NCT, Peter Wolfe Chapter, Trail Segment 10

Segments 10
Norwich Road to Side Trail to Victoria Road,
with comments on Segment 10A

Length: 3.31 miles
Ownership: U.S. Forest Service
Responsible for maintenance: Peter Wolfe Chapter
Developments along trail: Signs at Norwich Road and at side trail to FR 642. Expect future sign where interpretive trail leaves NCT. Post at intersection of NCT and white-blazed trail to Victoria Road.
General description of segment: Mostly hilly, with many great viewpoints along the trail and off-trail. Mostly hardwood / hemlock / pine forests. Access to Forest Service Norwich Mine Interpretive Trail, which is under construction as of October 2010.
Limited seasonal water sources, and no obvious great campsites near dependable water sources. One suggested place to camp is along the trail near where the trail heads north near the east end of Norwich Bluff. The valley just north of where the trail leaves the bluff edge has water at times, and while there are level enough sites to camp near the great views on the bluff.
Watch for left (east) turn on NCT if heading south down the valley beyond the junction of the major portion of the interpretive trail. Note that the interpretive trail and a portion of the NCT have had major trail work done recently. As of 10/20/2010 there was no sign where the NCT and interpretive trail met in the valley. The interpretive trail looked like the more major trail, so keep an eye out for blue blazes.
The area has many old horizontal mine entrances ("adits"), as well as a number of off-trail mine shafts (pits). Use extreme caution around pits, do not attempt to climb down into them. The bottom may not be "solid," and pit edges may be unstable. The Ottawa National Forest has recently closed the mine shafts in the area, putting wooden fencing around them and a metal grate barricade across any openings to keep people out and allow bats to move in and out freely. If you want to see what one one of these mine closures looks like, hike about 500 feet north from the NCT on the side trail to FR 642. You'll see the wooden fencing and can look into the mine shaft.
See also web page on Norwich Mine.
Note that FR 642 is gated close to Victoria Road.
Trail conditions Trail is likely to be in fairly good shape in some areas and poor shape in others. The worst section may be near the east end of Norwich Bluff, where there is considerable blowdown on the trail, and a number of blazes are missing. The tread may be pretty obvious, though it was not visible in some areas after leaf fall in October 2010.

Note: Norwich Road is plowed in winter, but the parking area is not. This area receives heavy winter snowfall, so roadside parking is not recommended unless you are willing to spend a long time shoveling a parking spot. Victoria Road is not plowed in winter.

Link to online map

Comments on Segment 10A
Trail has white blazes.
There is a sign where the trail leaves the east end of the parking area on Victoria Road and a post where the trail intersects the NCT.
Trail is in good shape and well-blazed as of October 2010.
Cross Whisky Hollow Creek on rocks in beaver pond area.
Possible camping along trail northeast of Whisky Hollow Creek.

Photos from this section - Click on the photo for a larger image

				Note: While most horizontal entrances may be fairly safe to enter (with a light source), there are a number of old pits in the area that are not! The edges of thes pits may be unstable, and the bottoms of the pits may hide a deep shaft. Stay out of vertical mine entrances, and avoid getting close the their edges!

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Last modified: September 4, 2010