Merwin Meadows Park

Lovers Lane, Wilton, Fairfield County, Connecticut

17 acres

 swimming pond, athletic field, picnic facilities, playground, basketball court, walking trails

Season passes are required.

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 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.  We approached the park from the north instead of parking at the park itself.  We parked along School Road across from the Children Center.  We took the path that headed down to the park.  It is a small park but has a swimming area and a playground for the children.  We did not investigate the main part of the park because no dogs are allowed on the park area itself.  People walk their dogs on the trail we used to access the park. 

We crossed over a nearby stream on a car/pedestrian bridge giving access to an overflow parking area.  We walked on a trail parallel to the stream but  with a short walk the trail ended at a fence protecting the railroad tracks from pedestrians.  

We turned around to return to the Park.  We walked back up our access trail.  At a fork in the trail, we went right to find out where this trail went.  It took us along the stream on our right to School Road.  Here there is a small pull-off area with a huge boulder blocking car access to the trail.  (This pull-off is only about 0.2 of a mile up School Road off Route 7.)

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

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

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Salix sp. (willow)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Forsythia sp. (golden bells)   planted
Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Staphylea trifolia (bladdernut)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Echinocystis lobata (wild cucumber)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Polygonum scandens (climbing false bindweed)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Antennaria sp. (pussytoes)
Apocynum sp. (dogbane)
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)     *
Aster spp. (aster)     *
Bidens frondosa (beggar tick)     *
Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh)
Chelidonium majus (celandine)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Cichorium intybus (chicory)     *
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade)  
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)     *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket)     *  1 of them in bloom
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed)     *
Iris sp. (blue or yellow flag)
Lapsana communis (nipplewort)     *
Lemna sp. (duckweed)
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)     *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)     *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)     *
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)     *
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)     *
Polygonum lapathifolium (nodding smartweed)     *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Sanguinaria canadensis  (bloodroot)
Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead)
Solanum nigrum (black nightshade)
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue)     *
Urtica dioica var. dioica (stinging nettle)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)

Sedges:
Cyperus strigosus (umbrella sedge)

Grasses:
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Leersia oryzoides (white grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)

Ferns:
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York fern)

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