Belters Campsite

There are about fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail in the State of Connecticut and the elevations are fairly moderate and range from 260 to 2,316 feet. The route heading northbound starts near the Ten Mile River and crosses the 120 foot Ned Anderson Memorial Bridge. It then passes near the towns of Kent, Cornwall Bridge, and Salisbury before ascending 2,000 foot Bear Mountain and dropping into Sages Ravine near the CT/MA border. There are some nice river walks in the state of Connecticut and the Housatonic River Valley is particularly scenic. The National Park Service now owns some of the land near the river, and it is one of the longest river walks on the entire A.T. The Great Falls are spectacular along the river, especially in times of high water. They are caused by a dam that was built at the site of a old factory that operated here as early as 1833.

Belter’s Campsite is a backcountry camping area on the Appalachian Trail located between the towns of Cornwall Bridge & Falls Village in Connecticut.  It has a water source, privy, critter box and four campsites for backpackers hiking the trail.  The campsite is located in a forest with a mix of hardwoods and evergreens and is available on a first come first-serve basis to backpackers.  Campsites #1 and 2 are small with room for only 1 or 2 tents.  Campsites 3 & 4 are slightly bigger with room for a few more tents.  The nearby Belters Bump has seasonal views from a small flat and rocky area just north on the A.T. as you hike toward Falls Village.  On this hike, I started at US 7 and hiked the short 0.6 miles up ~275 feet to the campsites and did a loop through the camping area.  The Belter campsites are reached via a blue-blazed side trail that loops through the area after breaking off the Appalachian Trail.  They can be buggy in summer months, so take bug spray and plan accordingly.