Conservation Commission Walk–Quarry Head State Park

The Wilton Conservation Commission, in collaboration with the Wilton Garden Club, Norwalk River Watershed Association, and Wilton Land Conservation Trust (WLCT) will offer a guided walk in Quarry Head State Park on Sunday, June 24 at 1 p.m.. Quarry Head is owned by the State of Connecticut and managed by the Town of Wilton. The walk will include the adjacent Harrison-Smith property, owned by WLCT.

The walk, to be led by one of the Conservation commissioners, will follow the newly installed trail-work addressing erosion of one hillside. Designed and implemented by volunteers, this pathway also improves the ease of climbing that hill and provides clearer guidance for hikers in this area of the park. Attendees will also see the “deer exclosure” established about a decade ago as an experiment to assess impact on the understory when deer are kept away from the plants growing beneath the tree canopy.

Following the walk, there will be refreshments and time to ask questions and to visit with neighbors and representatives of the organizations sponsoring the walk.

Quarry Head Park is located on Ridgefield Rd./Rte. 33, north, just south of Millstone Rd.. A narrow driveway leads into the park and there are parking spaces once at the end of the driveway. The driveway will be marked with balloons, as the post and sign indicating its location was damaged by winter storms.

The walk will begin near the ruins of a former home on the property at the picnic table overlooking Long Island Sound. The Commission recommends attendees wear long pants tucked into socks and long sleeved shirt. All are welcome, including dogs on leash.

Those who pre-register at conservationevent@wiltonct.org will be contacted should weather require postponement of the walk.

ALSO, SAVE THE DATE! Details of another walk, to be held July 8 at 10 a.m. at Weir Farm to be led by Weir Farm staff, will be announced shortly.