Devil's Hopyard Hike

Devil's Hopyard in East Haddam, CT is a place to see fascinating geological structures (caverns, rock overhangs, glacial errata) as well as a spectacular water fall. The rock shelters and abundant water supply made the area a popular home for Native Americans. It is also where in the 18th century a man named Dibble cultivated hops, and "Dibble's Hopyard" may have morphed into "Devil's Hopyard." We will meet at the Covered Bridge inside the state park at 11 a.m. We will hike the Orange Trail from there, which a a loop eventually returning back to the Covered Bridge. Along the way we will visit the Devil's Oven, a cavern resembling an old bread oven. From the Devil's Oven we will continue South to the Scenic Overlook, where there are ample photo opportunities. Upon leaving the Scenic Overlook we will encounter the Rock Overhang (a geological feature resulting from glacial "plucking"), which the Native Americans used for shelter. We will then loop back North to return to the Covered Bridge. The loop takes about 2 hours. From the Covered Bridge the plan is to visit Chapman Falls, accessible from the Covered Bridge either by a shortcut climb (for those physically up to it) or via a leisurely walk though the parking area. At Chapman Falls we will look for "pot holes" in the rocks that were, according to legend, left by the Devil's cloven hooves as he was maddened because he got his tail wet in the falls. These holes were actually created by the erosion of swirling rock granules in the falling waters. We will also view the giant boulder where the Devil has been seen playing his fiddle while the witches stirred their cauldrons. For those interested, there will be an after-hike social at a local restaurant in town.