Came here during the off-season for a quick hike. And I did not disappoint…read more There's a huge campground area and a pavilion during the summer that's open for operational events. There's also a swimming area for the warmer months. There's a wooded area to hike in that leads to the camping area and plenty of bathrooms around during the season when they are open. There are no pets allowed April 1st to October 15th

Beautiful state park with a campground and lake too. If your car is registered in the state of…read moreConnecticut parking is free here.

Beautiful park in the center of Hartford! The carousel, fountain, Pond (when well maintenanced),…read moreand direct access to the Capitol building make this one of Hartford's most popular tourist destinations. The train station is directly across the street making it easily accessible. A lot of people don't know that this is America's oldest publicly funded park, but they offer tours that allow you to find out more about everything that has gone into the park over the years. The views of the city from the top of the arch on Trinity Street are gorgeous. Many events and clubs are hosted in the park like the annual Jazzfest and weekly run club and yoga.

I have been here a few times recently. My son had an appointment at CCMC, so we decided to go…read morebefore hands. It gives a mini NYC park vibe. There are food trucks, lots of walking space, a playground, a carousel, and lots to look at! There is a lot of space to sit and relax or have a picnic. I would love to see a little more love with the landscape. I'm bummed that the carousel was closed too.

Swan Preserve Trails is a 90 acre parcel managed by the Canton Land Conservation Trust (CLCT); it…read morewas donated in 2000 by the Swan Family. The white blazed trail was added in 2020 in memory of Ted Cowles, who was a board member of CLCT. The parking area for this trailhead can fit about 4 vehicles. I really liked that they had a Little Free Library and it was packed to the brim. If you've read my reviews, I love the library, books, and Little Free Libraries. There were some small steps down to the trail by the kiosk; this was located besides some houses. There are two trails on this property. The Swan Trails is a 1.5-miles loop with blue, red, and yellow blazes. The red trail is easy and the other two are moderate. There was a beautiful brook, uplands, and small bridges. The second trail is called Ted Cowles which is 1-mile and white blazed. It is considered moderate and is off the yellow trail. My family and I enjoyed exploring the yellow trail on this beautiful November Saturday. The leaves can be slippery and there were a bit of roots and rocks, so watch your step. There were some small ascends. I kind of enjoy the trail in the fall because it is bare, which means no ticks! There were quite a bit of mountain Laurels too. When we were leaving, there were other hikers coming through, other than that it was quiet. It seems to be a well loved trail for sure. I look forward to checking out the other trails on this property!

Pratt Preserve Trails goes through a 50-acre preserve and is part of the Canton Land Conservation…read moreTrust. It was donated to CLCT by Winifred Pratt in 2012. Alfred Reid donated an additional 2.3-acres in 2019. Finally, donors Elizabeth Cotterman and Gerald Green donated another 26-acres in 2021. It's located off of Cherry Brook Rd. (West side) next to # 84. Per the CLCT website, it's a 1.3-mile loop trail from the wooden bridge or 1.7-mile starting from the parking lot. There is a small dirt parking lot that could fit 2-3 vehicles. There was a sign stating "Land Trust Parking". Follow the blue trail markers down to the picturesque Cherry Brook. There was a cabin with a few picnic tables, an old chimney, and a lovely bridge going over the brook. There were parts of an old dam; it used to power 18th/19th century mills. The trail had a couple of muddy spots due to the recent heavy rains. There were some ascends and descends; definitely wear some hiking boots and if possible, a hiking stick. It may have been a little bit more challenging for me because I was wearing my almost 30 pound toddler lol. My three year old loved it and I think it's a good trail for kids, just keep them close when near the hills, bridge, and brook. The terrain was mixed with rocks, dirt, mud, roots, gravel, and some grass in the beginning. A lovely place to bring snacks and sit on the picnic table by the brook, after the hike. I noticed there were white and red trail markers too; I did not hike those yet. Check the AllTrails app for more details on the routes. My family and I really enjoyed our hike and would definitely hike it again!

This park is on 116 acres and provides many recreational options. We came here for the playground…read more The tot lot playscape was nicely maintained and is on mulch with a couple of benches. This playground is for children ages 2-10 and is a fenced in area. Over by the basketball courts, there is the playground for children ages 5-12. Parking was plentiful. Across the street are the restrooms. There are tennis courts right nearby and a huge soccer field. There are ball fields, a bandshell, basketball courts, bathhouse, children's memorial garden, dog park, horse exercise area, horseshoe game area, pavilions, volleyball courts, veteran's wall memorial, swimming in a pond, snack shack during games, and a pond house for events. This place has got it all for your recreational needs!

We visited Salmon Brook Park by parking in the hiking trail entrance so we could wander through the…read morevery pretty area. The hiking trail is very easy to follow and navigate. No rocks, no tree roots, and not too much animal waste except for one enormous deposit that had us wondering if it was squeezed out by a Great Dane or a bear!! We took one of the side trails to the right and entered the river basin where we saw some jaw dropping beautiful vistas down in the valley. Five stars for a photo op, believe me. We walked all the way to the event meadow, but things were quiet today. Salmon Brook Park has a lot to offer - a Band Shell, an Event Room, Baseball Fields, Basketball, Volleyball, and Tennis Courts, Field Hockey, Soccer and Lacrosse Fields, a river, a playground, 2 picnic pavilions, and that very nice network of Hiking Trails. Come to think of it, it has pretty much everything you need to spend a few very nice hours in the great outdoors.

If you're looking for an easy paved trail, this is the one. The trail is wide and goes around the…read morereservoir. Many joggers, walkers, dog walkers, and people pushing strollers. Dogs on a leash are allowed, it's wheelchair accessible, and kid friendly. If you bring your dog, signs says to pick up after them. The Nepaug dam has a beautiful waterfall with serene sounds. It was built between 1914 to 1916 and created the 951 acre reservoir about 35 feet deep. There is a parking lot; on nice weekend days, it does get full. Overall, it's one of my favorite trails because I can take a stroller/wagon to lug my babies. Also, the view is amazing!

One of the good things that happened to us from the Pandemic was it got us out of the house on…read moreweekends to visit so many of the parks and hiking trails in our area we had never visited before. We must have hit 30 different venues in 2020, and we started 2021 by visiting another new place that turned out to be a terrific find. The Nepaug Reservoir Trail is a mile long and is wide, paved, flat and about as easy to walk on as any trail we have visited. We parked at the main parking lot on Route 202, walked through a chain link gate, and found the start of the trail to begin our scenic walk around the reservoir and across the historic 100-year old Nepaug Dam. The 600-foot long dam has a concrete spillway in its center. The spillway is over 100 feet tall and is quite spectacular. The trail around the dam has a few cutouts that serve as observation platforms to take you out over the top of the dam. You will love the view ! We saw quite a variety of folks out there today -young families with strollers, couples of every age, joggers, lots of leashed dogs, and even a few hoverboard operators. What a great way to kick off the New Year.

Lake Waramaug State Park has so much to offer, whether it be camping, fishing, swimming, renting a…read morekayak, boating, having a picnic, or just to take in the beautiful views. I came here for kayaking. This beautiful, scenic lake is clean, and circling the lake is an enjoyable 9-mile paddle. From the water, you can take in the scenic hills that surround the lake, or view some of the waterfront gorgeous homes. This state park is well worth checking out.

It's an okay stay over place, large spaces, no privacy, but pleasant enough. What totally ruined…read morethe experience were the extremely loud campers across the way who's nonstop shouting and swearing went well into the quiet hours with no one to contact for assistance since staff leaves at 10:00 (the start of quiet hours!)

"Under the bridge downtown I could not get enough"…read more(Red Hot Chili Peppers) We took the southern route on the hiking path today. The path is wide, flat, paved, free of rocks, tree roots or debris, and definitely low impact. The best view was at the beginning, when we made a right turn by the boat launch. That was the best water view we saw all afternoon, except for a few slivers of the river we saw through the tree line. It was a very pleasant walk, maybe two miles or so to the end of the path and back to the boat launch. There wasn't a lot of scenery, except for the trees and some scattered benches. Whenever the path neared the water, we could hear boat engines of visitors enjoying the beautiful weather on the water. We also smelled food grilling and heard some music down on the shore, although we couldn't see anything. It was a calm, easy walk to the end and back to the boat launch and a cool view of the Bissel Bridge. Next time, we'll head north and see what that route holds in store for us.

Came here with my dog and it's a quick 30 minute paved walk along the water…read more It's a boat launch during the summer, but it was pretty empty during this time a year Picnic tables along the route. Prey clean minis the parking lot