Tory's Cave
Route 7, New Milford, Connecticut
Directions:
Take Route 7 north out of New Milford center for about 3 miles at which point you'll pass the intersection of Rt. 37 west and Rt. 7. A short distance later a gas station will be on your left. Drive 1.3 miles (passing the first street sign for the semi-circular Squash Hollow Road) and turn left into a large dirt parking area (in two parts: a semi-circle and then a huge open field) . The blue trail markers can be seen at the apex of the semi-circular parking lot. The parking lot is at an old quarry construction site.
The trail heads uphill into the woods. Tory's Cave is about 100 yards into the woods.
(Note: If you see the second street sign for Squash Hollow Road, you've gone to far. Drive back about 0.4 of a mile.)
Trail:
According to www.BerkshireHiking.com
Difficulty: Easy or Strenuous
(If you're into spelunking, you'll love it. If you attempt you're first cave
descent, it could be tough.)
Main Attractions: Marble cave, side trails.
There's a cave (more like a tube) that goes down into the earth for about fifty feet and opens up to a "room" the size of large pickup truck. The cave is just big enough for an adult around 6' 1", 170 lbs. to squeeze into.
Tory's Cave is well know to local spelunkers and is well maintained and
monitored for safety. Do
not go down into the cave by yourself without anyone there. And lamps/ropes are
a good idea even though this isn't a huge cave. Just jumping down in there
without telling anyone where you are or not really knowing what you're in for is
a bad idea.
There is a blue trail that runs past the cave and is a nice hike but doesn't
really offer much in terms of spectacular scenery. However, the blue trail is
part of the
Housatonic Range Trail that starts in Gaylordsville and heads up at
Candlewood Mt. in New Milford. Housatonic Range Trail is just over 6 miles long
and Tory's Cave is somewhat in the middle of that span.
7/01/2005. A brief stop to take a look at the cave. It is a short, easy walk up to the cave itself. There is a big hole in the ground and at the bottom there is a very small entrance. It did not look inviting to me. It looks like one would have to get on all fours and crawl through the opening off to the side of the outer opening. No thanks. At the very least, you should have a hard hat and a light source. I was more interested in the vegetation in the area than the cave, but I'm glad I got the chance to see the cave entrance. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant blooming on date of field trips, 7/01/2005
Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula nigra (black birch)
Carya sp. (hickory)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore))
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Shrubs and Subshrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea) *
Cornus sp. (dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Philadelphus sp. (mock orange)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)
Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Herbs:
Actaea alba (white baneberry)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Anemone virginiana (thimbleweed)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) *
Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) *
Collinsonia canadensis (horsebalm)
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink) *
Epipactis helleborine (helleborine orchid)
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) *
Fragaria virginiana (strawberry)
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium mollugo (wild madder) *
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort) *
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper) *
Lespedeza sp. (bushclover)
Lotus corniculatus (birdfoot trefoil) *
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Mitella diphylla (mitrewort)
Nepeta cataria (catnip) *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonatum pubescens (hairy true Solomon's seal)
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) *
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue) *
Trifolium aureum (yellow clover) *
Trifolium pratense (red clover) *
Trifolium repens (white clover) *
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)
Vicia cracca (cow vetch) *
Viola sp. (violet)
Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Ferns and Fern Allies:
Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern)
Cystopteris tenuis (fragile fern)
Dryopteris carthusiana (toothed woodfern)
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal woodfern)
Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
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