Connecticut's Outdoors, a Welcome Escape During the Pandemic Lockdown

Mt. Tom w/ Connecticut River,
by Richard Nowak

Walking, hiking and running are the few remaining safe, healthy and mentally recharging activities during this unusual period of pandemic. While many of Connecticut’s parks and beaches have been closed, hidden treasures of natural beauty are nearby, offering safe accessible escapes. Short adventures, lasting a few hours or a whole day, can be quickly reached from most parts of Connecticut. An outdoor trip permits responsible social distancing, and the opportunity to get much needed exercise and leave the confinement of the four walls of home.

Castle Craig, Meriden, CT

Connecticut has more than 130 State Parks and Forests with endless miles for a walk, run, or a quiet spot to just sit and relax. While the State Parks along the shoreline are familiar to many of us, most of Connecticut’s parks are located inland. The Connecticut State Park network was thoughtfully planned more than 100 years ago to preserve unique places of natural beauty and provide an escape deep into the woods without traveling too far. State Parks are located in every county of Connecticut, with the most land in rural but nearby Litchfield and Middlesex Counties. What Connecticut’s State Parks lack for scale and remoteness is made up by accessibility.

Water and hills are everywhere in Connecticut and beautifully visible from the Parks. While highways have smoothed out Connecticut’s contours, a trip to Castle Craig in Meriden, or the Ragged Mountain Preserve in Berlin, both just off of I-91, will give you a new appreciation for the State’s rugged landscape. Castles were a popular feature for the State’s original parklands.

In addition to Castle Craig, castles and carrons top Bear Mountain and Mt Tom, in Litchfield County. The Heublein Tower, in Farmington, and Gillette Castle, high above the Connecticut River are well preserved rocky monuments from a different era; accents on the state’s picturesque hill tops.

Gillette Castle, East Haddam, CT

Connecticut also has one of the longest and most extensive networks of hiking trails in the Northeast. The 825 miles Blue-Blazed Trails lace through many of the State’s Parks and is one of the best and most accessible ways to explore Connecticut’s heart and soul. Established in 1895 by the non-profit Connecticut Forest and Park Association, Blue Trails traverse ridgelines, pass through dense unspoiled forests, dramatic glacial rock outcroppings, and cross secluded woodland waterfalls. The popularity of the trails vary, but most are under-used and under-discovered.

Two of most dramatic of the Blue Blazed trails are the Mohawk Trail in Litchfield County and the Metacomet/Metabeset trails paralleling the length of the Connecticut river.

The Mohawk trail, which starts in Cornwall and ends in Falls Village, Connecticut is the original route of a 24 mile section of the Appalachian Trail, built in the 1930s with the help of the Federally sponsored Civilian Conservation Corp. Views of the Litchfield Hills from the trail will give you new appreciation for Connecticut’s beauty. The Mohawk Trail is lightly travelled, and offers many up and back routes for the day hiker or longer trip for the overnight backpacker.

Ragged Hills, Berlin, CT

The Metacomet and Metabeset trails form the Connecticut section of the New England Trail (NET), following the western ridgelines along the Connecticut river, stretching from Guilford on the Long Island Sound north to Vermont. The trails were combined and recognized as a National Scenic Trail in 2009, part of the National Trails System, which includes the more famous Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. Hikes range from easy day hikes to truly challenging scrambles up and down Connecticut’s sheer trap rock ledges.

The NET and Mohawk trails are just two of dozens of Blue blazed trails. Consult the Connecticut Forest and Park Association website for parking areas, trail maps and travel lengths. The hiking website AllTrails and GaiaGPS are excellent guides for popular hikes often with up to date trail conditions. Chances are you won’t have to go far to discover a memorable walk through the unspoiled Connecticut woodlands.

New England Trail Marker

The pandemic will continue to create great hardships for many, but it also allows us to appreciate and enjoy things that we have, but don’t appreciate. Connecticut has great natural beauty, but a place we often rush away from or take for granted, as we drive to the airport or out of state rushing to go somewhere new.

A short distance from your home in Connecticut you can discover beautiful and surprisingly remote places for a quiet walk in the woods, providing time for escape, reflection, and a sense of peace in a tumultuous world. I hope you are able to safely get outside and experience Connecticut’s State Park’s and the Blue Blaze trails. You will not be disappointed for the short drive invested.