Crystal-clear water + sunny spring day = perfect hike…read more Spent a beautiful spring sunny day at Wadsworth Falls State Park, and it did not disappoint. I took so many pictures of the clear river. It's seriously that stunning. The swimming water vanished. We hiked the Wadsworth Falls Loop (3.6 miles, easy, great waterfall views) and also checked out part of the Main Trail. Trails were in good shape; just a little mud here and there, but totally manageable. Bonus tips from my visit: · Dogs welcome on leash · Free for CT-registered cars; $10-15 for out-of-state · Restrooms, parking, and picnic tables available · Get there early on a sunny day to beat the crowds If you love clear water, peaceful forest walks, and two distinct waterfalls, don't miss this spot. Already planning to come back with an all-terrain wheelchair for a friend (you can reserve one in advance). Would I go again? 100%.

Gorgeous gorges! Although this park has ample signage against swimming, the Coginchaug River is…read morelovely on the eyes and ears, and being centrally located, Wadsworth Falls is a great local escape. If you have the right footwear in winter, it's a place for a rewarding hike! Boots and grips and the occasional side stepping is good for your winter trip. Mind the tracks, or crews tending the still in-use tracks, then enjoy the lovely views of multiple waterfalls, some frosted over, but water audibly rushing beneath the ice. Starting out, we didn't see the blue trail marked on the yellow and orange junction map, but the trails were well-marked with vertical tree blazes, so if you take the orange, yellow, or blue trails, you should be in good shape. If you don't have the time for a decent hike and just need a restful stop, large falls are just below the parking lot (those no access signs on the trails don't kid!). All year, enjoy! There are zero facilities here, and the only amenities appear to be accessible recreation and a dog waste station beneath the parking lot, but you aren't in the middle of nowhere. Pack in, pack out, and enjoy as much or little woods as you like, and enjoy the peaceful sounds and sights of the many falls.

This is a decent local trail. It has some nice views. Very easy, nice for a leisurely walk. Small…read moreparking lot and there's a seperate handicap parking lot, it is a handicap accessible trail so that's nice. Lots of people on bikes and with their dogs. Definitely a trail everyone can use. Only downside is there are lots of little flies so it can be a little annoying. Definitely recommend using bug spray.

I really enjoy this trail. Depending on which section you are on is depending on the beautiful view…read moreyou have. If you take the Hanover Pond Trail, you will have a beautiful view of the pond. If you're fortunate enough to catch the sunrise here it is stunning. When you follow through this trail, you will have the pond you for a little while and then you get to see some woods and yes, you do see the back of homes and the schools, but it doesn't take away from your journey. If you take a gorge trail, you get a nice view of the river and the trees with all of the mountainside.

This gem is quite a bit off the beaten path. If you travel off season, which we do most of the…read moretime, you are rewarded with a serene nature experience, and relatively few fellow humans. It is dog friendly. From April to September the water is comfortable, with a pleasant sandy bottom. There seems to be a path all the way around the lake, but we've never gone that far. You are expected to carry your trash out to the parking lot, where you will find the only toilet facility in the form of a porta potty. Always a great place to lose the stress.

This was our first visit to Millers Pond, and we had a great experience. I printed the map from…read morethe DEEP web site first and checked out the comments and reviews on AllTrails app. We picked a route that would give us about a 3 mile walk and headed out. The parking lot wasn't very full when we arrived, but there are a lot of no parking signs on the road leading up to the park so I can only guess it must get really busy in the nicer months. We did a nice loop around the pond, there was mild terrain to navigate and with spring on its way, but the leaves not fully out yet the views were beautiful. We'll come visit again for sure, looks like there are a lot more trails to explore.

Beautiful hiking trail! Muddy in the beginning, so wear hiking boots or shoes with good grip. The…read moreoverlooks are amazing and worth every minute. About 1 hour and 20 minutes to and from The caves. Rugged terrain towards the caves Not for the beginner, so plan accordingly. Snacks, water and maybe a walking stick

Trail has some lovely views, some steep up and down sections but no actual rock scrambling…read morerequired, and if you plan ahead you can find the elaborate rock etchings done over 200 years ago by patients of an 18th century small pox inoculation center! Also, when I went most recently, somebody built a pretty sick rope swing in the woods. Not sure how safe it is, but if it doesn't crap out on you it's a nice little adrenaline rush if you start your swing at the tree branch. Now for some tips to get the most out of your hike: Pro tip #1: if you're doing this as an after work hike, park yourself at Alliance Occupational Health and catch the trailhead across the street. Can't speak as to whether this would be ok during their normal business hours tho. Pro tip#2: go to the local library where they can provide you with a map on how to find hospital rock, just off the trail, with stone carvings made 200 years ago. -side tip- bring flour with you to dust the rocks with so you can make out thyme carvings better for pictures Pro tip #3: Bugspray.

Splendid mix of very well maintained trails and gated gravel access roads within the Session Woods…read morePreserve. All watched over by the CT DEEP. Today Monday 6/8/2026 was my first visit with my pup and daughter's pup. We covered approximately 3.5 miles hopping from trail to trail. The weather was phenomenal and the forest very pleasant. The DEEP facility hosts training and learning seminars in addition to their regular duties. Hats off to this splendid preserve. Open from sunrise to sunset.

Sessions Woods is a nature preserve on 700 acres of land with trails and an education exhibit. They…read moreoffer educational programs and demonstrations; there are hiking trails throughout that you can hike yourself. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset; the exhibit is open 8:30-4 Monday-Friday. There were four trails to choose from; Beaver Pond, Forest Meadow, Tree ID, and Crosscut Trail. The parking lot was large. On this visit, I completed the Forest Meadow Trail. The trail was a 0.6-mile loop trail. There were informational signs throughout; they were kind of faded and old. The trail was easy and peaceful; I noticed quite a few boulders. There was only one other person we walked by on the trail. I was being vigilant about bears and ticks. There were quite a few benches which was a nice since my toddler enjoyed resting on them. I saw that the other trail had boardwalks; I look forward to coming back to check that out.

Great scenery and great trails. Watch where you walk as the terrain can be slippery due to the…read morefallen leaves and rocky paths. The paths are marked with a variety of different colors so be weary as to which paths you are on.

"I'm just a child of nature I don't need much to set me…read morefree" (Lennon/McCartney) The 200-acre Hoppers Birge Pond Nature Preserve, known locally as "the Hoppers" is part of the Bristol Park system. You'll see a big beautiful lake, and most likely a fisherman or two, like we saw today. Besides the lake, their 200 acres has lots of things for a child of nature to enjoy - glacial gashes and depressions in the earth, an old Colonial charcoal pit, and half a dozen walking trails. It was unseasonably cold today, so we didn't do too much exploring besides walking around the lake and its boardwalks. It really looks like a terrific place to visit, but I was kind of disappointed at the number of beer cans, beer bottles, and nip bottles tossed around the walking path by lazy inconsiderate cretins. Maybe a few strategically placed trash cans would have helped.

The parking along the route isnt obvious, except for cars along a guardrail. There are 2 separate…read moreentrances from there, mostly obscured by overgrowth of bushes. The stairs lead down to what used to be an open picnic area, tables, grills, now quite a bit overgrown. The "falls" are simply a creek that flows along the picnic area, with a few small cascades, all under 5-6 feet tall. There is a trail that goes along the other side of the creek, and it then moves up & away from the creek into woods. That trail is ok, and eventually leads to a quirky rock formation where it's clear people either party and/or camp out and leave trash around. Like other comments, this place is in dire need of TLC by the state and better care by people who use it.

Lots of falls…read more Seven Falls is a small park with some interesting geology. I'm not sure why it is called seven falls because it really has only three or maybe four. Perhaps in the past more falls were visible and if you look closely at the geomorphology it is obvious that the water level was once much higher and carved out a channel through the rocks. The present falls are small, only five or so feet high and in times of drought the water level slows to a trickle. Because of all the recent rain the water was flowing pretty good when I took the pictures and in the winter the falls freeze and looks pretty impressive. No swimming is allowed but of course people still go in the water. The area around the falls has picnic tables and places for a fire. Most people think of this as a picnic or rest area but there are some hiking trails to the north of the falls. Nothing really exciting, just a few dirt paths up the side of the hill. One particularly interesting feature is a small hole in the side of the falls that was carve out by a rock spinning around during times of extreme water flow. Seven Falls isn't worth going out of you way to see, there certainly are far more impressive waterfalls in Connecticut. But for someone in Haddam that is interested in Geology or just wants a pleasant place to have a picnic it's worth a stop.

What a beautiful place! Even in February at 25 degrees and snow on the ground. There is parking off…read moreAlbany Turnpike and in the other end of the reservoir. The land is on 3000 acres and has over 30 miles of trails and woods. They are open daily from sunrise to sunset. We walked on the road because the trail had some snow on it. My step counter said I walked about 3.1 miles in that loop. There is a water treatment facility in there with parking for employees and vendors. Once we got to the other parking lot, we got onto the paved trail and walked by a dam. Eventually, the trail becomes gravel; the view of the reservoir was stunning (see my pics). I did see some benches at the begining of the trail. There were tons of people walking, jogging, and dog walking, even in the cold. I didn't get to explore all 30 miles of trails yet but I look forward to doing so when the weather gets warmer!

If you're heading down Route 44 from the Farmington Valley toward Hartford, you'll see the sign for…read moreReservoir 6 on the left. We found over a thousand acres of some of the prettiest scenery we've seen in a long time. There is a 95% flat and non-challenging path that circles the reservoir in a 3.6-mile loop. The reservoir is gorgeous, and you'll catch glimpses of Simsbury's Heublein tower and the Hartford skyline on your walk. We ran into maybe 100 people out there today, enjoying the gorgeous weather and scenic beauty of the grounds. A lot of folks had their leashed dogs with them, everything from a huge Great Dane to a medium sized Bichon Fraise to a tiny mini Schnauzer that was being hand carried. I loved the fact that every single dog we saw (that wasn't hand carried) was both leashed and well behaved. But, I hated the fact that on two occasions, we saw a tied blue plastic bag of dog poop laying right on the center of the path. How freaking lazy and disgusting can you be? It's very odd to see the different personalities of the fellow visitors -some were super friendly and loved to chit chat, others wouldn't even make eye contact as we passed in opposite directions. Oh well..... There is a small parking lot shortly after you pull in, but if its full, no worries -just keep driving on the road and soon you'll hit a second lot on the other side of the reservoir. We saw a few MDC police cars on the grounds, so apparently, they patrol the area.