The Story of the Yawgoog Trails
Galkin Trail
Total distance: 1.03 miles (1.66 kilometers)
Total hiking time: approximately 20 minutes
This trail is named for Herman S. Galkin, a Scoutmaster who developed Scouting among boys of Jewish faith. A cabin, also named after Galkin, is next to the Parsonage; it was designed specifically for handicapped access and it was presented by his family and friends as a gift to Camp Yawgoog in 1982.
The Galkin Trail starts at the farthest Sandy Beach campsites on the Curtis Tract -- north of the dining hall. It begins at the fork in the road and bears right (northeast) to pass by the C.D. Keegan Cabin, belonging to Troop 9 Pawcatuck (Westerly), on the right (east); Charles D. Keegan was the Scoutmaster of Troop 9 for many years. Also on the right is the site of the Haunted House, which used to be a homestead, but all that remains is an overgrown well somewhere in the woods.
Fuller Cabin follows on the left (west), dedicated to Scoutmaster John R. Fuller, Sr., of Troop 12 Pawtucket, on November 9, 1981. From a fork in the road, the Galkin Trail follows the left-hand (northern) branch to Anthony Shelter; it forms the southern boundary of the Christmas tree farm. The right-hand (eastern) branch enters the farm, located on a parcel of land called Anthony Acres; Anthony Acres and Anthony Shelter are both named after H. Cushman "Gus" Anthony.
Yawgoog's Christmas tree farm began in 1974 when the land was cleared, followed by the planting of over 45,000 trees on twelve to fifteen acres of land. In the winter of 1985 the first harvest was made.
The Galkin Trail continues along the left-hand (northern) fork, following an old lumbering road near the western side of Grassy Pond. The dirt road becomes a trail after passing by a latrine and some clearings used by leadership training programs. The trail was restored as a mountain biking trail in 1992 under the direction of Reservation Superintendent Paul Forbes; it leads to a plank bridge and an old homestead about 0.3 mile (0.5 kilometer) beyond Anthony Shelter. The cellar hole is on the left (west). Some pipes, pump parts, and a piece of an old plow were found in the area (Forbes, letter, 26 Feb. 1994 p. 3). The Galkin crosses another plank bridge and connects with the Tippecansett Trail in an area called Walnut Grove, shortly after leaving the homestead. Non-campers walking the Galkin Trail southward from the junction with the Tippecansett Trail should not continue any further than the homestead, as the trail leads to camp.
Stone-lined cellar hole in winter
Years ago, hikers traveling to Beach Pond would start on the Galkin Trail and then take the Tippecansett Trail the rest of the way. Hikers may return to camp the way they came, or turn left (west) and follow the Tippecansett Trail then turning left (south) on the former mountain biking path, which connects to the Blue/Freeman Trail.
Trail-related Links
- Map: Green Fall Pond Area (JPG)
- Camping and Hiking in Black Bear Country
Important safety tips from The American Bear Association. Black bears have been seen in Connecticut and Rhode Island. - Boy Scout Troop 9, Pawcatuck, Connecticut
Owns a cabin on the Galkin Trail.
Unofficial