My four year old nephew has
discovered the old pastime of
"ploppin' rocks", as he likes
calls it. Another uncle of his
introduced him to the art of
skimming stones or just tossing
rocks into the water. As far as
he's concerned nothing is more
exciting than seeing an explosion
of water or watching a stone
bounce across a river or pond. So
if you're into ploppin' rocks too,
Saugatuck
Falls Natural Area is
your place. And the hikin' ain't
bad either.
Saugatuck Falls Natural Area is
located right across the street
from John Read Middle School in
Redding, CT. off of Route 53. Make
your way into the Natural Area and
you'll soon disappear into another
world. It's not a huge place but
the terrain changes frequently and
the various trails allow for some
serious hiking. Within 20 minutes
you can pass over the Saugatuck
River, through open fields, into
dark forests, and along a small
waterfall/rapids section of the
river. Because this area is
environmentally protected and
cared for, the wildlife have the
run of the place. All types of
birds, water fowl, and plant life
are in abundance. Wild turkey,
deer, hawk, owl, heron, and
possibly a bobcat or two also
prowl through here although seeing
them is a bit tricky since they
stay very clear of the people (and
family dogs) that frequent this
place.
The trails are clearly marked and
well maintained which allow for
some great hiking. If you hike the
entire preserve you'll get a
serious workout. It's mostly flat
and there isn't a mountain top
view but the trails undulate
enough to get your heart pumping
if you were to venture in far.
Even if you just wanted to take a
short walk along the banks of the
Saugatuck River, you'll have a
very good chance of seeing some
interesting wildlife activity.
Within 30 minutes of exploration
with my nephew we saw a turtle
making its way to the river, an
owl swoop down and snag a mouse,
a neat little frog using his
camouflage expertise to hide
from us, and a pair of wood
ducks swimming and eating within
a quiet part of the river. Most
people who visit here are local
residents who use part of the
place for exercise
(walking/light jogging) or to
run their dogs. But if you take
your time and explore further
back, nature presents a fine
showing that you'll miss if
you're too busy walking with
your head down or talking too
loudly.
Follow the trail sign to the
falls where you'll come upon an
interesting water world. You'll
hike along the banks of the
river and eventually to a small
section of river that tumbles
over some large rock
formations.
When the area sees a lot of
rain, the rapids can be quite
powerful, generating the
waterfall. Locals have rigged
up a rope which allow them to
hang out in the rapids during
summertime - a great way to
cool off (although it made me
nervous to watch the local
teens doing this as I visited
while the rapids were
extremely powerful).
Most hikers probably don't
venture off into the back area
of this unique spot, but you
can go beyond the power lines
and experience some peace and
quiet as well as a nice change
of ecosystem. During fall
foliage season or even the
crisp wintertime, Saugatuck
Falls Natural Area certainly
would offer up some choice
moments where it would feel
more like Maine than Redding,
CT. Make sure you monitor
toddlers carefully if they
are joining you. Along the
river the trail is a little
shaky and slopes towards the
river. The rapid/falls
section would be very
dangerous if they got too
close.
Directions:
The following
directions were sent to
Berkshire Hiking by Tom
Ebersold. Tom is a hike leader
and local expert on Redding
trails. These directions were
sent January 1, 2006 and have
been copy/pasted into the
following paragraphs.
I highly recommend parking at
John Read Middle School. These
are road-tested directions to
the school:
From the southbound Merritt
Pkwy., take Exit 44
Head north on Rt. 58 for 10
miles.
Left onto Cross Highway by the
church (Church Hill Road on
the right). Go 2 miles.
Straight onto Rt. 107 South at
the stop sign (by the Redding
Nursery). Go 1 mile.
Right onto Rt. 53 North at the
stop sign at the bottom of the
steep hill. Go 3/4 mile.
Right into John Read Middle
School.
From the northbound Merritt
Pkwy., take Exit 42
Head north on Rt. 57 into
Weston Center where it meets
Rt. 53.
Follow Rt. 53 North.
One mile past Rt. 107, you
will see the school on your
right.
Directions from I-84: From
I-84, take Exit 5. Head south
on Route 53 through Danbury
and Bethel. The school will be
on the left-hand side about
2.7 miles south of the
Bethel-Redding border. If you
see the blinking red light or
the Mark Twain Library, you
went too far.
Printable
version of the Saugatuck
Falls page
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