Bradley Park
Oakledge Lane, Wilton, Fairfield County, Connecticut
82.6 acres
Directions:
Merritt Parkway north to exit 40B onto expressway extension; at the light turn right onto Grist Mill Road and left onto Main Avenue in Norwalk (Route 7 north). After making a left turn in order to stay on Route 7 heading north.
Northern entrance:
Turn left following Route 33 (Ridgefield Road); turn left onto Belden Hill Road; make the first left turn and then make another left following Graenest Ridge Road south to its end at a circle. Park along the circle. Walk a short ways down a driveway (?) and in less than 10 yards turn left into the woods and onto a path by a sign for the Park. Pick up the yellow and white combined trail heading south.
Southern entrance:
Turn left onto Wolfpit Road; pass by Horse shoe Road and Park on the right and then make a right turn onto Oak Ledge Lane. Across from house #60 on the right there is a trail opening in the woods on the left by a sign for the Park. Pick up the orange trail heading north.
trails, boardwalk and wetlands
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 is 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 River's 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
9/14/2005. On a hot day, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I parked at the southern entrance on Oak Ledge Road at the traffic circle. We entered the wood and turned right onto the orange trail heading south. It did not take long before a yellow trail branched off to the right. We decided to follow it. It turn right going east over to River Road. The trail heads downhill to go between the Glen River Apartments on the right and other residences? on the left. Across River Road is Schenk's Island Park.
We retraced our steps back to the intersection of the yellow and orange trails. We turned right to follow the orange trail. It heads through the woods through a wetland area and then uphill for a short distance. There is another trail intersection. The orange and white trails (combined) head to the left, while the yellow and white trails (combined) head north. We decide to follow the latter trail heading north to Graenest Ridge Road.
In a short distance the yellow trail heads off to the right (we guessed that it was also going over to River Road). We decided to keep going straight on the yellow and white trails (combined). Soon we came out to the traffic circle at the end of Graenest Ridge Road.
We turned around and headed straight back to our car at the traffic circle at the end of Oak Ledge Road. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plants blooming on field trip, 9/14/2005
Trees:
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Chimaphila maculata (striped wintergreen)
Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepperbush)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus flagellaris (northern dewberry)
Rubus hispidus (swamp dewberry)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Vaccinium pallidum (hillside blueberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)
Vines:
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)
Herbs:
Acalypha sp. (three-seeded mercury)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster spp. (aster)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle)
Chelone glabra (white turtlehead)
Epifagus virginiana (beech drops) *
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Hieracium paniculatum (panicled hawkweed) *
Hieracium venosum (rattlesnake hawkweed)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Mollugo verticillata (carpetweed) *
Monotropa uniflorus (Indian pipe)
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Solidago bicolor (silverrod) *
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Sedges:
Carex intumescens (bladder sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Grasses:
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)
Ferns:
Lycopodium lucidulum (shining club moss)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York fern)
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