Backledge Falls is an 80-acre park with hiking trails, a pond, and yes...a waterfall. You'll find…read moreit on Route 93 (Hebron Ave) just on the Glastonbury side of the Glastonbury-Hebron line. There's a small parking lot at the trailhead. The trail is rather thin and has an extraordinary number of rocks and tree roots, so you really have to keep your head down and watch where you're going. Streams crisscross the park, so that explains why we found three small wooden bridges to help us navigate the wetlands. Two of those bridges had no railing, and one (a Boy Scout project) had a nice Trex railing, but just on one side. It was 81 degrees yesterday, but the high tree cover kept direct sunshine off of us for pretty much our whole time out there. There are some pretty steep inclines that had me huffing and puffing and thank the lord we had our hiking poles for balance and leverage. We walked most of the Blue and White trail, which is marked, but the paint is fading and in need of a refresh. We met around half a dozen groups of hikers, and each group was nicer and friendlier than the one before.

It was a beautiful late November day and perfect for a hike. Blackledge Falls is right in town…read morethough I've only been one other time after a snowfall. The hike is fairly easy with a small incline but a lot of small rocks on the "blue-white". As it was November, leaves covered the trail and made some spots slippery. The falls themselves were disappointing ... more like a dribble than a falls but it was still a nice walk in the woods. Perhaps springtime after the thaw is the better time to come if seeing a waterfall is your goal.

This was my first time here I hiked the north and south trails. Each side had their own little…read morequirks and beauty. The north side was a little prettier than the south side however, I enjoyed them both. They both have the river as well as little ruins and signs that explain what they once were. It's a fairly easy hike.

Beautiful and scenic trials. Make sure you follow the trail heads or follow your scenery as a…read moremajority of the trails aren't marked. Very well maintained, clean and well preserved.

Stumbled upon this place while looking for a quick walk somewhere new. This place fit the bill…read morenicely. Fairly decent sized dirt parking lot, short, well maintained trail, small turnaround area for launching canoes, kayaks, etc. into the river for some upstream or downstream paddling on the Willimantic River and Eagleville Pond (to the south). I hope to find my way back here with paddles in hand at some point. Hiking: I use the word hiking very loosely. It's more of a casual stroll, but it was pretty nicely maintained and meanders around a bit through wooded areas, grassy areas and marshy areas, with a short duration along the shoreline of the river. To find the trail, park in the dirt lot, then walk all the way to the back right corner of they grassy field. Grassy areas were low while I was there due to it being the winter, but I'd certainly be cautious for ticks if that grass gets longer in the summer. Looks like good potential for mosquitos as well due to the marshy areas, so show up prepared. Paddling: The river looked very calm and with good potential for wildlife sighting. You could paddle upstream or float down into Eagleville Pond. There's another park at the end of Eagleville Pond where you can end your trip if you have the means to do so. (Note: the pond ends with a pretty wide, marked dam. Go to the far left while facing downstream to get out at the other park). Adjacent park / Lynch Landing: The trail connects to the Lynch Landing trail, and in fact this review is admittedly glossing over that fact and considering it to be all one trail system. Know that you could also park in the VERY small Lynch Landing parking lot on Depot Road if you preferred. (...or possibly a the "EO Smith Depot Campus" building next to the Lynch Landing parking area, but I can't advise on whether or not that's allowed at this time.) Note: Yes, you can go across the bridge on your way out and instead of back out on Plains Road, but know that it's narrow and unpaved for a good distance. There's a great looking property shortly past the bridge. I could definitely see myself living there...

I like this park. What I like about this park is that the geese like to hang out at Union Pond…read more That is cool except for water levels which are lower than I thought but though it's still a great place to relax, wind yourself and either read a book or watch the geese. Also a good place to go out for a walk as well.

This was a great trail though we didn't finish it due to time constraints It was well marked,…read morefollowed the pond shoreline and was relatively easy with a few inclines. Beautiful spots along the way to enjoy the water views. Also found two geocaches off the trail which were awesome. Parking for 4-5 cars but another lot right across the street. There is also a fairly new fitness trail over the footbridge. Not my thing but thought it looked awesome

The Pinchot Sycamore Park is located below the Route 185 Bridge and along the Farmington River. The…read morepark is home to the oldest tree of its kind in CT. The park also includes a small launch on the Farmington River for canoes, kayaks, and small boats. This so-called launch is nothing more than a narrow path with large rocks sticking out of the ground, going down a hill to the river that is also very rocky. The tree is definitely worth checking out.

Tree Huggers Unite!…read more The Pinchot Sycamore Tree is located in a small park in Simsbury. The entrance to the park is very steep and in front of the traffic light, right next to the bridge. There's a small dirt parking lot and the Farmington River is adjacent to the park. There is another large tree with big rocks surrounding it. I saw a couple of trails going down to the river; a place to offload kayaks and canoes. The time I went, I saw a group of people standing/swimming in the water. Right next to the bridge, you will see the massive American Sycamore tree; the largest tree in Connecticut. The 200-300 year old tree is very beautiful and majestic. There were two stone markers in front of the tree; the tree was dedicated to conservationist, Gifford Pinchot. The tree is lit up with lights at night. Overall, a lovely place to be and reminisce about what the tree has seen throughout the years.

This is a beautiful place to hike in Tolland. The parking lot is by 300 Hunter Road and it's a…read morelittle small. Trails are clean. Dogs are allowed. The trails are reached from the parking lot. The overlook is nice and the view is beautiful. There are lots of acorns and leaves on the trails, but it's clean. You can attach Stoppleworth Conservation Area next to it and Knofla preserve.

This little hard-to-find park is A-OK! Certainly has room for improvement, but it vastly exceeded…read moremy expectations from when I initially found it while randomly browsing aerial images along the Connecticut River. If you're in for a quick stroll or a short run, this place is worth the stop. If you have accessibility issues, it's flat and paved. If you just want to sit and watch the river flow or have a snack by the river in a remote area, it seems great for that as well! Getting there is probably the hardest part... It's not technically difficult, but it's a bit challenging in a "Where's Waldo" sort of way. It's hiding...and it's up to you to find it and admittedly be daring in doing so. You WILL feel like you're trespassing, but you're not. To find it, head out to "South Meadow Lane" or roughly 310 High Street in East Hartford. Head down South Meadow Lane and into the trailer park. South Meadow Lane ends and you can either turn left into the cemetery (wrong way), or proceed straight down a narrow, bumpy dirt road that runs between the back yards of two opposing rows of trailer homes. There's a small sign and metal gate, so you'll know it's the right place once you're there. The entrance is dirt, but was easily passable with an SUV and I'd imagine also easily passable with any average sedan. Maybe leave the Corvette home. The driveway might be fun if someone is coming the opposite direction, but that doesn't seem too likely, and I think you'd manage OK. Once you finally find it... So at this point you've driven down the dirt entrance path mentioned above. That driveway opens up to a surprisingly large open field, dirt parking lot, and a COVERED parking area. Shocking. We didn't park on that area, but you can tell some people do. Next to that is a nice sign and trail map with some historic information on the area. Beyond that you'll see the Connecticut River running by and a paved walking/running trail that runs along the shore and is INCREDIBLY nice shape. Bring a lunch with you as well, as there's several nice round metal tables that look brand-spankin' new. Back to the path...a good portion of it has been very recently paved, it's nice and wide, and there are fairly frequently placed resting spots with benches or educational signs. Minor WARNINGS... If you grew up in Connecticut you should probably already be on the look-out for poison ivy / poison oak, but I'd feel bad not mentioning that this park seems to have a pretty bad case of it. The number of trees with hefty vines on them was somewhat shocking. So yeah, stay off the trees. The path is wide though, so if you're particularly susceptible to it you should be able to avoid it quite easily anyway. If that makes you too nervous still, wear pants to protect your ankles or figure out some home remedies for just in case. Also note there are really no bathrooms or other amenities. Just nice trails, benches and views. Lastly, please note that it's a very quiet, wooded area with limited visibility. It closes at dusk anyway (though haven't verified if the gate gets closed or not), but it wouldn't be my first choice for solo sunset watching.

Interesting little park with a couple of environments. Much of it is a mowed grass trail through a…read morefield. There is a small trail through woods on the western side. Generally flat and easy.