Driving along Park Road through the Voluntown section of the Pachaug State Forest, visitors pass by a statue of a shirtless man with an ax by his side and his hat brim pulled back. He is smiling widely with a sense of accomplishment.
“This statue honors the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps,” reads a plaque at the bottom of the statue, “who from 1933 to 1942, through the construction of trails, roads, bridges and buildings helped create access to our state parks and forests. The legacy of their natural resource conservation work is memorialized through this statue which commemorates the spirit of the CCC.”
The statue is dedicated to the memory of Edward Piontkowski, who served at Camp Lonergan, Company 179 in the Pachaug State Forest. The forest, at 26,477 acres in the towns of Voluntown, Sterling, Plainfield, Griswold, North Stonington and Preston, is the largest in Connecticut. Pachaug comes from the Native American language meaning “turning point of water” with the Pachaug River taking numerous twists and turns before reaching the Quinebaug River.
It was the job of CCC to give unemployed men jobs during the Great Depression. The camp was opened in 1933 and closed in 1942. But during that time, crews set up a shingle mill harvesting Atlantic white cedar trees that provided shingles for CCC projects across the state.
Remnants of what remains of those cedars are part of the Rhododendron Sanctuary, an all-accessible trail in the Chapman Area of the state forest. The sanctuary is part of Pachaug-Great Meadow Swamp, one of the state’s eight National Natural Landmarks. The other National Natural Landmarks include Bartholomew’s Cobble, Beckley Bog, Bingham Pond Bog, Cathedral Pines, Chester Cedar Swamp, Dinosaur Trackway and the McLean Game Refuge.
No matter what time of the year, the sanctuary’s setting is mystical. The cedars tower above you with their boughs high up on the tree and smooth trunks capturing your eye inviting you to trace it up to the sky. The native rhododendrons’ long narrow leaves cover the swampy ground, their spindly and crooked branches mixing in with the trunks of cedars and hemlocks. Even in the mid-day December sun, the sanctuary is magical with the sun peeking through the cedars and hemlocks and illuminating the green moss that lines the trail.
The half-mile trail continues to a boardwalk and overlook into the heart of the swamp and stunning views of Mount Misery Brook as if flows lazily past the cedars. The trail, marked with blue blazes, loops around briefly so visitors can get an up close look into the swamp. The native rhododendrons aren’t the garden-type variety. So if you want to see them bloom, plan an early July visit instead of early June like the ones in your yard.
From the sanctuary, visitors can take a relatively short trip to the top of the 441-foot-high Mount Misery. From the sanctuary, walk west along the Cutoff Road to the Connecticut Forest and Park Association’s Nehantic blue-blazed trail. The Nehantic, means “at the point” and was named for the Native Americans who lived in eastern Connecticut and western Rhode Island.
The trail runs nearly 13 miles in Griswold and Voluntown between Green Fall Pond Recreation Area in Voluntown and Hopeville Pond State Park in Griswold. The Nehantic links with the adjoining Narragansett, Quinebaug, and Pachaug CFPA trails for those looking for a longer adventure.
Be on the lookout for a Smokey Bear (and no, it’s not Smokey The Bear) sign marking the entrance to the trail up to Mount Misery. The trail passes through deep forest and a pair of moderately difficult ascents. With the leaves off the trees, the view opens up quickly as you reach the top of Mount Misery.
And it’s one of the best views in eastern Connecticut simply because there are very few signs of civilization. The only view you will see in the sweeping vista is that of deciduous trees and evergreens as far as the eye can see. Hikers can retrace their steps or hike down to Firetown Road which connects with Cutoff Road and a return to the sanctuary.
According to local legend, the name of the mountain comes from the miserable farming conditions settlers encountered in the area. But there is nothing miserable about the vista from the top to the view from the swampy bottom.
The Bottom Line: Anyone can see a portion of one of the state’s National Natural Landmarks along the accessible trail through the magical Rhododendron Sanctuary. Adding more adventure is a trip to the top of the 441-foot-high Mount Misery and its forested views across eastern Connecticut.
Total Mileage: The Rhododendron Sanctuary is about a half-mile out and back. The trail is flat and easy to navigate. From the sanctuary to the top of Mount Misery is about a mile. There are several moderately difficult ascent to the top of Mount Misery. Look online for a map of the state forest.
Directions: From the Intersection of Plainfield Pike (Route 14A) and Ekonk Hill Rd. (Route 49) in Sterling follow Ekonk Hill Road (Route 49) South for 7.6 miles. Turn at the Connecticut State Forest sign. Turn on Headquarters Road and follow about a mile. Park at a big open field and look for the trail and sign.
Pet-friendly? Leashed dogs are allowed and must be cleaned up after with the plastic bags disposed properly.
Things to do near Pachaug State Forest
Tulli’s Taphouse, Griswold
It’s not often you can visit a restaurant where the chef has cooked for celebrities like Tiger Woods, Hilary and Chelsea Clinton, Joan Rivers and Brooke Shields. Chef Calvin Silva has been in the restaurant industry for more than 40 years. Tulli’s Taphouse bills itself as a craft kitchen with fresh local beers on tap. Menu items include small plates, salad, soup, burgers, sandwiches and entrees. The beer menu includes a few dozen beers.
Slater Museum, Norwich
The Slater Museum has grown to include a collection of more than 10,000 pieces of art and objects from all over the world. The museum, on the campus of Norwich Free Academy, features several permanent exhibition galleries showcasing artwork and material culture from all corners of the world. The museum notes “from its inaugural exhibition of plaster casts first unveiled in 1888, to local artists, and global masterpieces, you are invited to experience the museum’s collection of world-class wonders, under one roof.”