Beautiful hiking trail! Muddy in the beginning, so wear hiking boots or shoes with good grip. The…read moreoverlooks are amazing and worth every minute. About 1 hour and 20 minutes to and from The caves. Rugged terrain towards the caves Not for the beginner, so plan accordingly. Snacks, water and maybe a walking stick

Trail has some lovely views, some steep up and down sections but no actual rock scrambling…read morerequired, and if you plan ahead you can find the elaborate rock etchings done over 200 years ago by patients of an 18th century small pox inoculation center! Also, when I went most recently, somebody built a pretty sick rope swing in the woods. Not sure how safe it is, but if it doesn't crap out on you it's a nice little adrenaline rush if you start your swing at the tree branch. Now for some tips to get the most out of your hike: Pro tip #1: if you're doing this as an after work hike, park yourself at Alliance Occupational Health and catch the trailhead across the street. Can't speak as to whether this would be ok during their normal business hours tho. Pro tip#2: go to the local library where they can provide you with a map on how to find hospital rock, just off the trail, with stone carvings made 200 years ago. -side tip- bring flour with you to dust the rocks with so you can make out thyme carvings better for pictures Pro tip #3: Bugspray.

Family outing on this historical trail! Perfect for walking, running, biking or skating!…read more The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is a scenic, easygoing path stretching over 80 miles through charming towns, peaceful woodlands, and historic canal routes. Perfect for biking, walking, or a relaxing day outdoors, it's one of New England's best hidden gems for all skill levels. The trail you see today has roots going back over 200 years. In the early 1800s, it began as the Farmington Canal construction, built to connect New Haven to inland towns and boost trade. Completed in 1828, the canal was used to transport goods like coal, timber, and farm products, but eventually shut down in the 1840's

I loved hiking at this trail it Stretches through scenic New England towns, the Farmington Canal…read moreHeritage Trail follows the path of a historic 1800s canal and railroad. Today it's a peaceful paved trail perfect for biking, walking, or forest views. Definitely a well traveled path.

Bull Pond Preserve aka Allen M. Heflin Wildlife Sanctuary, is on about 70 acres, 50 acres of…read moreforest/marshland, and 20 acres of pond. It's part of the Harwinton Land Trust and donated by the Heflin Family in 1988. There is a paved parking lot across from the Harwinton Fairgrounds; it's easy to miss so drive very slowly. It can fit maybe 3-4 vehicles; there's a boat ramp for the fire department to use, so please don't block it. There is parking along Locust Road also. The path leads to an observation deck with a bench and kiosk. The view of the pond was lovely on an autumn day. Beware though, there was a mound of dog poo because some, you know what, didn't pick up after their dog and I stepped on it. There were benches along the way, for me to sit and clean my sneakers (angry face emoji). The path leads to a small boardwalk and multiple trails. We did the short white loop trail and it was peaceful and easy. There are 2 miles total of trails, out and back. The foliage is starting and it was nice to see. We saw geese and turtles basking on a log in the pond. The pond is shallow but fishing and non-motorized boating is allowed. In the winter, there is ice skating allowed on the pond; cross country skiing and snow shoeing is also allowed on trails. All in all, I enjoyed this peaceful walk. There's plenty to look at. There were a few other people on the trail. Aside from the dog poo, the preserve was 5 stars.

Beautiful place! Trails are amazing. If you pay to go inside the money goes to support wildlife. We…read morehad an excellent afternoon hiking and playing in the brook.

We went on a Monday but the nature center was closed. This was fine because I wanted to walk on the…read morered trail (Werner Pond Trail); this trail is half a mile long and it's flat. The walk was very easy with some roots and rocks. There were views of the brook which was peaceful and the sound of flowing water was lovely. There were information cards everywhere detailing which wildlife lived in these woods. There were a couple of small bridges; one was on concrete and fenced in. We also walked over to the butterfly garden. They did a great job with maintaining this land. I can't wait to go back to check out the nature center and the other trails. Since it's early spring, there were no vegetation; I'm sure in the summer this place gets super lush greenery. They also offer many programs and activities; The Children's Museum in West Hartford is also affiliated with them.

The parking lot and entrance for Nepaug State Forest is 3.1 miles from the point where route 202…read moreand route 44 merges in Canton. This forest is not to be confused with the Nepaug Dam & Reservoir Trail. The parking lot was spacious but can be easily missed because the sign is small; I saw one handicap spot near the trail entrance. There are multiple trails in this forest. Other activities besides hiking include biking, camping, fishing, cross-country skiing, letterboxing, and hunting. The Tunxis Trail is a blue blazed hiking trail. The blue trail was wide and flat with a slight incline. I enjoyed the easy hike through the forest. It was serene and peaceful; there were a few vehicles in the parking lot but I didn't see anyone on the trail. Based on the AllTrails app, it is a 1.7-mile loop trail and rated at moderate. I saw some people walking in with their dogs when I was leaving. It appears to be a popular spot for dog walking and mountain biking. Overall, a quiet trail if you're looking for some solitude and fresh air.

Love this park. Lots of trail options with challenging hills. Excellent workout, it's our go to if…read morewe want to skip the gym and get out in nature.

Cool area. lots of places to lay low and relax. Biking is not a problem. The water is nice feeling…read moredue to a cold spring as well.

If you need breathtaking views especially this time of the year where the trees change color, this…read moreis the spot for you. There is more than one trail and if you have a map you can decide which trail to follow. If you are interested in just a walk around the lake the red trail would be perfect but if you are more interested in the view of the lake from higher up, then the blue to the orange trail, blue and blue to the red trail will get you there. The entire hike got us was about 3 miles. A simple hike that is good enough for a beginner. It had a steep hill and I was so out of breath going up but when you get to the top at the lookout point it was all worth it. The lake wasn't the cleanest as the water was green but there were still people fishing. A lot of picnic tables to sit, eat or hang out and a big parking lot with adequate space.

Splendid mix of very well maintained trails and gated gravel access roads within the Session Woods…read morePreserve. All watched over by the CT DEEP. Today Monday 6/8/2026 was my first visit with my pup and daughter's pup. We covered approximately 3.5 miles hopping from trail to trail. The weather was phenomenal and the forest very pleasant. The DEEP facility hosts training and learning seminars in addition to their regular duties. Hats off to this splendid preserve. Open from sunrise to sunset.

Sessions Woods is a nature preserve on 700 acres of land with trails and an education exhibit. They…read moreoffer educational programs and demonstrations; there are hiking trails throughout that you can hike yourself. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset; the exhibit is open 8:30-4 Monday-Friday. There were four trails to choose from; Beaver Pond, Forest Meadow, Tree ID, and Crosscut Trail. The parking lot was large. On this visit, I completed the Forest Meadow Trail. The trail was a 0.6-mile loop trail. There were informational signs throughout; they were kind of faded and old. The trail was easy and peaceful; I noticed quite a few boulders. There was only one other person we walked by on the trail. I was being vigilant about bears and ticks. There were quite a few benches which was a nice since my toddler enjoyed resting on them. I saw that the other trail had boardwalks; I look forward to coming back to check that out.

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.

Burlington Falls is a horse tail 15 ft drop waterfall in Burlington, CT. The trail is less than 0.1…read moremile one way; it's very short and sweet. You can see the waterfall from the street too. I am a fan of waterfalls, so I had to check it out. It is private property and you can't swim in it. It's just amazing to view, I gave it 4 stars because it's not the most grandest waterfall but still worth a visit.

Great scenery and great trails. Watch where you walk as the terrain can be slippery due to the…read morefallen leaves and rocky paths. The paths are marked with a variety of different colors so be weary as to which paths you are on.

"I'm just a child of nature I don't need much to set me…read morefree" (Lennon/McCartney) The 200-acre Hoppers Birge Pond Nature Preserve, known locally as "the Hoppers" is part of the Bristol Park system. You'll see a big beautiful lake, and most likely a fisherman or two, like we saw today. Besides the lake, their 200 acres has lots of things for a child of nature to enjoy - glacial gashes and depressions in the earth, an old Colonial charcoal pit, and half a dozen walking trails. It was unseasonably cold today, so we didn't do too much exploring besides walking around the lake and its boardwalks. It really looks like a terrific place to visit, but I was kind of disappointed at the number of beer cans, beer bottles, and nip bottles tossed around the walking path by lazy inconsiderate cretins. Maybe a few strategically placed trash cans would have helped.