From Mill Plain Road, follow the yellow trail for a ¾ mile loop back to your starting point. Short trails (red, blue) branch off and then connect back to the yellow loop, leading through diverse habitats like upland and floodplain woodlands, meadow, glen, and red maple swamp. The shorter orange trail connects between red and blue trails.
The open space area contains dense, second-growth forest, wetlands, a wooded swamp, and a few open fields dominated by grasses and wildflowers. The forest includes mixed hardwoods such as tulip poplar, black birch, white ash, scarlet oak, sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, and red cedar.
Wildflowers include buttercup, goldenrod, Queen Ann’s Lace, partridge berry, milkweed, and bittersweet.
There is also a variety of wildlife. The open space area provides habitat for song birds, wading birds, waterfowl, birds of prey; pheasants, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and many small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.
There are four points of access onto the open space area. The Pheasant Lane and Stillson entrances are generally for neighborhood use due to the lack of parking. The entry point on Mill Plain Road is more suitable for open space visitors, with parking spaces off Mill Plain Road, just north of the bridge.
This open space offers river access for fishing. A CT fishing license is required.
Main entry point on Mill Plain Road has paved parking for 10-15 cars just north of the Mill River bridge.
From I-95 Exit 21, take Mill Plain Road to go north. Stay right to continue on Mill Plain Road for about 2 miles. Before Brookside Drive, find the small off-road parking lot on the right, just north of the bridge across the Mill River. Cross back over the bridge. The trailhead is on the left just south of the bridge.
From Route 15 Exit 44, take Route 58/Black Rock Turnpike to go south. After crossing the Samp Mortar Reservoir, take the third right onto Samp Mortar Drive. Continue on Brookside Drive until Mill Plain Road, and turn left. A small off-road parking lot is on the left, just before the bridge across the Mill River. Cross the bridge, and the trailhead is on the left just past the bridge.
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