Belding WMA

Mr. Belding
Belding Wildlife Management Area, Vernon
March & April 2010

If you immediately know Zack, Slater, Screech, Lisa, Kelly, and that speed freak Jessie Spanos, you know Mr. Belding.

However, despite my highest hopes, Belding WMA in Vernon has nothing to do with Bayside High School’s beleaguered principal, Mr. Gerald Belding. No, The Belding Wildlife Management Area is a 282-acre parcel of land that was donated by Maxwell Belding to the State of Connecticut.

Much of the land was bought in the early 1900s by Frederick Belding who used the properties for year-round family recreation, stocking the river with trout and the forests with pheasants and partridge. They kept three hunting and fishing cabins along the brook, maintained paths, cross-country ski trails, lumbered where necessary, and hiked throughout the property. Remnants of their stonework and bridges can be seen along the river. The land was donated to the state 80 years later and now we can enjoy it.

And it is enjoyable. Beautiful.

I first found myself within the WMA while hiking the Shenipsit Trail – the main path through the parcel…

The Shenipsit Trail through Belding WMA

From my original trail report.

… I will say that the next mile or so of the Shenipsit through the Belding Wildlife Management Area is one my favorite flat miles of trail in the state. Whoa! That’s quite a statement there, Steve.

But really, it’s a lovely stretch for those of us who appreciate the subtle differences of evergreen forests. First, we passed through an area that once held a healthy stand of mature pitch pines – a rarity so far inland. Most have been chopped down because without the pitch pines natural way of propagation – fire – anymore, these mature stands just grow, die, and don’t come back. The forest managers are trying to combat that.

But don’t fret, once you cross Bolton Road and descend to cross a stream, the trail turns left and enters an incredible stand of mature pitch pines (mixed in with some red pines as well.) It’s beautiful – and just smells wonderful. It didn’t hurt that the sun was now shining a bit against the wet trees and ground. This folks… This is why we hike.

But the beauty wasn’t done yet; across an old dam and then a turn north to follow along the Tankerhoosen River for a while – a pristine fast flowing tiny river, twisting and turning through the pine and hemlock forest. I’m no fisherman, but if I was, this is where I’d fish. It just looked… so classic.

Continuing north out of the Belding Area, across Baker Road and… The whole thing turns to junk. But in a weird, interesting, almost kitschy way. For some reason (assuredly private land ownership), the trail veers over toward I-84.

This is where it enter the Tankerhoosen WMA.

Some Belding Background

From the DEEP

Belding WMA provides a variety of habitat types, including fields, forest, and wetlands. Birds, such as indigo buntings and blue-winged warblers, inhabit the field edges. Black-throated green warblers and red-breasted nuthatches can be heard in the conifer forest. Ground-dwelling ovenbirds and waterthrush sing from the forest floor and along the stream. Woodcock return each spring to perform their courtship display, and wood frogs gather in vernal pools where their chorus can be heard on the first warm day of spring. A variety of birds migrate through Belding WMA along the Tankerhoosen River.

The section of the Tankerhoosen within Belding WMA is a Class 1 Wild Trout Management Area. Wild brown and brook trout thrive in the clean, cool water of the Tankerhoosen. Programs offered at Belding WMA include seasonal walks to learn about the plants and animals that can be found at the area. School groups use Belding as an outdoor classroom, and to learn about habitats and the species that depend on them. Belding WMA staff also provides environmental educational programs at area schools and libraries.

Belding Path, yellow-blazed, 0.5 Miles

This is from my run through back in 2010. I certainly didn’t do this area justice, as it’s really very pretty, despite an active tree-cutting program in 2019.

You can read about the Shenipsit through the Belding area here; easily one of the best sections of that trail. It’s particularly beautiful and tranquil.

This short little side trail which connects out to Reservoir Road and a very nice hiker lot is interesting in that there are interpretive signs along the entire path. And these signs aren’t your usual “Forest succession” and “Woolly Adelgid” signs, but rather, they are unique and interesting.

The trail walks under huge white pines, red pines, pitch pines and even some living hemlock. It passes by an old millrace which is one of the finest crafted ones I’ve seen around the state.

My hike was at dusk and I sort of jogged the whole thing, but I loved it.

Vernon, you have a treasure in the Belding Wildlife Management Area. I wonder how many of you know that?

Other Trails

There is a little lot and trail on Bread and Milk Road that will take you through a wildflower meadow. Of course, timing is everything here. This walk features a large field with a mown loop at the edge and crosses Bolton Road west of where the Shenipsit does and leads to the main CFPA trail right near another side trail to an old chimney.

This is right next to the site of Max Belding’s pond where he had a cabin made from tobacco barn boards; all that remains now is the chimney. Belding knew what he was doing for sure, as the site of the cabin is gorgeous. He damned the Tankerhoosen to create his little pond next to his little cabin underneath the towering pines. I love it.

I don’t love that my friend Matt over at Explore Connecticut found that the handsome stone sign had been broken by some idiot in 2020.

Photo from Explore Connecticut

Sigh.

But knowing that they’ve improved and even rebuilt bridges here, which maintaining the pristine trail network, I’m guessing this sign will be fixed as well. The state uses Belding WMA for educational programs way more than most of their WMA’s, so they keep up with it really well.

You can create your own loop here to experience the whole WMA in an hour or so. Of course, the Shenipsit will connect you to a whole host of trails just south of here at Valley Falls Park and northward will take you to, well, nearly to Massachusetts if you so choose.

Belding WMA, just a few minutes off of I-84, is in the top 10 “Easily accessible, easily hiked, short, flat trails” in the state.