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CTMQ > Hikes, Bikes & Paddles

Read this first

State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites
State Highpointing Intro
Why State Highpointing?
Land Trust Trails
Connecticut Hiking Challenges & Rewards
CFPA Trails & The Blue Trails Challenge
Town Owned Trails
Peakbagging Tallies
Highpointing and Peak-Bagging Intro

Spring Park

September 22, 2022 by Steve 3 Comments

Boing-Boing! Spring Park, Windsor Locks September 2022 There I was, smugly proud of myself for "completing" the town of Windsor Locks. All museums and places of interest and trails done and written up. After telling the world, I was almost immediately reminded why I try to always put "completed" in quotation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Windsor Locks

Ethel Walker Woods and Town Forest

September 20, 2022 by Steve Leave a Comment

We Can All Be Ethel Walkers Ethel Walker Woods and Town Forest, Simsbury September 2022 This is a weird one for me. I took the boys here several years ago and only have vague recollections of what happened. We didn't get too far, but I don't know if that was because of Damian, Calvin, me, or a combination thereof. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, ethel walker school, Simsbury

John and Madeline McClean Outdoor Education Preserve

September 7, 2022 by Steve Leave a Comment

New Trail and It's Grape! John and Madeline McClean Outdoor Education Preserve, Suffield August 2022 The Suffield Land Conservancy seems to have a penchant for long preserve naming conventions. Their newest trailed property (in 2022) follows the pattern. Whereas most organizations would call this the McClean … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, New Post Tagged With: Suffield, suffield land conservancy

Bigelow Hollow State Park (West)

July 6, 2022 by Steve 1 Comment

Big and Low Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union November 2020 & June 2022 Bigelow Hollow is geographically a little weird. The state park itself is pretty small, but pretty much everyone who goes up to Union to enjoy the trails and lakes assumes it's just "the whole thing." It's not. "The whole thing" is mostly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: bigelow hollow state park, Calvin, nipmuck state forest, Union

Nipmuck Trail: Section 4

June 28, 2022 by Steve 1 Comment

Section 4: The State of the Union Barlow Mill Road to MA State Line, ~7.5 Miles November 2020 & June 2022 This is a fairly rugged seven or so miles, but the kicker is that no matter who you are or how you hike it, you must hike several more miles to get back to a car. I suppose you could have a kayak left at the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: bigelow hollow state park, Blue Trails Challenge, Eastford, nipmuck state forest, Nipmuck Trail, Union, yale myers forest

Great Falls

June 14, 2022 by Steve 1 Comment

Sometimes Great Great Falls, Canaan/Salisbury February 2017 At some point someone dubbed Great Falls - also known as Canaan Falls - "The Niagara Falls of New England." In 2015 or so, the go-to New England waterfall resource first said, "If you are unable to make it to Niagara Falls in New York this summer, this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Appalachian Trail, Calvin, Canaan, Canals and Dams, Damian, Salisbury, Waterfalls

Mortensen Sanctuary at Riverbound Farm

June 7, 2022 by Steve 2 Comments

Horse Chestnutting Around Mortensen Sanctuary at Riverbound Farm, Cheshire September 2016 For our visit to the adjacent nature center, go here. I'm writing up these trails six or so years after walking them with Damian. I'm starting it while listening in to his annual PPT meeting. (The Planning and Placement … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, New Post Tagged With: audubon, Cheshire, cheshire land trust, Damian

Pistol Creek

May 18, 2022 by Steve 1 Comment

A Bang-Bang Hike Pistol Creek Berlin & Middletown Way back in the day, I worked for Aetna in Middletown. Very near there, on the border with Berlin, up sprang the Pistol Creek golf course in 2001. I'm not a golfer, nor will I ever be, but I do recall people being fairly impressed with the course. It looked nice … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Berlin, Middletown

Water Works Brook

April 26, 2022 by Steve 3 Comments

Cue the Waterworks Water Works Brook, Windsor Locks April 2022 I'm going to provide all of you - yes, you people that feel the urge to go for a walk at Water Works Brook - a huge service. When you go to look up where this place is, every map and resource will point you to the wrong place. Different wrong places … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Windsor Locks

Hamilton Park

April 21, 2022 by Steve Leave a Comment

Hub of Waterbury Hamilton Park, Waterbury There is a lot of history at Hamilton Park in Waterbury. History I'm not going to get too deep into at all. It's just an old town park. It doesn't really rise to the level necessary to get the full CTMQ treatment. And you won't believe this, but it also doesn't even … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Superlatives, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Firsts Onlies and Oldests, Waterbury

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