CT RI MA Tri-State Marker

We had a lot of fun hiking out to the CT MA RI Tri-State Marker this past weekend. Begginning our hike from the Massachusetts DCR Douglas State Forest parking area, we passed beyond the gate, bathrooms, picnic area and nature building to the end of the paved/graveled path and turned left onto the Coffeehouse loop (map). After a short distance, the Coffeehouse loop connects to the yellow triangle Mid-State Trail, a trail that extends 95 miles connecting the North South Trail in Rhod Island to the Wapack Trail in New Hampshire, but we're not going THAT far! We continued on the Mid-State Trail until we arrived at a fork. The Mid-State turns left, but we continued right, down a well worn but un-named trail for another short distance until we came to another major trail intersection. Here you'll want to turn left onto the infamous Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) Formerly known as the Air Line Railroad.

The abandoned Air Line Railroad now named The Southern New England Trunkline Trail. "it is where trains once thundered through the state on their way to Boston and New York City." (ref) as a blog I recently read stated. Close to here is the location of The Great East Thompson Train Wreck! A large rail disaster which occurred in East Thompson, Connecticut, on December 4, 1891. It was one of the most extensive train wrecks in American history, and the only one to involve four trains. It happened on the New York and New England Railroad, which provided a shortcut from New York City to Boston by making a diagonal across Connecticut. Although hundreds were injured, miraculously only two people were killed. The railroad is now abandoned, and most of its tracks removed. -Wiki-

The Southern New England Trunkline Trail (Formerly Air Line Railroad) 

After continuing left onto the SNETT for a distance, watch for a CT RI state boundary marker, a 4ft cement pillar on your left easily seen from the trail. This is not the Tri-State marker. Beyond this we continued straight and passed a metal gate blocking the trail. A bit more along in this direction we continued to watch for a blue blazed trail that leaves the SNETT to the left and up a hill, not well worn and somewhat blazed but easy enough to follow cautiously. This trail  "Tri-State Marker trail" — or the "Klondike gold rush trail," as I've read it called, brought us up and down a couple of hills until we reached a peak where the CT MA RI Tri-State marker stood! The "Mount Everest" of  three states!

Tri-State Marker CT MA RI. Cristy (left) is in R.I. Caitlin (top) is in CT, Scotty & I (right & below) are in Mass!

                                                                  

Running through three states TWICE in 14 seconds!!!

After stopping here for a lunch break and a bit of fun, we continued our loop hike leaving the marker behind following the well worn MA RI border trail East. This trail will come to a fork which is again the Mid-State trail, turn left back onto the Mid State Trail. Close to this location you will find a lean to shelter camping area (not on the map) on your right side, easily seen from the trail. We again stopped here for another break. The shelter looks well kept and stocked with a few items, including a log book, we signed it!

Caitlin inside signing the log.

Leaving the shelter we turned right, back onto the Mid State and continued to follow the yellow triangles all the way back to the Coffeehouse Loop and the parking area, ending our 5.7 mile hike that lead us to the "Mount Everest" of three states!

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