Allen's Meadows Park
near Cannondale Station, Wilton, Fairfield County, CT

Directions:

Merritt Parkway north to exit 40B onto expressway extension; right turn onto Grist Mill Road and left turn onto Main Avenue in Norwalk (Route 7 north). Pass by Caldor and Gateway Shopping Centers and the Wilton Center Town Hall. Shortly after passing Wilton High School turn left into the entrance of the park.

Or one can park at a small pull-off on the south side of the Olmstead Hill Road.  From here there is a trail that heads through the woods to the soccer fields of the park.

Description:

This park contains mostly soccer fields.

Trails:

The Wilton Olmstead Hill Road to Wolfpit Road Trail (2.7 miles):

Parking Directions:
There is parking at the northern section at both Allen’s Meadow and Merwin Meadows. Allen’s Meadows parking is off of Route 7 (Danbury Road).
There is parking at Merwin Meadows off Ridgefield Road.
Parking for the southern section is available at Horseshoe Park.

northern end:
Allens Meadows (which has 2 multi-purpose playing fields and community gardens);
runs adjacent to Wilton High School and the athletic complex;
goes along a woodland trail;
Merwin Meadows (with a swimming pond and bathhouse, picnic area, playground, and soccer field);
a wooden bridge for pedestrian and bike traffic;
the town center;
follows sidewalks along River Road through town center;
south of town center there is access to Schenck’s Island (a park with walking trails that follow the Norwalk Rivers banks);
just south of Schenck’s Island, the 82-acre Bradley Park is accessed from River Road on its west side;
down River Road, the trail ends at the north end of Horseshoe Park;
Horseshoe Park connects to Wolfpit Road.
Southern end.

Source:  http://www.ct.gov/dot/LIB/dot/documents/dbikes/118.pdf

9/12/2005.  On a great day, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I tried to see if we could find the trail entrance along Olmstead Hill Road.  We found the pull-off that gives access to the trail (but at the time we could not see it).  We found the main entrance to the Park and drove past the soccer fields.  We went past the public planted gardens and past the massive dirt piles.  We saw an opening in the woods, parked and followed the trail.  It took us past a path coming in from the right and to Olmstead Hill Road (just below house #341).  We retraced our steps and then made a left onto the side trail.  This led over to the main trail that accesses the soccer fields.  We turned left and follow the trail a short distance to Olmstead Hill Road and saw the pull-off that we had stopped at earlier without realizing there was a trail accessible from the pull-off.  We turned around and followed the main trail to the soccer fields.  Then we walked past the dirt mounds on the right and then parallel to the soccer fields.  The trail heads in and out of the woods and small field past the soccer fields on the left with woods on the right. 

The trail passes by a small pond on the right.  There is access by taking a small jag to the right and then an immediate left.  At the time we just passed by the pond and then walked on the main access road to the entranceway on Route 7. 

Turned around and decided to take a dirt road on the left.  This took us over to Wilton High School.  We turned around and walked back to the entrance way.  On the way back I decided to take the short jag over to the pond.  The pond looked pretty stagnant and the water level was low.  Resumed the walk back to the car.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.  

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

*  =  plants blooming on field trip, 9/12/2005

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Acer sp. (maple)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Salix alba var. (weeping willow)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus sp. (elm)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Pachysandra terminalis (pachysandra)
Rhamnus frangula (European buckthorn)
Rhus copallina (winged sumac)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus flagellaris (northern dewberry)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Spiraea alba var. latifolia (meadowsweet)   * 2 blooms only
Viburnum dentatum (smooth arrowwood viburnum)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)     *
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Cuscuta sp. (dodder))
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Polygonum scandens (climbing false bindweed)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis labrusca (fox grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)   * 1 in bloom
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)     *
Apocynum sp. (dogbane)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)     *
Aster sp. (small white aster)     *
Aster spp. (aster)     *
Bidens frondosa (beggar tick)     *
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Cichorium intybus (chicory)     *
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade)  
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Coronilla varia (crown vetch)     *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)     *
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed) 
Eupatorium fistulosum (trumpetweed)     *waning
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)     *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed)     *
Iris sp. (blue or yellow flag)
Lactuca biennis (tall blue lettuce)     *
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper)
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)     *
Lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco)     *
Lotus corniculatus (birdfoot trefoil)     *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)     *
Myosotis scorpioides (forget-me-not)     *
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)    
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)     *
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)    
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)     *
Polygonum hydropiper (water pepper)     *
Polygonum lapathifolium (nodding smartweed)     *
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb)     *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)     *
Satureja vulgaris (wild basil)    
Solidago canadensis var. scabra (tall goldenrod)     *
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)     *
Trifolium pratense (red clover)     *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain)   
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed)    *

Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)

Sedges:
Cyperus strigosus (umbrella sedge)

Grasses:
Andropogon gerardii (turkey claw)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Echinochloa sp. (barnyard grass)
Eleusine indica (zipper grass)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple love grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Panicum dichotomiflorum (fall panic grass)
Phleum pratense (Timothy grass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)

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