Great trails, great preservation. We need to protect the beautiful land of Litchfield.read more

The Granniss Pond Trail Loop is the red trail for the Prospect Mountain Preserve with the…read moreLitchfield Land Trust. There is a parking lot available next to Pepper Meadow Preserve on Prospect Mountain Road (the parking area is right after the road goes from paved to dirt). The trail starts from the parking lot into an open field, and then into the woods through a stone wall. It is very obvious where to walk, although as of April 2023 parts are very muddy. Like, I almost lost my shoe muddy. The whole trail is about a mile, and does have ups and downs, and rocks, but for a trail is pretty smooth and very well maintained. If you bring your dog, there is an INSISTENT neighborhood dog that will bark at you, and you'll hear him barking for a while.

A warm, English-Tudor style cottage built in the 1920s on the top of a meadow surrounded by…read moregardens. Fields filled with birds, butterflies and dragonflies. I wish I could describe it better... I'm not going to, because I'm tired. I guess you can always just look at the photos. Unless you decide to actually go and experience it for yourself. Either way...

Since moving to CT, we discovered a great program that gives a little incentive for visiting a…read morenumber of CT state parks, the DEEP Sky's The Limit Program. In 2017, Topsmead was among the parks listed, so we decided to go give it a visit. Winter was not the best time to visit, and it's hard to give it a really good/fair rating. The main farmhouse area was closed for the season, and the weather wasn't really great for hiking. It would be a great spot for cross country skiing in the winter, though. The outstanding negative at the time of our visit were the state of the toilets. They're pit toilets, which is fine, but they were not dug at all deeply, and if not for the freezing weather, I can imagine it would be rather unpleasantly fragrant. We'll definitely be visiting again and reevaluating at some point.

I really enjoy hiking this location, especially in the winter. There is a train trestle that…read morecollects giant icicles. That's really cool to look at. We did the Pinney Loop which is just under 4 miles. The trail was obviously covered in snow as we had hiked January 1.

What goes great with a hike is coming with a group of friends and/or family, and Steep Rock…read morePreserve brings it all. It's worth the trip from surrounding areas for a weekend get-together or definitely the holidays. Free parking is provided with plenty of spaces to park. The trail map is provided at the beginning of the hike, or looking online and printing it out. Very useful to have on the whole journey. The main hiking trail is a gravel trail that parallels the Shepaug River from the parking lot, where cars pass through and also horses, which I found quite interesting. There are also dirt trails along the way with different colors (see map or online). Some highlights of coming here are checking out the old train tunnel, a bridge that crosses the river (which is wobbly, so be careful), and Steep Rock Summit, which can be tiring but well worth the climb with a decent view of the Clamshell section of the Shepaug River Valley. Bring snacks and a lot of fluids, it's needed according to the big map.

There are two ways to get here: the paved road and the gravel road. If you have a 4x4 or another…read morehigh clearance vehicle, even bikes, you can do the unpaved road. Google did me a solid and took me on the unpaved road, which at the beginning is bumpy and soft, and seems very doable, but quickly turns rocky and hilly, and eventually goes berserk and turns into a road with big cracks, branches that are down, water puddles and brooks, a beautiful place to walk but not for a luxury four door sedan rental, which is what I always rent and ride. I'm joking, I rent two door vehicles, cheap gas, you know. Anyway, I went a bit too far hoping for the road to patch up and be normal, but after a few craters I knew that this road was a trail more than a road. So, if you are coming to Mohawk Mountain, do not leave the unpaved road because it will lead you to the main entrance and not where I was, which I never will know if it even leads to Mohawk Mountain since I aborted it after the second knock on the transmission. Oh! Yes, no way to turn around either, so I had to undo a large part of the trail on reverse. Good thing I know how to drive well! Other than that, this place is really cool. The name may be borrowed from an offshoot of the larger Iroquois nations, the Mohawk-Iroquois, which occupied New York, not Connecticut. As far as I know, the name of the tribe that may have inhabited this area is disputed.

I've been coming up here since I was a teenager! It's such a fun place to feel on top of the world…read moreand hang out. It's never "crowded" per se so it's peaceful and surrounded by nature. I like to bring a book when the temp is right and enjoy.

What a great hiking adventure! There various trails to choose from, but all of the terrine tends to…read morebe flat. There are stairs in some locations, but I've found them to be near the waterfall and throughout various place in the trail There is a waterfall basin in the beginning of the trail in the parking lot. Various bridges and beautiful scenery. There are benches along the trails for a quick break or to watch nature and the wildlife.

Enjoyed an amazing hike here! Plenty to see! There is a bunch of different trails you can pick…read morefrom. Beautiful views of waterfalls. So much to see and do here definitely check this spot out!

Beautiful trails and an amazing view from the top. We arrived around 11AM on a fall Saturday and…read morethere were only a few spots left in the parking area. There is a $6 fee for parking, and the machine takes credit cards. We hiked up to the summit on the Blue trail which connected to the red trail. Trails were clearly marked and not too difficult. We even found a few geocaches along the way. Be sure to take the short spur trail to Devil's Pulpit for a spectacular view. Even though the parking lot was nearly full, there are enough trails to that we never felt crowded. It took us about 2 hours total for our climb up and down the mountain, with some time spent enjoying the view from the summit.

Finally came here after having it bookmarked for years. Medium lot fills up quick. Paid parking. 9…read morebucks. There was a DCR worker there helping people figure out which trail was better for them. He was very polite. There are 2 trails to get to the top. You can take the steep shorter trail or a longer trail that wasn't as steep. I opted for the steep one. Definitely a good little hike. I was out of breath. The top has a phenomenal view. Absolutely breathtaking. Definitely a place you need to put on your list of things to do.

Trails were scenic and lovely. Some downed trees block the way. Orange trail has some vertical…read moreareas, and uneven in spots - but that's nature. Waterfall easily accessible from parking lot - short distance, wide trail mostly crushed stone. Vista A lovely overlook of the river valley and mountains.

Superb park! One of my favorites to ride my motorcycle through. It was already a 5/5 experience for…read moreme without even getting off my bike. "Where should we ride today?" "How about through Devil's Hopyard?" This was a common discussion between my partner & I. It was only during our last ride that we actually parked our bikes & got off them to explore. So imagine my delight to find waterfalls, creeks, beautiful trails, & a covered bridge! There were quite a few people there, but it didn't feel crowded at all. It was possible to evenly disperse ourselves to not disturb other people. The only con (& this is just Mother Nature at work, so all we can do is prepare better in the future) is the amount of mosquitos. Load up on your favorite deet free bug repellant & you'll be good to go.

This is a beautiful state park with 2300 acres of land. Parking is free. There are 10 miles of…read morehiking trails, including the Macedonia Ridge Trail, 51 campsites, and you can fish. Sone of the trails get you to views of the Catskills and Taconic mountains. There are a lot of streams, and lots of places for grills and cooking. The land once belonged to the Scatacook Tribe.

Had the pleasure of staying at site 48 for my first camping experience! I can only speak of the…read moresite and the hiking trails. Site 48: There are lots and lots and lots of bugs. You will find flies of all shapes and sizes, mosquitoes, and spiders. This part isn't fun. But it's nature and it's expected. Make sure you load up on your bug spray. Other than that, you're given a fire ring, picnic table, and a pretty large space to back your car in so it's out of the road. The site is more or less secluded if you parked your car in the entrance. It's not fully shaded like it says online though. The latrine is suuuuper close by and so is the water spout. Definitely recommend this spot and will for sure be coming back to it. The trails: we hiked blue trail and it wasn't terrible but was totally not what I expected! There's tons of inclines and lots of climbing. If you're a hiking junky, you'll like it. If you're a first timer, I don't really recommend. And if you're a casual walker/hiker, you can give it a try but I personally don't think it's worth it. There are some slippery and rocky slopes. Other than that, I still enjoyed it but hear me out when I say it's not for the casual walkers!! The campground and park is overall well kept. The latrines don't smell awful in the day because of it's solar panel ventilation systems. Beware of it when the sun goes down. The water is safe to cook and drink. The staff maintaining the area is more or less nice. They have a very strict no alcohol and pets policy so don't let them catch you with either! And I repeat again DO NOT FORGET YOUR BUG SPRAY.

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.

USE CAUTION! This trail resides along a steep cliff side (not the main trail area) and may not be…read morefor suitable for a beginner hiker. Dogs are welcome on leash. Oaths are uneven with roots poking through. Watch your step One of my favorite local parks where every season is beautiful! Well maintained and marked trails, fishing areas a free little book library and a path to the rock quarry if lucky to find! If you travel to the far end of the reservoir (main entry area next to trail map) you come to a nice opening along the reservoir. Venture a bit further along the pond to the furthest end of the water; Left brings you further into the woods and over the bridge brings you full loop around the reservoir

This is great place due to the levels-- from extreme bikes to charming nature walks, this park has…read morea path for just about everyone! There's also a big open green area nice for picnicking or just connecting with nature. Highly recommend!