"Peace and Tranquility" Simsbury River Walk, Simsbury November 2024 This website became an adult a few months ago in September 2024. That's right, 18 years of CTMQ. You'd think the impetuousness and stupidity of its middle and high school years would be behind it, but no. Stupid things still happen here. Like, … [Read more...]
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
Wabbaquasset Trail
Putting Stock in These Woods CFPA's Wabbaquasset Trail, Woodstock November 2024 As I write this, I think this is still CFPA's newest trail. It was christened in June of 2022. I could joke that CFPA must be running out of places, since this trail is literally located at the end of a dead-end gravel road just shy of … [Read more...]
The Fifty-Acre Wood
Winnie the Poo The Fifty-Acre Wood, Woodstock November 2024 After driving through northern Woodstock along Redhead Hill Road, then English Neighborhood Road, you come to Pond Factory Road. You immediately think, "boy, I'm taking this skinny gravel road to Massachusetts, there can't be much up this … [Read more...]
Still Brook Open Space
Still There, Still Hikeable, Still Brook Still Brook Open Space, Simsbury November 2024 I've lived in West Hartford since 2001 and in that time, I've seen my town sell every available acre to developers. At the same time, I've seen nearby Simsbury spend town money on protecting open space and woodlands from … [Read more...]
Tree House Farm Trails
Go Climb a Tree Tree House Farm Trails, Woodstock November 2024 No one is coming here to hike. Heck, no one is coming here to drink or purchase and then accidentally hiking. And that's fine, because the "hiking" here isn't so much hiking but just strolling down farm roads through the plantings at the Woodstock … [Read more...]
Nipmuck Woods
Nipping up to Stafford to Tuck in the Woods Northern Connecticut Land Trust's Nipmuck Woods, Stafford November 2024 Here's a good example of the challenge of what I do with CTMQ. Although, in fairness, I do this to myself. I "completed" Stafford in 2017. It felt good. Granted, Stafford isn't exactly a bustling … [Read more...]
Dividend Pond
A Trail Divided Dividend Pond Trails, Rocky Hill December 2023 The official name of this place is Dividend Pond State Archaeological Preserve. There's a pretty nice waterfall, several decent trails, and a mildly fascinating geologic wonder. Man, Rocky Hill with its geologic wonders... here, Dinosaur State Park, … [Read more...]
New Hartford Land Trust Trails
New Hartford Land Trust Trails When I started this website in 2006, it was just about museums. A couple years later, I added CFPA trails. And several years later I decided to tackle land trust (and other) trails. From 2006 until 2022 or so, there were no New Hartford Land Trust trails. Which is crazy, since New … [Read more...]
Border Woods
Bordering on Madness New Roxbury Land Trust's Border Woods, Woodstock November 2024 None of the New Roxbury Land Trust properties are officially trailed. The last time I experienced a New Roxbury Land Trust property, I wrote: Look, I hear you. When did I start writing about untrailed and admittedly … [Read more...]
Bob White Farm (Private)
Bob and Weave, Bob and Weave Northern Connecticut Land Trust's Bob White Farm, Stafford November 2024 I don't think you're supposed to hike here. It's tough, man. It's tough being a Connecticut completist and seeing a trailed and mapped property almost surrounded by trailed and mapped properties - and … [Read more...]