rejoins the main Mattabesett Trail.
