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Lullaby on Music Mountain
Total Distance: 30.6 miles Elevation
Gain: 2540 feet
Degree of Difficulty Index: 2540 ft / 30.6 mi = 82.98
ft/mi Terrain: Very hilly
Killer Hills: Two long, difficult climbs. The first is a
gradual 2 mile climb to reach Music Mountain; the other is an exceptionally
difficult and unrelenting 1.5 mile granny gear climb on
Cream Hill Rd.
Geographical Region: Northwest Connecticut City/Town: Salisbury
Starting Location: Scoville
Library parking lot (in back of large church), Library St., east side of
Route 44 and 41 (Main St.) in Salisbury. Scoville Library and the church are opposite the Town
Hall.
Ride Description: This
ride is a deviation of the "Scintillating Salisbury" ride, but
takes a different (and exceptionally hilly) mid-ride route to Music Mountain,
and then over the ridge and down to the Covered Bridge crossing the
Housatonic River in West Cornwall.
It is one of the most strenuous 30-milers on the website. While autumn sets the foliage ablaze,
this area is worth viewing any time of the year.
Facilities and Points of Interest:
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Mile
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Facilities
- Points of Interest
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0.0
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Salisbury:
Various facilities
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5.4
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Lime
Rock Park race track on right
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7.6
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Picnic
area overlooking Housatonic Valley Authority hydroelectric power plant dam;
portable toilet
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7.8
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Appalachian
Trail
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12.8
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Music
Mountain: picnic area.
Music
Mountain is the oldest continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival in the
United States. Founded in 1930 as the permanent home of the Gordon String
Quartet, Music Mountain's unique and beautiful campus on 132 acres in the
Berkshire foothills is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Music
Mountain offers a marvelous setting for both the musicians and the
audience. The centerpiece is Gordon Hall, one of the finest chamber music
facilities in the country. With seating for 335 and legendary acoustics,
Gordon Hall provides resonant and lovely sound, with views of the gardens,
grounds and hills from every seat or from the lawn permitting listeners to
savor music and nature as one. www.musicmountain.org
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19.8
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West
Cornwall: Cornwall Bridge (covered bridge), ice cream
West Cornwall's covered
bridge is an excellent example of the town lattice truss, with its
red-spruce timbers secured by a pair of treenails
(slotted and wedged to hold them in place) at every intersection. For many
years it was thought that this bridge was built in 1841 to replace one
washed away in the flood of 1837, but recent research by Michael R. Gannett
for the Cornwall Historical Society has shown that the correct date is
1864. The center pier supporting the middle of the bridge was probably
reused from the earlier structure. One source gives 1887 as the date when a
secondary queen-post truss was added, probably to stiffen the bridge, since
wooden trusses had a tendency to sag.
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25.2
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Lime
Rock Park race track on left
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30.6
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Salisbury:
Various facilities
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www.ctbikeroutes.org
WU-IL045 abb
DLB01139
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