A Walk Across the Giant

Fall in New England, it's a really nice time to hike - cool days, colorful leaves...   and the Quinnipiac Trail through Hamden is a great trail - woods, hills, views, rivers etc etc.  But for the last couple of years, there have been trail interruptions for road and bridge construction and a little logging.  The projects are near done, and pretty soon I think the trail will be remapped and remarked.  Until then, it's a little tricky through this section, and the CFPA recommends an alternate route around the mess. The original and detour routes make a loop hike I've done a lot - this time I took pictures. The trail leaves Sleeping Giant State Park along the Mill River, and runs right smack into bridge construction on Mt Carmel Ave, and the road realignment project at the corner of Whitney Ave, Mt Carmel Ave and West Woods Rd.  Once the construction is completed, the blue trail will go over the new bridge and back into the woods along old walls and fo...

Part 2 - the Mattabesett Hike date June 13, 2011   I left you right here in Part 1 , just off the Reservoir Loop Trail and on the Mattabesett Trail heading north toward River Road.  I'll still detail the hike as it's done in the Connecticut Forest and Park Association's Walk Book , but I have to get up to the north trailhead first! Following the blue blazes is supposed to be easy - just follow the trail and see a blue patch every once in a while to confirm you're in the right place.  And it was just like that for a few miles, until I got close to a trail section near power lines.  The trail was clear, though there are woods roads and bike/quad trails all through here.  The trail obviously bent to the left, and I hiked up and over a ledge crossing, down along a woods road until I realized it's been a long time since I saw a trail blaze!  Look forward - no blaze.  Look backward - no blaze.  Backtrack, follow another clearing, turn around aga...

Part 1 - Reservoir Loop Trail Hike date June 13, 2011   I've confirmed yet another immutable fact of life - this blog don't write itself.  While I have been hiking the last few weeks, I just haven't been able to sit down and write about it.  So let's get you caught up. The 50 mile Mattabesett Trail winds its way from Middletown to Berlin , kind of a U-shape as it runs south from the Connecticut River to Guilford , and then back up along the ridgelines through Middletown ending on the Berlin Turnpike.  The Connecticut Forest and Park Association's trail guide breaks the Mattabesett into seven sections, from three to thirteen miles in length.  But with side trails, loop trails and access points all along the way, you can create a hike of almost any length.  How much time do you have?  Do you want to hike along the mountain ridge, or the water, or take an easy walk through the forest?  Just pick a section.  I've been hopscotching a...

Mattabesett Trail – Middletown to the Berlin Turnpike trailhead in Berlin The trail has been rerouted since the 19 th edition of the WalkBook.  This link shows the new route. I've spent a lot of time on recent hikes down in the lowlands.  Granted, that’s about all you get in southern Connecticut (from the Indian word for flat land with many rivers *) but there is still the occasional walk along a hill or cliff.  This description in the Connecticut Walk Book sounded pretty good – “This almost level ridge is one of the most scenic traprock ridge walks in the state, offering spectacular views to the west, including Silver Lake and the Metacomet Ridge.”  I feel the need for a little altitude – even if it’s just a little. Red barn marks the turn on to Bell Street This 10 mile section of the Mattabesett Trail picks up where I left off at the Country Club Road trailhead north of Higby Mountain .  The hike starts with a 1.8 mile road walk, along Coun...