A short hike brings you to a beautiful waterfall surrounded by large boulders perfect for…read moresunbathing. The area is posted "no swimming", but there were people in the water. It is also posted "no picnicking". The Willimantic River is not known for it's purity, so bathe at your own risk. Although the hike is short and easy, it is rocky and tree roots are staggered throughout. If you're careful you could probably get away with flip flops. There is also a

Beautiful!!! This little spot is amazing. The water is so beautiful. Definitely be mindful of the…read moreweather.

Another great hike at GWSP at 6.79 miles! I'm adding some…read moremore pictures including how the trails are marked. Just follow the color! If you find my glasses and case, let me know.

great wooded hike starting in Pulaski State park on the snow-shoe trail then completed the orange…read moretrail which take you out on an eastern route put of the park where you will spend most of the walk between Pulaski and George Washington camp ground. some great features of the remains of a home and an associated man-made pond. in time the orange trail does turn west and ends on the dam at the western edge of Pulaski. The trails are hilly and so.e trees are down, but none interfered with the walk. I would category this as a easy hike. we will be back in the fall yo be sure!

Beautiful hiking spot. Spectacular views…read more We found two parking lots that you can start your hike at. One is visible from the main road and the other you need to drive down an access road. We tried both ways and enjoyed the visible parking lot more. Well marked trail that isn't too difficult (well maybe the part with the views is a little harder).

This is a nice little CT State Park, that's recently had some (at least online) improvements,…read morecoinciding with it being featured in the Sky's The Limit Challenge. There's a couple of ways to access this park, depending on if you're here for boating or hiking. If you're here for boating, there's a large lot on Ross Road, between Old Furnace and Ross Pond. If you're here for hiking, there's a nice large lot at the northern end, off of S Frontage Road. There are a number of trails here, and you can make a pretty good day out of it if you want to take a decent hike. The west side of the pond is up on a ridge, where rock climbers have attached ropes at the vista areas, possibly semi permanently. There are some nice views here of the pond, and the trails are mostly well blazed. The Blue Blazed Old Furnace Trail could use some reblazing, but the other trails were fine. A nice little park to check out if you are at this end of CT.

Easy 1 hour out and back hike. Some spots slippery with ice on ground. Hiking boots recommended…read moreduring the winter. Fantastic scenery. Easy to see the gorge with more views if you go off trail a bit.

Great spot, great views. Fun to explore, family had a blast here. Looking forward to see it in…read moreevery season.

This is one of my absolute favorite places to hike! The trail around the main pond is very easy and…read morea very short hike. There are also a few places that have picnic table sites for you to grill at! I always notice people fishing, and I see people in the water with their inflatables. There are a few other trails to hike, which I highly recommend! The birding here is also fantastic. This place is magical!! Bring the pups! .... One last thought, just be aware that service is very patchy here!

Bigelow hollow is a pleasant place to picnic and spend the day. It has become crowded, so try it…read moreduring the week. It is local to me. I have not yet kayaked there. When i do i will come back to report.

We've hiked here many times and enjoy the lake trail which encircles most of the lake. There used…read moreto be a bridge allowing easy access across one end of the lake, but that is gone, and it's a long hike to make it all the way around. There also a dam at one end, and beautiful views of the lake. The lake is 200 acres, and the park includes 24 campsites, a boat launch, picnic tables and shelters, an 18-hole disc golf course, miles of trails, boating, hunting, and fishing. The lake purportedly offers largemouth and smallmouth bass, pickerel, perch, carp, and sunfish. The trails are now nicely marked, thanks to an Eagle Scout project by Giovanni Couture, Troop 66 in May 2022. The project also added benches with views of the lake. The footing can be a little challenging with rocks, roots, downed trees, etc. In the fall, the fallen leaves can make it even trickier, and quite slippery when wet. This is a very pleasant park to visit, hike, or fish. There has always been ample parking when we visited, and I think swimming is prohibited.

Beautiful venue and great food and drink! I have visited Little Dipper Farm for several of the…read moreField & Feast events from the incomparable team at Stone Row KB out of Willimantic. The space pays homage to the previous business Golden Lamb while adding new flair! From an afternoon tea in the Fall to a Summer celebration; the farm features the idyllic countryside of Eastern CT and rustic chic interior perfect for a special event. The signature locally-sourced small plates and cocktails from Stone Row crew have been excellent, and make the meal more of an evolving experience. Thanks for a lovely time!

Unreal. Every dish was more incredible than the last. This was the juiciest pork I had ever had in…read moremy life! The flavors of each course were masterful. Lobster ravioli and lavash with homemade butter are to die for. Coming from Boston, this was worth the trip, I can see this rustic, farm to table culinary EXPERIENCE being the next French Laundry. You can taste how fresh the ingredients are and the passion that the chef and staff have for their craft. Not to mention, the property is breathtaking. It is peaceful farm with a stunning lookout point and lake behind the restaurant. Overall decor is ultra authentic and sourced directly from the chef and staff, or part of the history of the farm. Each dish and each part of the restaurant seems to have a unique story behind it. I would drive the 1.5 hours from Boston, or farther anytime to experience this again!! Shout out to Crystal for taking great care of us and sharing fascinating tidbits about the history of the farm, the food, and how it's made!

What's not to like here? I suppose some may complain about…read morehaving to pay to park. Personally I'd like to see an option for those of us living in the Blackstone Valley (and others) to purchase an annual sticker. Similar to the way you might support a local zoo, for example. They would likely get higher donation amounts voluntarily, vs. the extortion-like pay-to-park each visit. Beyond the parking... For those seeking heat relief, on a hot summer day the low parts of the chasm are considerably cooler. Of course this does generally bring the crowds. Remember to bring bug spray. Children will be in awe of the rock formations and most will absolutely love climbing over, under and through the rocks, crevices and small caves. The rocks are normally slippery, more so after a rain or during the humid summer months - decent footwear is a must. Grandparents beware: not the best place to try to follow an 8 year old! However, across the street by the visitor center there's a nice playground for the kids to tire-out. If you want a longer/safer/less slippery hike you can follow Charlie's Loop trail in it's entirety (start by the covered picnic tables). Then maybe veer off onto the northwest side fire road. From there you can find a couple of trails that head back toward the parking lot. This is a great place to walk the dog(s) - leashed. Please pick up after your pet. Also a wonderful spot for snowshoeing - assuming we still get snow. re: parking - if you are local you might find a place over on Mendon Road, from which you can enter the park via the fire road (47CF+628).

Had been wanting to check this out all summer, but being a bit of a cheapo, I didn't want to pay…read morethe $20 non-resident parking fee. Now that its off-season and parking is free I checked it out. Wasn't disappointed. Some nice views, and a challenging, but not overwhelming hike. Will definitely have to come back sometime.

We were looking for a short hike with a water view and decided to check out the Quinebaug Lake…read moreState Park, and the Quinebaug Lake Loop Trail. According to Wikipedia, the Quinebaug Lake State Park comprises 181 acres in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. The state park offers fishing, hiking and non-motorized boating on the lake (aka the Wauregan Reservoir). Google Map directions took us to a dead end street, which does offer access to the trail, but you may/may not be able to park there. There are no signs indication that you can park here. However, they park does have a large, free to park, parking lot though it can be tricky to find. Look for a paved access road off of Shepard Hill Road, which is about a half mile long, and takes you to a large gravel parking lot. The lake trail which is a fairly easy trail and 2.1 miles long, takes about an hour to circumnavigate. Traveling clockwise, the footing is initially rocky, but gets progressively easier after the first quarter mile. We had no problem on this trail, but did notice that Camp Quinebaug is located about half way across the lake. Since it was closed, we walked through the camp and continued on the trail. There are no trespassing signs there, so we're not sure if you can cut through the camp in the summer, or if there is a longer way around it. We looked up the camp and found some interesting information: Camp Quinebaug is a summer Day Camp in Killingly. It is a camp for children with developmental disabilities, funded and operated by the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services and The Friends of Camp Quinebaug. It provides a unique summer camp experience for school age children with developmental disabilities and has the only beach on the lake. Approximately 90-100 campers per season enjoy the benefits of this 6 week fully accessible camp environment. We enjoyed our Quinebaug Lake Loop Trail hike though we found Pulaski State Park, which is about 20 minutes away, to have a more beautiful setting and interesting hike around their pond. Pulaski also has picnic tables and a rest room, but it's likely much busier in the summer!

Great place for a great hike and sweat. Also a nice cold stream to cool down. Will be my go to…read moreplace when I am nearby. Loved it

really nice camping spot. Different from what I was used too with the reservation I had which was a…read morefield campsite on the wolf den. However it was filled with families and couples alike. Nice hiking trails clean bathrooms/showers multiple sightings of deer, found a couple turtles . Cheap fire wood and convenient that it's only 15 minutes from essential business like food,superstores, etc. there was food and gas closer by too. Also the park ranger who I didn't catch his name but I wish I did (he wore a white hat), was super helpful and gave me his personal fishing spot nearby which was really cool and uncommon from another fisherman. I won't name his spot cause I have manners. But all around looking forward to my return in a few weeks.