The Arthur & Eunice Sweeton Trail
Distance: 1 mile each way
Difficulty: moderate but for a stepping-stone crossing of a creek in the southern half and one steep section of a few hundred feet in the northern half.
Location: follow Indian Hill Road from Route 44 to Breezy Hill Road. Turn right on to Breezy Hill Road and, in 0.1 mile up the hill, pull off on the left-hand side of the road to park at the Breezy Hill Farm trail head. The trail head for the Sweeton trail 100 feet further up the road on the other side. Parking is also available at the Sun, Wind and Woodland trailhead and at the northern trail head of the Sweeton Trail.
Southern Half: (see Perry Charitable Trust 94 on Lands page) The trail is marked with yellow blazes. From the southern end, the first couple of hundred feet is along an ancient road having stonewalls on both sides. It turns right through the stonewall and continues along an old farm road before gently descending to a creek. Just before the creek the trail leaves the road to proceed north (left) and ascends along the west bank of the creek. The trail eventually crosses the creek (no bridge but reasonably spaced stepping stones) and continues upstream along the east bank. Shortly after it wends up and around a rocky promentory, the trail reaches a rock dam. The trail turns right (east) here. Although you will see an old road proceeding westward from the dam, it crosses private property and ought not to be followed.
Northern Half: (see Perry Family Trust 88-3 on Lands page) From the dam, proceed gently uphill to the northeast. The trail from this point to its northern end takes many sharp turns to lead through or by interesting sites, but the blazes are frequent. A short bridge has been built across a feeder creek, at which point the trail encounters its steepest ascent for a couple of hundred feet before reaching the relatively level final section.
Return: At the northern trailhead, you have several options. You may return on the Sweeton trail, or walk back along Breezy Hill Road, or turn north on Breezy Hill Road to find in a few hundred feet the trail head of The Ratlum Mountain Trail winding through the northern portion of the Sun, Wind and Woodland preserve on the west side of Breezy Hill Road. The last option will lead you to the parking area at Sun, Wind and Woodland, where you have the further options for returning to the southern end of the Sweeton Trail: either descend the paved portion of Breezy Hill Road or extend your time in the woods by taking the Thomas Perry Trail through the southwestern portion of the Sun, Wind and Woodland preserve to the Breezy Hill Farm Trail.