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.

Ended up at this park by accident and we can't wait to go back and explore a bit more…read more At first this park seems like an open field and parking lot but if you walk over the bridge and pond, it opens up to the rest of the grounds and the Connecticut tobacco museum. They have a few farm animals like horses, cows, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, and more. The barn includes information about all of the animals and the nature center has more information about Connecticut's nature scene. There's also a trail that seems to lead pretty far out. We'll check it out next time.

Wonderful hidden gem especially for families with small children. They have trails a barn with…read moreanimals and the playground which our children loved.

It was very peaceful place to walk as well as very friendly people the little mini beach with the…read moresand is very cool

The playground fits into the park perfectly...a tree house and more…read more... Provided by Premier Park & Play from Newton, MA

While driving around in East Granby and seeing the beautiful colors of fall, I ended up at this…read morelittle park, Granbrook Park. This park is perfect if you want to let your dog run, if you want your kids to play, if you want to bring a picnic, or if you just want to be outside. There is a full playground for kids, with the swing and slide, there is also a basketball court. As well as some additional swigs for little kids and big kids. I also took a swing my self, and that is something I haven't done in a long, long time! There is a little pond at Granbrook Park. There's numerous benches and even a grill. There's plenty of exercise one can do here. Unfortunately, this isn't the park for hikes. This is a relaxing, child friendly, beautiful and easy park that's very well maintained.

3.5 stars. I came here for the playground and there were lovely views of the bridge and brook…read more There was plenty of parking and a porta potty onsite too. Amenities include basketball court, baseball field, playground, gazebo with picnic tables, grills, and fishing. There was a person in the middle of the brook fly fishing. The playground was on the smaller side but it had swings and slides; the playscape looked old. The playground was on mulch. My only complaint was that it was very buggy. Overall, a decent little park and my toddler was happy with the playground.

I would never recommend this day camp to any parent. My experience showed an organization that was…read moreincredibly disorganized, constantly understaffed, and poorly managed. It often felt like there was no clear communication between staff and administration, which created unnecessary confusion every single day. I was extremely disappointed by how little the camp seemed to value its employees. Rather than supporting staff or listening to concerns, management seemed more focused on protecting its own image than creating a positive environment for either employees or campers. I also found the camp's priorities concerning. Instead of encouraging accountability, respectful communication, and good decision-making, situations were often handled in ways that sent the wrong message to children. It was frustrating to watch inappropriate behavior go unchecked while staff members were blamed instead of supported. From my perspective, this camp appeared to prioritize filling enrollment and collecting tuition over providing a well-organized, well-supported experience for campers and employees. Parents deserve to know exactly who they are trusting with their children. Overall, I would not send my child here or recommend that anyone else work here. There are much better camps that are organized, supportive, and genuinely focused on providing a safe, positive experience for children.

high meadow sucks i do not recommend coming here is trash if i could leave a 0 star review I WOULD…read more3 people at my daughter's school faintrd because of lack of water she said kids had to pee in the bushes

The Viets family of East Granby operated a farm and livestock business on this site for many years…read more After the business closed, the land came into the possession of the Town of East Granby, who converted it into an almost 500 acre public park with a recreation center and hiking trails. In a beautiful nod to it's prior owners, the Town not only decided to leave the Viets Farm concrete silo standing, but also commissioned the painting of a mural on it to serve as a huge welcome sign to the park. It stands in the main parking lot entrance to the complex on Route 187. The gorgeous color mural covers every square inch of the silo with a lovely farm motif of animals, scenery and a blue sky. The original lettering was left undisturbed: L. H. VIETS & SONS CATTLE & HORSES It really is a gorgeous and very unexpected sight to see!!

I came here specifically for the playground. The playground was small and old looking; my toddler…read moreloved the tall metal slide for some reason. The thing was kind of rusty, sharp, and a possible hazard. The playground is fenced in with a small opening and on mulch. There were a couple of swings and some bouncy rides. The two tennis courts adjacent were overgrown and looks like it hasn't been used for years. There were pickleball courts, picnic shelter with grills and tables; there was a softball field as well. I saw a couple of people going down a small trail to the Farmington River to kayak. The gorge is located there and you can see remnants of an old bridge in the river. The park is located in the middle of a neighborhood and looks like it's forgotten/hidden. Maybe an upgrade to the playground and tennis courts will bring in more people.

Friday afternoon we spent a few hours wandering around Tariffville Park and had a great time…read more There is a lot of cool stuff here - tennis courts, pickleball courts, a softball field, a picnic pavilion with tables and benches and grills, a small playground, and some terrific views of the Farmington River if you walk down the long dirt/gravel path to the gorge. From what I've read, the park is quite popular with whitewater kayakers as a way to access the River. But any outdoorsperson will have a blast here with fishing, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking options all over. A few things stood out from our visit- the gnats and flying bugs were terrible, we heard so many bullfrogs it became comical after a while, we saw and heard a lot of small planes due to the proximity of Simsbury airport, and we saw some curious looking concrete structures rising out of the water like so many surfacing Godzillas. Turns out they were some old concrete bridge abutments that used to connect a bridge from Tariffville to East Granby. They create a serious hazard for the boaters, so if that's your thing - be careful.

"Down by the ocean it was so dismal" (Redondo Beach - Patti…read moreSmith) There's nothing dismal about the Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve. It's 210 acres of land with two trails winding through it for 3.5 miles. We hiked some of the well-marked Green Trail today and wandered through a wide flat and very easy to navigate trail covered with leaves. We did cross into wetlands twice, but each time the trail prevented us from getting our feet wet with a footbridge and stones to elevate us over the water line. We caught a few glimpses of Creamer Pond but didn't get too close to it. I wonder if the Yellow Trail would have done that? The property also has an old building known as Glazier Cabin and an old colonial burial ground that goes back to 1795. We didn't see any of those because we got there late and it was rainy and getting pretty chilly, so we made a U Turn and decided to return soon and try the Yellow Trail. The trailhead is located at 253 Loomis Street. You'll see a small parking lot there, but we also saw half a dozen cars parked along Loomis Street.

It is a magical place with amenities that make it even more so. The historic Glazier Cabin…read moreoverlooks Creamer Pond, raised viewing platforms overlook vibrant marshes often full of interesting species of birds, and newly installed bridges and well manicured paths allow visitors to roam about without worrying about getting lost. From the cabin, visitors to the preserve can sit in comfortable rocking chairs and look out through the trees to the pond. Parents with children can entertain them with a library of books that can be read aloud in that peaceful place. At dawn and dusk there are beavers working in the pond, too. Before you come, I recommend that you download the free Avenza app on your iPhone and then download the digital app of the preserve. When you're on the property, even though there is not good Wi-Fi coverage, you can see exactly where you are at all times. A little blue dot that changes its location as you walk from place to place exactly locates you. For more information on that, check out the Granby Land Trust's webpage at www.granbylandtrust.org.

First you should know that Rainbow Reservoir is not at 2 Walters Way, and that is a PRIVATE Road…read moreabout three houses before the entrance to the boat launch ramp. Rainbow Reservoir is a part of the Farmington River, and thus the blue algae bloom that happens in very hot years with low rainfall is not due to the very few land owners with property abutting the reservoir. There are miles and miles of the river that starts in Massachusetts, the longest portion of which is the West Branch, making the river a total of 84 miles long. Along all these miles, the river abuts all kinds of different properties from farms to industrial and residential. I am not saying that folks with abutting properties to Rainbow Reservoir don't contribute to the problem, but they are a drop in the hat compared to everything else that line the miles of the Farmington River. Another point I would like to mention is about the draining of Rainbow Reservoir. This is not done by "the town" as one reviewer said, and in fact even officials of DEEP have told me the State of Connecticut has very little control over the dam due to grandfather clauses. The dam is the property of the Farmington River Power Company, (the sole reason there is a reservoir in the first place, is because they built the dam in 1928 to make hydroelectric power). The power company drains the reservoir to do maintenance on the dam and turbines, and seemingly have little regard for the eco system damage they may or may not be doing. They also have little regard for the boaters and loath the land owners that line what they call "The Pond". Those of you who complain about the "high powered boats" may like to know that those folks have been using Rainbow Reservoir to ski on since the early 70's, a time when nobody used it to kayak the reservoir, and there were very few other folks using the reservoir. The reason the skiers continue to use "The Rez" is that it is one of the best places in CT to water ski and barefoot waterski due to the flat calm water. Those who waterski on Rainbow Reservoir actually have boats that purposely make small wakes for skiing, (which is obviously better for kayaks), and are geared down to pull skiers, not go fast. These skiers co-existed with fisherman in boats very well for years, because they both wanted the same thing, calm flat water. Now that anybody can be on the water with a cheap kayak, the kayakers, (aka new comers), complain about the boaters, and fill the long parking spots designed for vehicles with trailers, with single cars, with no regard to the fact that they are using a spot designed for a trailer rig, even when they kayak in groups with multiple cars and could stack their cars in one or two of the trailer spots to use less spots. They pay no boat registration fee that goes to building and maintaining boat launch ramps, nor do they pay anywhere near the property taxes and other taxes the boaters do on their rigs that go towards boating and fishing. Kayakers also need to realize that Rainbow Reservoir is a river and it is generally narrow, so 90% of the boaters use the Res in a counter clockwise direction for safety reasons, thus they do not want to veer off course to avoid a kayak and hit an oncoming boat instead. By trying to kayak down the middle of the reservoir, often in large groups spread 3 or 4 kayaks wide, on the wrong side, they put themselves and others in a dangerous position. If they would stay closer to the edges, and stay single file as the boaters generally do, it would be much safer for all. One last point that a kayaker probably doesn't think of, and that is draft. Rainbow Res has a lot of shallow spots, and the boaters cannot go everywhere it might seem like they could to the average person. These folks know Rainbow, and know what their boats draw for water. They have to stay in that "channel" so to speak. By the way, so that you don't think I'm anti kayak by this review, let it be known that we own four kayaks, one for each family member, and I sell them for a living as well. Share the water, there's room for everyone if we want to be respectful towards one another.

July 2016. I am downgrading the spot to 3 from 4. I have been seeing parasites on the fishes…read morecaught here. Most recent trip m, 4?sun fish & one bass, everyone of them got parasites. Either yellow like grain of rice type or tiny black spots in meat. Do not eat fishes caught at rainbow reservoir! If you like fishing, I am sharing my fishing spot especially because I need to write good & useful Yelp reviews :) My spot is to the left of the rainbow reservoir boat launch. The boat is infrequent but the jet ski is a bit annoying to fishermen. However, the spot is productive if you can cast far enough, there is a steep drop off that goes down about 15-20 feet, all kinds of fish there. I've taken my kids there many times, caught sun fish, bass, carp, catfish etc. all at the same spot. Don't eat the bass!!! High Mercury content. Ok to eat sunfish & carp, but carefully check the fish for parasite as I've seen them last year, they look like little grain of rice but yellow in color, yikes! Other than that, it's really fun spot to take the kids & you can BBQ right there as well!

"If I were a painter And could paint a memory…read moreI'd climb inside the swirling skies to be with you" (Norah Jones) The East Granby Farms Town facility has quite a lot of features - the  Kilbon Recreation Center for community classes, its home for the town's Historical Center, it boasts a baseball field and basketball court, picnic facilities, and some gorgeous scenery for your hiking enjoyment. But none of those are the prominent feature you'll see when you drive into the South Entrance. There, you'll be greeted by an enormous concrete silo painted with an equally enormous farmland mural. You see, when the Town of East Granby converted the old Viets farmstead into a public park, they left the landmark L. H. Viets silo standing and commissioned a mural to be painted on the silo. It covers the silo from top to bottom and is really quite a gorgeous work of art showing farm scenery, farm animals, rolling hills and a blue sky. Definitely worth your time to swing into the parking lot and check it out.