Connecticut’s Mohawk Trail passes through Cornwall for most of its length. It was part of the Appalachian Trail before the AT was rerouted in the 1980’s. There are still shelters and other traces of the AT along the trail. 

CCT has long focused on preserving the Mohawk Trail and lands that border and protect it. The trail’s 25-mile wilderness corridor begins and ends on the 2,200-mile AT corridor. This connectivity is valuable for wildlife migration and resilience to climate change. The Mohawk Trail runs through or alongside several CCT preserves. 

Three recent acquisitions have added to the Mohawk Trail’s protected wilderness corridor: the 107-acre Furnace Brook Preserve, the 66-acre Red Mountain Preserve, and 30 acres on Cornwall Hollow Road. These three properties provide high connectivity between protected lands, harbor pristine streams that provide pure water to the Housatonic River, and contain excellent wildlife habitat including core forest. 

The Furnace Brook and Red Mountain Preserves were acquired in 2020, while the Cornwall Hollow Road Preserve just closed in 2022. State and Federal Highlands grants helped CCT purchase the Furnace Brook and Red Mountain Preserves. A grant from the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation also helped with Furnace Brook. All three purchases received generous support from individuals and funding from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Wild East Action Fund, which seeks to accelerate the pace of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape.