Southbury Hiking Trails in Fall 2026: Where to Walk

The Pomperaug, Crest and Brook trails at Kettletown State Park will not reopen this year. The state has extended the closure from the August 2024 flood through the entire 2026 season and has not set a reopening date. That takes Southbury's best-known lakeside hiking off the fall calendar. Most of the trails still open across town belong to the Southbury Land Trust, and on Saturday, October 24, the Trust opens its newest preserve on Old Woodbury Road.

What Kettletown Still Offers This Fall

Part of Kettletown is still open. The Connecticut DEEP park page says the day-use areas, the Miller Trail and the youth group campsites are open during regular hours, 8 a.m. to sunset. The campground and the trails around it remain off limits.

The blue-blazed William Miller Trail starts on the right side of the road toward the Youth Group Camp Area. At its T-junction, turn right, and a glacial erratic sits about 500 feet farther along. DEEP's general description of the park still mentions more than six miles of trail and overlooks above Lake Zoar. DEEP's notice lists only the Miller Trail as open, so that mileage does not describe what you can walk this season.

The Town of Southbury's Kettletown page still says the closure covers the 2025 season. The state's page carries the 2026 date and is the one to check before driving to 1434 Georges Hill Road. The Town also lists the Larkin State Park Trail as closed at its 96 Strongtown Road access. With both off the map this fall, the land trust preserves carry more of the town's walking.

Spring Hill Farm Preserve Opens October 24

Patch reported on October 9 that the Southbury Land Trust will open Spring Hill Farm Preserve on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 31-acre former dairy farm sits at 453 Old Woodbury Road. It has a meadow looking toward Woodbury, an old farm pond, forested wetlands and streams. Acreage varies a little by source. A 2024 Land Trust post called the property 33 acres.

The farm's history is still on the ground. According to the Southbury Land Trust's 2024 account, the property's perennial springs kept milk cool before it went by trolley to Waterbury or by farm truck around the region. The same post says Spring Hill links the Trust's Sterling Woods Preserve with Woodbury's 245-acre Trolley Bed Preserve across the road, forming a greenbelt. That describes protected land that connects. No published source yet confirms a marked public route between the three trailheads.

The trail work was done by hand. In the Land Trust's September 2025 progress report, Stewardship Director Pat Monahan said no heavy equipment was used and that the town's Inland Wetlands Commission had to approve the work. Stewards built 50 feet of elevated boardwalk over a wide, shallow stream, with 10-inch culvert pipes underneath so water keeps moving. Across the muddy ground they laid 200 feet of bog walk, boards set six inches off the ground. Monahan told the Trust the walkway "meanders and curves" to follow the land rather than running straight.

Some of the plan is still ahead. The same report describes a bridge of about 15 feet as the next phase, followed by an observation deck at the pond, with an Eagle Scout already signed on to build the deck. Patch now describes a pond-side wildlife viewing area among the features.

After opening day, parking at Spring Hill will still be tight. SLT Trustee and Grants Lead Anne Colby pushed early on for access to the pond. The entrance required buying more land, which took a year. When the lot was cleared of invasive plants and old construction debris, it was built to hold six cars.

Two Events on One October Morning

October 24 also brings a second outdoor event in Southbury, and the two overlap.

1. 9:30 a.m. Shuttles to Spring Hill begin from the lower lot at Pomperaug High School. There is no parking at the preserve during the grand opening.
2. 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Bent of the River Audubon Center holds a free guided birding walk on its Universally Accessible Trail in the North Meadow, beside the parking lot, led by Allison Middlemass. You must register by October 23. Binoculars are available to borrow, and October 25 is the rain date.
3. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Spring Hill grand opening runs rain or shine, with hikes, fall treats and games for adults and children. Admission is free, and the Southbury Land Trust takes questions at 203-264-4441.

The birding walk ends half an hour after the preserve opens, so it is possible to attend both. Anyone who would rather spread them out can wait for the birding walk's rain date or visit Spring Hill another day, when the six-car lot applies.

Bent of the River's fall schedule continues past that weekend. Gator Tours with Allison Middlemass run October 16 and November 20, with 90-minute sessions at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The cost is $150 per tour for up to three people, and registration closes the day before.

Where the Dog Can Come Along

Southbury's two largest walking areas this fall are Bent of the River, with about 15 miles of trail, and the open part of Kettletown. Bent of the River does not allow pets or bikes. For dog walkers, the land trust preserves matter more than their size would suggest. The Southbury Land Trust opens its properties sunrise to sunset, asks visitors to stay on marked trails, and requires pets to be leashed at all times.

The preserves differ in what they offer. At Ivers, the white-blazed Ivers Loop runs a little over a mile through quiet woods and connects to the Bassett Preserve network. Phillips-Lovdal has a 5K course through woods, fields and stone walls, plus a boardwalk and observation deck at a rare fen. Fox Hollow's single trail is a little over a mile at the end of Sleepy Hill Road, with a brook crossing and some steep climbs. Its views open up mostly after the leaves drop, which makes November one of its better months. Southford Falls, on the Oxford side of town, has a two-mile trail network and its covered bridge. DEEP has posted no closure there.

Lake Zoar is still reachable by boat, though not on foot along the shore. The Lake Zoar Authority lists the state boat launch at 210 Scout Road as free to use, with free parking.

The Next Parcel Sits on Hulls Hill Road

The next addition to this map is already funded in part. In June 2026, the governor's office announced a $1,293,500 state Open Space and Watershed grant to the Southbury Land Trust for the 148-acre DuPont Farm. The land runs along Hulls Hill Road in Southbury and Thorson Road in Oxford. It borders Southford Falls State Park and the Eight Mile Brook Greenway and holds four vernal pools, perennial springs and the headwater of a stream. The Southbury Record covered the award the same day. The state calls it a future opportunity for passive recreation. The grant supports a proposed purchase, and no source yet confirms that the deal has closed, an opening date, or a trail plan. Phillips-Lovdal also has an entrance on Hulls Hill Road, at number 530.

Spring Hill took several years to go from grant to boardwalk. The state's 2022 open-space grant listed it as the 31.27-acre Bothwell Farm project. It opens on October 24, 2026.

How close a home is to a trailhead can matter as much as the home itself, especially for someone moving to a lower-maintenance place. If you're weighing a move within town and want to know which addresses sit near Spring Hill, Phillips-Lovdal or the Southford Falls side of Southbury, Joe Paul is happy to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.