Westwoods Loop 11 – The Good Sisters

General Description: Loop #11 is an easy woodland hike on the Good Sisters (Pink Circle) trail and the Violet Circle and Blue Rectangle trails. The Good Sisters trail is the newest circle trail created through a Guilford Land Conservation Trust land acquisition. The 36 acre parcel of land was donated to the GLCT by Effie Good after her death in 2004 and is the highest valued bequest ever received by the GLCT at the time. Effie and her sister, Helen Good Bensche, had a long association with the GLCT. The Good sisters sold a 15 acre parcel of land to the GLCT back in 1991 which includes the Moose Hill Road entrance to Westwoods. The sisters also sold a 26 acre parcel of land to the GLCT in 1998 at less than market value. Thanks to the Good sisters’ foresight and generosity hikers will benefit and enjoy these woods for generations to come.

Difficulty: Easy with some occasional up and down hiking on open trails.

Weather considerations: A few wet spots.

Distance: 1.5 miles

Duration: 45 minutes

Hiking Narrative: Park at entrance # 5 located off of Moose Hill Road.

  1. Begin hiking on the Good Sisters Trail (Pink Circle) located on the south corner of the Moose Hill Road parking lot.
  2. Continue following the Pink Circle. Note the young hardwood trees in the open forest. This land was used as pastureland by the Good sister’s grandfather and was likely clear cut at that time.
  3. As you continue on the Pink Circle trail you will see huge boulders called erratics. These are isolated large rocks deposited by the receded ice age glacier. Smaller rocks were removed by the colonial farmers and often were used to build stone walls. These glacial boulders were too big to be removed.
  4. Notice the understory of Mountain Laurel (our state flower) in the young forest. Mountain Laurel begins blooming in May in Connecticut. You will also pass by some rock outcroppings, a typical rock feature found throughout the Westwoods.
  5. Pink Circle ends after you have traveled about .7 miles. Make a left on Violet Circle heading north.
  6. You will continue on Violet Circle until you reach Blue Rectangle.
  7. Take a left on Blue Rectangle as Violet Circle continues straight.
  8. Continue on Blue Rectangle back to the parking lot.