Dean Ravine and Barrack Mountain
Music Mountain Road, Housatonic State Forest, North Canaan, Litchfield County, Connecticut

Source: Hardy, #14

Directions:

From the junction of CT 112 and US 7 in Salisbury, drive east on US 7 across the river; in .3 mile, turn right onto Warren Turnpike. Drive .09 of a mile and turn left onto Music Mountain Road. In .09 of a mile there is an intersection with Cream Hill Road and a parking lot on the left.

Habitats:

mountain top; ravine

Trails:

The trail heads northwest following Dean Ravine. Then it heads north to a lookout point, from which one turns back for the return trip.

The white-blazed AT slant left from the parking area. In. O.6 of a mile take Music Mountain Road for 0.1 of a mile. Crossing over a bridge turn right and head uphill. After 1.2 miles of walking the look out point is reached. Looking below is the Housatonic River and looking right one sees the oval track of Lime Rock’s race track.

6/16/2006.  Rosemary, Cefe, Carl and I on vacation out of Travel Lodge, Great Barrington, MA.  The gang all liked Dean Ravine.  The ravine with its many waterfalls is simply fascinating.  The walk is not long, so take your time and enjoy.  We walked up Barrack Mountain.  It did not take long to get to the viewing points.  But with all the trees with their leaves in the way, it was hard to see the other side of the Housatonic River Valley.  It would be better to come here in late fall or early spring.  We came back down and walked up the road back to the parking area.  The roadside plants were also interesting.   Dr. Patrick L. Cooney. 

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney,  * = plant blooming on date of field trip, 6/16/2006

Trees:
Acer pensylvanicum (striped maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Amelanchier arborea (shadbush)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Ostrya virginiana (American hop hornbeam)
Pinus resinosa (red pine)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine)
Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus rugosa (round-leaved dogwood)
Diervilla lonicera (bush honeysuckle)  *
Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry) 
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)  *
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Ribes sativum (garden currant) 
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus odoratus (purple flowering raspberry)  *
Rubus sp. (blackberry)  *
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Staphylea trifolia (bladdernut)
Vaccinium pallidum (hillside blueberry) 
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)
Viburnum dentatum (hairy arrowwood viburnum)
 
Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Herbs:
Actaea alba (white baneberry)
Actaea rubra (red baneberry)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Anemone quinquefolia (wood anemone) 
Antennaria sp. (pussytoes)
Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla)
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the pulpit)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Chelidonium majus (celandine)  *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)  *
Collinsonia canadensis (horsebalm)
Corydalis sempervirens (pale corydalis)  *
Cypripedium acaule (pink lady's slipper)
Cryptotaenia canadensis (honewort)  *
Epipactis helleborine (helleborine orchid)
Erigeron pulchellus (robin's plantain)  *
Erigeron sp. (daisy fleabane)
Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge)
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium mollugo (wild madder)  *
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)  *
Hedyotis sp. (bluets)  *
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily)
Hepatica americana (round-lobed hepatica)
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket)  *
Hieracium caespitosum (field hawkweed)  *
Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow stargrass)  *
Krigia virginica (one-flowered Cynthia)  *
Lysimachia quadrifolia (whorled loosestrife)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Medeola virginiana (Indian cucumberroot)
Medicago lupulina (black medick)  *
Mitella diphylla (two-leaved mitrewort)
Monotropa uniflora (Indian pipe)
Osmorhiza longistylis (aniseroot)
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)  *
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Podophyllum peltatum (may apple)
Polygonatum biflorum (true Solomon's seal)
Potentilla norvegica (rough cinquefoil)  *
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil)  *
Prenanthes sp. (lettuce)
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup)  * 
Ranunculus sp. (crowfoot)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)  *
Sedum telephioides (garden sedum)
Senecio sp. (ragwort)  *
Silene vulgaris (bladder campion)  *
Sisyrinchium sp. (blue-eyed grass)  *
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)  *
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue)  *
Trientalis borealis (starflower) 
Trifolium pratense (red clover)  *
Trifolium repens (white clover)  *
Trillium sp. (trillium)
Triodanis perfoliata (Venus looking glass)
Urtica dioica var. dioica (stinging nettle)
Uvularia perfoliata (perfoliate-leaved bellwort) 
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)  *
Zizia aurea (golden Alexanders)  *waning

Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Bromus inermis (smooth brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Deschampsia flexuosa (hairgrass)
Lolium perenne (English rye grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Poa compressa (Canada bluegrass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Lycopodium lucidulum (shining clubmoss)
Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern)
Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Cystopteris sp. (fragile fern)
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal woodfern)
Dryopteris sp. (woodfern)
Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Polypodium sp. (rock cap fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York fern)

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