Still Pond
Greenwich, Fairfield County, CT

Source: Cooley, #21

Directions:

US 95 north; get off at exit 3; turn right onto Arch Street; turn left onto Greenwich Avenue; turn right onto the Boston Post Road/East Putnam Avenue (Route 1); turn left onto Maple Avenue; turn right onto North Street; drive 1.7 miles north to make a right turn onto Doubling Road; drive 0.5 mile and turn left onto Saw Mill Lane; drive 0.3 of a mile and pull into #31 driveway; park on the right-hand side of the driveway, just before the culvert. Space only for two cars.

10/17/2005.  We tried the directions, but though we found a trail heading off the driveway, there is a sign on the driveway that says "Private Property" and large driveway boulders blocked any parking spots that may once have been.  So, I'll have to do some more research on the place to see it is still open to walkers.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

Geology:

Hilly terrain, sculpted by scouring glaciers along with bedrock outcrops. High ground between Still and Meeks Ponds underlain by bedrock of schist and gneiss.

History:

Still Pond was dammed in colonial times. The pond was used as a source of ice (stored in the adjacent icehouse).

Part of the land was purchased by The Nature Conservancy. Ann H. Shellenberger donated 13 acres and Priscilla M. Meek donated 4.5 acres. Mr. and Mrs. John Hill Wilson donated an acre as scenic easement.

Trails:

The walk is less than a mile. The walk heads to two ponds, Still and Meeks, and then back to the upper part of the private driveway and then back to the parking area. The trail heads slightly southeast and then fully southeast to proceed along the southern end of Still Pond. Follow east to a bridge and then northeast and shortly turn right (almost south) to a bottom loop of this circular walk. Proceed northeast out of the loop to the southern end of Meeks Ponds, by a cinder-block dam. After viewing Meeks Pond head west and slightly southwest to a right turn heading slightly northeast to a marshy area at the northwestern end of Meeks Pond. Loop away from the marshy area heading southwest back to the private driveway. Head southwest back to the parking area along the private driveway.

Habitats:

two ponds; streams, waterfalls, beech-oak-sugar maple forest

PLANT LIST:

Trees:
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Castanea dentata (American chestnut)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Pinus resinosa (red pine)
Quercus spp. (oaks)

Shrubs:
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)

Herbs:
Epifagus (beech drops)
Convallaria majalis ((lily of the valley)
Narcissus sp. (daffodil)
Solidago spp. (goldenrods)
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)

Ferns:
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)

Back to the w. Connecticut Page
Back to the Main Page