Far Mill River Park & Greenway
Stratford & Shelton, CT

Short, easy, unmarked paths to popular "swimming hole" and falls, mill ruins and fishing.

1.9 mile long unmarked fisherman's path, a few difficult spots, past several falls.

This park is a diamond in the rough. The core of the greenway is Far Mill River Park, a 46-acre Stratford Town Park that surprisingly includes parts of Shelton.  The City of Shelton has added to the greenway with new open space along the river and plans to add more in the future as private property becomes available. 

This part of the Far Mill River is set within a deep gorge, which explains why not a single bridge crosses the river for 1.9 miles between Rt. 110 and Farmill Crossing. 

Falls & swimming hole area at low flow. Note the old mill wall at the falls. Click to enlarge.

The most well-known area is the southern end of the park near Sikorsky's and Pine Rock Park.  Local kids have used the "swimming hole" as a hang-out for generations.  Historically, the rather obscure location of this park and lack of public access have made it the ideal party place for kids, resulting in a real mess.  Lately, the park has been opened up and the junk was picked up, revealing to the general public one of the most beautiful spots in all of Shelton and Stratford.  In 2005, Stratford Scouts created an access trail, parking area, and park sign at Rt 110 and Pine Tree Lane.   This spot is best avoided during hot summer days, when large crowds can gather and serious parking and litter problems arise.  Go instead during spring or fall.  

The Far Mill River just a few hundred yards from Route 110.  This old bride abutment may have been for a trolley line.  There are lots of old ruins in this area. Click to enlarge. The Far Mill River is well-known by fishermen.

It's a quarter mile to the swimming hole on the Stratford side, and the path is pretty well worn along the river up to that point.  But after that it becomes very difficult for about a tenth of a mile as a shadow of a fishermen's trail cuts across the steep riverbank.  If you can get past that stretch, however, the trail gets much easier and is quite rewarding.  Once you're into Shelton some parts of the trail are on private property, although it is not posted.  Please be respectful of their property and hopefully these landowners will be gracious enough to keep the river access open.  After you pass a waterfall the trail becomes less defined and less enjoyable. At 1.7 miles you will hit construction at Well Springs Estates. However, all the land along the river there up to the bridge at Farmill Crossing was given to the City of Shelton for Open Space.  We will have a new public parking and access point here in the future.  Past the bridge, on the opposite side of the river, is more public property all the way up to Well's Hollow Farm on Bridgeport Avenue.

The trail along a sewer easement on the Shelton side of the river feels like an old railroad bed.  Click to enlarge.

The swimming hole & falls can also be accessed from the Shelton side of the river through Pine Rock Park.  There is public parking on Manhassett Trail at the Pearl Bach Shelton Open Space and a rocky access trail down a sewer easement that leads to the river.  Once you are down near the river, the sewer easement path is very easy to walk along, much like walking on an old railroad bed. There are also some impressive ruins in the woods near Rt 110 that a vague side trail leads to.

HVA Stream Team River Monitors:  The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) sponsors periodic volunteer monitoring of the Far Mill and other tributaries of the Housatonic River.  Volunteers look for 'bugs' (macroinvertebrates) that are indicators of water quality.  A video of fall 2006 sampling is available online (high-speed Internet access recommended).  Additional monitors are needed.  Contact HVA via their website if you are interested.

Public Access Points:

Route 110 & Pine Tree Lane, Stratford:  Just north of Warner Hill Road.  Look for the sign at left.  There is space for maybe two cars to park. Walk over to the sign, which is where the trail starts. The first 150 feet are in the open, not terribly well marked,  and may be a little overgrown. If in doubt, just bushwack toward the river and before long you will find the riverside trail. For detailed trail descriptions and photo tour click here.

ASF Sports and Outdoor, 865 River Road (Rt 110): As part of the approvals to build the shop, the owner was required to allowing parking and access to the river. This is the best spot to explore the old mill ruins. Follow the river upstream to find the swimming hole.

Pine Rock Park Access, Shelton: Parking on public streets is discouraged by local residents due to summer problems with hordes of non-residents leaving behind a lot of trash and otherwise behaving poorly.  Having said that, these are public streets.  There are "no parking" signs directly in front of the Pearl Bach Open Space on Manhassett Trail, near the intersection with Shinnacock Trail, and you will be towed.

To find the path going down to the river, from the Pearl Back Open Space sign (photo above), walk along the road towards Shinnacock Trail for about 200 feet.  Step over the guide rail onto a washed-out sewer easement trail.  Watch your footing as you descend. For detailed trail description and photo tour, click here.

Well Spring Access, Shelton:  Park on Farmill Crossing or, if you're not comfortable with that, under the Route 8 bridge on Beard Sawmill. Walk along Farmill Crossing to an old drive marked with a large open space sign and a chain across the drive.  Walk down the drive, past an old corn crib on the left, and stay just to the left of the condos following a gravel emergency access road and stone retaining wall. You will soon be at the site of a former dam.  The official trail ends here, although fishermen continue along the shore downstream towards Stratford.

The Future:  This greenway has great potential.  I hope that the cities of Stratford and Shelton, along with volunteers, can work together to make this one of the finest parks in the region by improving and marking the trails, policing the swimming hole, keeping the area junk-free, adding Open Space along the river, and gaining additional access points for the general public.

For detailed trail description and photo tour, click here.