Ooga Booga
Devil’s Kitchen
Burlington
The Devil’s Kitchen… Where I’m what’s for breakfast. Between the swarms of ever-present mosquitos and a nasty band of biting black flies, the Devil’s Kitchen sure lived up to it’s name.
Even if that name has nothing to do with biting insects. Though it may, actually, because no one really has pinned down the origin of the unique name… coined in Colonial Days. Today, it can be found by hiking a few miles on the Tunxis Orange Dot Trail in Burlington. If you approach at the Route 69/Scoville Road parking area, it is an easy, flat hike.
Easy and flat, that is, until you get there. The trail climbs (or descends, in my case) steeply through the box ravine and a series of small cloven canyons. Hmm… the devil has cloven hooves I do believe. My personal feeling is that the name derived from one of two things: the steep canyon walls were dangerous and an overly clever chap named the place. Or, the commenter below is correct about charcoal burning here.
According to the history of Burlington, the name is NOT derived from an old moonshining operation. It turns out, back when this joint was named, distilling was a very respectable pastime and there’d be no reason to do it in the middle of the woods hidden out in some crazy devil canyon.
Whatever the origin of the name, it’s just one more instance of… SATAN IN CONNECTICUT!
Note the Satanic black fly biting my hand as I gave the Devil Horns salute to an evil Eastern Box Turtle found in Devil’s Kitchen.
All things Satan in Connecticut
Jon says
October 11, 2013 at 2:49 pmHi…
I wanted you to know that it was called Devil’s Kitchen because 150 years ago men would make charcoal in the gorge or crevase and because of the endlessly rising smoke it was named “Devil’s Kitchen.”
Brendan says
April 4, 2014 at 12:21 pmIt used to be one of the great mountain biking challenges in the state, but it’s filled with downed trees now and it’s unrideable.
It’s important to get the mountain biker’s perspective on these things.
Ronald Jenkins says
January 22, 2023 at 12:38 pmNo more Devil’s Kitchen it’s now called “The Kitchen Hallway” God help us all!!!!!