This Bog trail is part of the Simsbury Land Trust. It's located on North Saddle Ridge Road in…read moreSimsbury, CT and parking can be found on street. There are two stone pillars and a sign, it can be easily missed if you drive too fast. The trail is 1 mile out and back; one of the shortest and easiest hikes I've done in a while. At first, the walk is in between two houses, continue to walk on the flat and wide esker (glacial stone), you will notice the bog on both sides, which is down the hill. At the end of the trail, on the right side, there is a steep hill going down towards the 150 ft boardwalk made of wood. We went in November, so the leaves were plentiful and slippery. There are educational signs on the boardwalk. The bog is 40 acres and is usually found in England and Canada. The bog water is acidic so there are only certain species of plants and animals that can live there; from the sphagnum moss to Gartner snakes, to name a couple, those species are highly adaptable in that environment. Other animals just passes through for food and shelter. It was a peaceful and relaxing walk, and there were views of West Mountain. I saw some dragonflies, which is a natural habitat for them. If you're looking for a short and easy hike, I recommend it!

"Under the boardwalk, down by the sea" (The Drifters)…read more Mix equal parts of a hike in the forest, a bog, and a boardwalk, and you have one very cool trail to explore. The entrance to the trail was kind of hard to find. We knew from the Simsbury Land Trail book to be on the lookout for two stone pillars on North Saddle Ridge Drive, but even though we were looking for them, we missed them. Turns out the pillars are very small and set back from the road a bit. But we did find the entrance, and soon we found ourselves walking on a beautiful forest trail, under a canopy of tall green trees. The trail was wide, pretty flat for a while, and relatively free of obstacles except for some tree roots that you have to be careful to avoid. About 1,500 feet into the trail there's a right hand turn that leads to a very steep descent. Some well placed railroad ties acted as stairs to make the downhill trek easier to manage. Soon you will pop out of the forest and see a very cool sight- a long elevated boardwalk that will take you out into a 39-acre bog. You'll be thisclose to all sorts of vegetation on both sides and you'll also see a series of informational signs describing the plants and animals all around you. At the end of the boardwalk, there are three benches where you can relax and take in the beautiful views of the trees, the bog, and a pretty view of West Mountain. You enter this trail from a typical suburban residential street, and it just blows my mind that these gorgeous trails are all over Simsbury, pretty much hiding in plain sight.

"Because something is happening here but you don't know what it is…read moreDo you, Mr. Jones?" (Bob Dylan) I've had the Jones Mountain Preserve bookmarked for quite a while and with yesterday's nice weather we finally made it over. There were a few open spots in the small parking lot, but by the time we left the cars were lined up single file along the side of the road. The forested area really is gorgeous with streams and wood bridges and big boulders and blankets of green moss everywhere. But we also found it to be treacherous to walk on -too many slippery rocks and slippery patches of leaves and too many trees on the path. Even with our walking sticks it was very difficult. We aren't the most experienced hikers in the world and I'm certainly not in primo shape, so although the scenery was breathtaking, the experience was not. We worked our way up to the Red Trail but soon after we hit it, we decided to call it a day, made a U Turn and slowly and carefully inched our way back down. From everything I've read we missed out on the great sites further ahead on the looped trail - a carriage house, a stone bridge, and an overlook with a fantastic view. But none of that was in the cards for us, we were just happy to get back to the car without a sprained ankle or muddy clothes from taking a tumble- which I almost did sliding on a carpet of wet leaves.

A great area for a quick hike that offers many nature scenic viewpoints and quaint trails. There…read moreare many stone walls throughout the hike with wood bridges (photo), a small pond and a scenic viewing area. Take the red dot trail for a longer route to see the fore mentioned areas, with a moderate incline. Parking is at the trail head and should accommodate 7 vehicles but there is overflow along the road. The most important warning is to stay on the trail, since the area borders a private hunting club. However don't let this deter your visit, since Jones Mountain trails offer a great opportunity to visit nature in a lightly trafficked area.

The Noel Baker Trail is a 0.5 mile loop trail located across the street from 10 Hanson Rd. in…read moreCanton, CT. Noel Baker donated 16 acres in 2004 and it was to be used as a trail; it's part of the Canton Land Conservation Trust. Parking was on the side of the road, on the grassy swale. There were signs at the trailhead and the trail was well marked with red markers. The trail was very easy with some small ascends and descends. There were some roots and rocks but all manageable, in my opinion; it was blazed and easy to navigate. The brook was very serene to look at and listen to. We saw another person walking their dog. Other than that, the trail was very quiet and you can see some houses along it. We did here a strange sound that went, "Whoooooop". We were baffled as to what it was, who knows, it could have been a Sasquatch lol. Overall, a lovely, short, and easy, hike!

Burr Pond State Park is a very beautiful and peaceful park. The pond is the showstopper here, hence…read morethe name. Driving up to the park was enjoyable; there's a big hill with a small waterfall you can see from the street. The parking area was a decent size but I can see it being packed in the summer and on weekends. The park is on 438-acres and the man-made pond is 85-acres. Popular recreational activities in this park are hiking, fishing, swimming, and boating. The pond was created in 1851 to help produce power buy building dams. There are two trails within the park; 2.5-mile blue blazed Walcott Trail which goes around the pond and 2-mile John Muir trail which goes through multiple parks. The beach is quaint but does the job on a hot day rather than driving an hour or so to the beach. There were so many picnic tables throughout; definitely a nice area for picnics. There is a seasonal boat rental and concession stand. If you want to go boating, there is a boat launch. We went in the winter for an event, the parking lot was packed so they were offering shuttles. The park was beautiful in the winter with the pond being frozen. There were people ice fishing and playing on the ice. I went recently on a spring weekday, temperature was perfect and the place was quiet. We walked on the trail and it was lovely with the view of the pond. Overall, a great park and will be there as often as we can.

"Don't say a word Don't say anything…read moreDon't say a word I'm not even listening You better watch your step" (Elvis Costello) Trust the Mayor. You'd better watch your step as you're walking the three mile trail that circles Burr Pond, or you'll end up face first on the dirt trail with a broken ankle. The dirt trail sure has its share of dangerous tree roots and rocks, followed by relatively hazard free stretches to walk. You sure get some gorgeous views of the water! We saw people fishing, swimming by the small beach, a big group hanging out by picnic tables playing salsa music, and two dog owners whose well behaved dogs were swimming in the pond. The trail itself is flat with just a handful of inclines, but most of those inclines are tree trunk related. It really is a lovely park.

A short walk from the parking area (equipped w an outhouse). Very well constructed stone and…read morewooden steps / stairways going gradually downhill. Hand railings help. Both upper and lower falls not very forceful in the dog days of summer, especially w little recent rain. Probably a better time to visit is spring. Still, very scenic and well shaded on a hot summer day. And there are many opportunities to cool off in the babbling brook! Note approx 130 steps total, broken off in sections. Not really handicapped accessible.

Absolutely loved this park!…read more Parking was plentiful and a porta-potty available. My family and I did the easy out and back 1-mile trail, Enders Brooks Falls. This was easy enough for my 3 year old. The trail was along the water; stairs and railings were meticulous installed for the safety of nature lovers of all ages. We were in awe by all the waterfalls; the sounds, ambiance, and smells were so peaceful. We saw quite a few people enjoying it too but it wasn't crowded. This park is located in Barkhamsted and Granby; both beautiful towns. There is a second out and back 4.4-mile trail, Fox Road Trail; we didn't hike this one yet but look forward to it next time.

Amazing easy/moderate hike in. No idea it existed and not that far away from Troy/Albany…read more Surprisingly big waterfalls and rock formations. Was told cause of all the rain it was not normally as high. Really peaceful. Thankfully no trash or other distractions from people. Will be back many times I'm sure.

I almost don't want to write a review for this conservation area because then it could become…read moreinundated with people. Simply put, you don't have to walk very far for some incredible views. We visited right after a heavy summer rainstorm so the trail right down to the falls was a bit hard to traverse (high water, slippery rocks, etc) but it was worth the treachery. But you don't have to hitch yourself down to get the full magic of these falls, you can also go for a slightly longer walk to see them at eye level. If you're visiting close to the Hudson area, a visit to the High Falls Conservation Area should be on your list! Then grab a drink in town.

Although I've been to Amenia a few times before, during and then after today's Uber trip to central…read moreAmenia, I finally got to experience this very picturesque location. Although the view from US-44 itself is uniquely neat (having been at the top of the mountain looking down), this Scenic Overlook is actually not so cool. I found it very hard to get some good pictures out of this valley. It was hot and so getting out of my car was nearly impossible. Then you can factor in the trees when sitting inside the Overlook looking into the valley. There's no shade trees or shady spots to park or sit inside the Overlook, so just getting out can actually make most people feel exhausted. I used my car to take a few pictures, but I can honestly say you'd be better off taking the pictures of the valley right from US-44 itself. This trip will not be forgotten. I don't think I"ll be coming through here too often again, but it was quite an experience. And because Amenia is only 5 miles from Sharon, CT, this is doable for a few minutes from those nearby. But don't expect to sit here for very long. (There is a Shell station in the valley of Amenia a few minutes away, but sitting at Shell can't reproduce the same effects.)

5 stars for the magnificent beauty. I had to deduct a star because the paved trail was closed. It…read morelooks like an awesome trail but I think it's closed due to hazardous water conditions based on the sign. There are three parking lots total. However, there are no sidewalks across the dam. You can walk on the grassy part of the dam, it is high and there are no railings; you can either fall into the street or down the dam face, which would probably hurt a little lol. If you bring small children, hold onto their hands. So many people are there on a nice day to gaze at the wonderful views of the reservoir and hills. Now please open up the trails, it would be an awesome place to take a walk in nature.

Picturesque, bucolic atmosphere. Limited parking areas on both sides. Today, with full sun and…read morecloudless skies, absolutely beautiful. I imagine during any type of weather, it's beautiful. Makes me want to take up painting.