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Challenge: Enjoy the fresh air and take in the sights leading to the scenic viewsheds as you do a self-guided run, hike or walk to Steep Rock’s three highest peaks in our preserves: the Summit at Steep Rock, the Pinnacle at Hidden Valley and Waramaug’s Rock at Macricostas.
Cost: Free.
Prizes: 1) Personal wellness assessment and two consultations with Kasia Smith, Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Copilot Wellness ($485 value). 2)A
Rules
Timing: You must complete the challenge between May 20 - Jun 10, 2021
Eligibility: Open to all ages.
Safety: Take all precautionary measures to ensure that you follow the map course between dawn and dusk. Maps and welcome guide will be emailed to you after event registration.
Completion: Snap a photo of yourself and/or your group at the top of each peak. Post your photos on social media between May 20 - June 10 using this hashtag so we can find you: #3peaks3weeksSRA. Winners will be announced mid June.
Note: SRA reserves the right to change trail routes in the event of trail closures. We will notify registrants of trail closures by May 19.
Donate
Can't join us for the #3peaks3weeksSRA Challenge but want to help us keep our trails clear and safe? Donate today.
At an elevation of 1,250 feet, Waramaug’s Rock is a spectacular overlook providing panoramic views of Lake Waramaug and the surrounding countryside. Named after a chief of the Wyantenock Indian tribe, Lake Waramaug is the second largest natural lake in Connecticut, an ecologically vital habitat for wildlife and a recreational center for the Towns of Washington, Warren and Kent. The awe-inspiring views from the top are a rewarding dividend for the steep hike.
Directions: Follow the Yellow Circle Trail from the parking lot. Perhaps the most physically challenging hike in any of the preserves, this 45-minute climb also may be the most rewarding hike in any of the preserves. The trail starts flat, crosses over Bee Brook and meanders through a large wildlife meadow before skirting a hayfield to the forest edge. After crossing Bee Brook again, the path then climbs steeply along a series of switchbacks before emerging at the Lookout. From this point, it’s another 15 minutes of steady climbing before the trail finally emerges among the clouds at Waramaug Rock, the weathered and windswept crown of Lake Waramaug. (1.69 miles one-way).
Rising to an elevation of 820 feet, the Pinnacle rewards visitors with a panorama of one of Washington’s Historic Districts. The view from the mountain’s weathered summit, which is crowned by a plaque honoring one of the Preserve’s founders, Adrian Van Sinderen, provides a 270-degree diorama of the valley, and to the north, the protected ridge of Macricostas Preserve.
DIRECTIONS: Following the yellow circle trail from the main parking area, this 15-minute climb ascends through scrub forest and culminates with stunning views of the lush valley below. Mosses, laurels and blueberry bushes adorn the winding trail. (0.5-mile one-way)
The Steep Rock summit, at an elevation of 776 feet, provides a breathtaking view overlooking the Clamshell section of the Shepaug River Valley. Gifted to the Board of Trustees in 1925 by Steep Rock’s founder, Ehrick Rossiter, these 100-acres including the summit are the core of the Preserve and the first land owned by Steep Rock Association. Four years later, the Trustees purchased the Clamshell to preserve the view from the summit. This view contains the same sense of grandeur it did a century ago and is well worth the hike to the top.
Directions: Park at the parking lot at the end of River Road and follow the green circle trail (aka old railroad bed) to the white diamond trail. Then take yellow circle trail to the Steep Rock Summit.
We can't wait to see your pictures and hear about your adventure.
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