A Walk Across the Giant

         Southford Falls State Park , Oxford , CT           State Park site                         Trail Map There are over a hundred state parks in little Connecticut , and beyond Sleeping Giant, I’ve only been to a few – those with miles of trails on their own or where one of the blue-blazed trails passes through.  At 120 acres, Southford Falls is one of the smaller parks. But I am a sucker for waterfalls, and when a photo group planned a shoot at Southford Falls , I had to check it out.  The falls are a beautiful photo spot, but don’t stop there.  The state park is a great place to spend some time and wander around.  The falls run on Eight Mile Brook as it flows from Lake Quassapaug to the Housatonic River .  If you're mapping it out, be careful to avoid wrong turns from the naming convention used out here - this ...

Wiki Shot I was in Singapore  a while back, and spent a Saturday morning on a day hike at MacRitchie Reservoir Park .  The city / state / country of Singapore has a population of about 5 million in 270 square miles.  To compare size and population, New York City has about 50% more people packed into about 15% more land, but Singapore is still a pretty busy place.  Nearly one quarter of the country is nature preserve, and MacRitchie is in the central catchment area – a series of reservoirs roughly in the center of the country surrounded by primary and secondary rain forest. This photo from anther blog on Canoe Racing at MacRitchie reminded me of the day I was there. MacRitchie Park , in the middle of the city, acts as an entrance to the 1100 acre central nature preserve area.  A beautiful park, it’s built for strolling by the water, exercising on the fitness trails, fishing and just taking a break from the big city. It hosts cross county running ...

Sunday - Boxing Day - low 30's, driving wind, snow threatening - perfect day for hike (but just a short one).  Hiking with some of the Sleeping Giant crew on a small section of the Mattabesett Trail: Giuffrida Park and Chauncey Peak in Meriden. Giuffrida Park is just off Westfield Road in Meriden, with a parking lot at the south end of Crescent Lake.  The hike takes us on the white trail around the west side of the lake, then up Chauncey on the blue blazed Mattabesett Trail, back down the mountain and around to the parking lot - a 3 mile loop around the lake with views all around from the mountain peak.                                                                 Trail Map No skating yet, good thing we're just here for a hike Once around the lake, we crossed a bridge over the stream to start the climb...

Colchester CT 6.7 mile loop trail through the Salmon River State Forest and the Day Pond Brook State Park .      Trail Map                   Salmon River State Forest              Day Pond State Park The Salmon River Trail starts with a stroll across one of the last active covered bridges in Connecticut , the Comstock Bridge .  This photo is from a great site that chronicles the covered bridges in the state.  The bridge was built in the 1870’s for horse and buggy, and then pedestrian, traffic.  But here’s the state of the bridge today.  It was starting to sag and fail, and the great news is that instead of being replaced with a modern bridge, it’s being restored with much of the original material and design.  Expected completion next June.  You can catch up on the details here . 

Have you been to Sleeping Giant State Park ?  I spent a long lunch there today, but not where you'd expect. Northwest across Tuttle Avenue, the Butterworth Brook property is not developed - no trails yet - but this time of year is really worth a look... Enter along Butterworth Brook

Sunny and 60 o – an absolutely beautiful morning in Kent .  The leaves are starting to turn – reds and yellows brighten the day.           State Park Website                                     Trail Map You couldn’t script a better start to the hike today.  Sound – babbling brook in the main park picnic area, wind rustling the leaves, a hawk screeches in the distance.  Cue the wildlife – three deer bolt off into the woods as the hawk circles overhead.  And action – start east up the hill on the Blue Trail in Macedonia State Park .  This 2300 acre state park has camping spring to fall, fishing and of course, hiking – seven marked trails including the 6.7 mile blue-blazed loop. 

Route 68 to Route 66 section, Middlefield / Durham - 5.7 miles But since I hiked it out and back and around a little, make it about 12 miles. Where to hike next?  A friend from work remembered a photo she had, a view off a cliff with water in the background, somewhere around Middletown – maybe Mattabesett Mountain ?  A confirming email from her friend came back – the Mattabesett trail south of 691.  Check the Connecticut Walk Book – that sounds like the Beseck Ridge section of the trail. I parked at the Route 66 parking lot on the north side of 66, just west of the Baileyville Rd (Rt 147) intersection.  A trail leads north and then east from the lot, passing the Mattabesett sign, and the ubiquitous CFPA  warning: “STOP – PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  This section of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail traverses a portion of the Metacomet Range , a series of high traprock ridges that drop precipitously at the cliff edge.  A fall from the ridge wil...