Meadow Woods is a quietly satisfying park that is Nature Conservancy
and Town of Essex. So far, there is one letterbox on an extensive,
well marked trail system. Figure a long hour and 2 miles for this
hike. Sorry, no mountain bikes.

Directions: On Connecticut Rte. 9, take exit 3 and follow the Essex
signs along West Ave. Turn left on Grove St at the library, then left
again onto North Main St. After about mile, turn left on Book Hill
and after another mile, left on Book Hill Woods Rd. Park at the end
in the cul de sac next to the sign for the Meadow Woods Park.

Pick up an excellent map in the mailbox at the trail head, and then
hike in on the green blazed Long Trail for a counterclockwise
south-to-north loop. Walk up a steep slope and over a small bridge to
fork left with the green trail. Follow the Long Trail past a silver
crossover on the right and the orange Hill Trail on your left. Turn
right (west) on a white blazed crossover trail towards
Castle Rock, then shortly right again onto the orange blazed Castle
Rock Trail. Hike along southwards with a ridge line to your left
(east), which is Castle Rock. Just before the trail drops down to a
yellow intersection, scramble up the end of the ridge. Bushwack 20
steps east to a chest-high roundish boulder: the Castle Rock Letterbox
is against the rock on the ground.

Continue south on the orange, and then turn right at the yellow blazed
Eagle Rock Trail. Follow it around behind houses and down into a steep
valley before regaining the orange Castle Rock Trail. Turn right and
cross a small bridge to the blue blazed Canfield Trail. Turn left for a
straight shot north, back to the trailhead.