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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

Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge and Bird Sanctuary

January 4, 2022 by Steve Leave a Comment

Purple Martins Majesty Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge and Bird Sanctuary and Tower, Milford August 2021 As most readers know, every hike (and "hike") I feature on CTMQ isn't great. Sometimes my hiking partner is a drag, sometimes the weather is a bummer, and sometimes the hike itself isn't impressive. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audubon, Nature Conservancy, RWA, &US Army Corps of Engineers Trails, Everything Else, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Towers, Bridges, Forts, Tunnels, Roads, Canals, Dams, Fishways, Airports, & Ferries Tagged With: audubon, Audubon trails, Birds, Calvin, Hikes with my Boys, Milford, Observation Towers

Baker Trail

December 20, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Fabulous Baker Woman Noel Baker Trail, Canton Land Conservation Trust, Canton November 2021 This is a Canton Land Conservation Trust property. Oh Canton Land Conservation Trust, how you play games with me. I "completed" Canton and one week later, you open a new trail at the Swibold Preserve. I rushed out to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, New Post Tagged With: Canton, Canton Land Conservation Trust

Osbornedale State Park

December 17, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Osbornedale State Park Derby & Ansonia It's kind of amazing that a 350-acre state park even exists (almost entirely) within the teeny tiny city of Derby. The land was once the lushly forested hunting grounds of the Paugussett Indians of course, but its preservation as public land is directly tied to the two … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: derby, osbornedale state park

RWA: Lake Gaillard

December 17, 2021 by Steve 7 Comments

Commune With Nature Lake Gaillard, North Branford December 2021 All Regional Water Authority (RWA) properties require a purchased permit to access and this particular one is not open to the public at all. Also, Gaillard is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audubon, Nature Conservancy, RWA, &US Army Corps of Engineers Trails, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post Tagged With: Calvin, Christmas, Hoang, North Branford, privately owned trail, RWA Trails

James L. Goodwin State Forest Trails

December 16, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

A Good Win For All Goodwin State Forest Chaplin & Hampton Good ol' Goodwin. As you can imagine, I doubly enjoy our state forests with a good trail system. And I triply enjoy those with a good trail system and a museum. There are more than you realize, trust me. In fact, as I type this sentence I'm going through my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: chaplin, Hampton, James L. Goodwin State Forest, Natchaug State Forest

Lamentation Mountain State Park

December 14, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

Lamentation Mountain State Park Berlin & Meriden A wildfire in October 2024 burned up a lot of this place. I've seen this small, unremarkable state park also referred to as a "state park scenic reserve." Because Connecticut doesn't like to make anything easy. Lamentation Mountain itself includes a long ridge … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Berlin, lamentation mountain state park, Meriden

4 Short Manchester Land Conservation Trust Trails

December 14, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

Easy as 1, 2, 3...4 Three Four Manchester Land Conservation Trust Trails Novembers 2021 & 2025 These are Manchester Land Conservation Trust properties. I have written many times over the years that if an organization goes through the effort of clearing, naming, mapping, and sharing information about a trail, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, New Post Tagged With: Manchester, manchester land conservation trust

RWA: Amity Road to Dillon Road

December 6, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Amityville Horror Amity Road to Dillon Road, Woodbridge January 2021 All Regional Water Authority (RWA) properties require a purchased permit to access. And please obey all posted trail closure signs. I have enjoyed my South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority Trails. The maps are excellent, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audubon, Nature Conservancy, RWA, &US Army Corps of Engineers Trails, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post Tagged With: privately owned trail, RWA Trails, Woodbridge

Enders State Forest Intro

December 2, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Enders State Forest Barkhamsted & Granby Enders is known primarily for its eponymous waterfall - one of the state's best for sure. Viewing the falls has been made much safer with the installation of stairs, but I'm sure people will still find a way to hurt themselves here. Enders became a state forest in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Barkhamsted, enders state forest, Granby

Natchaug SF: Chaplin, Eastford, & Hampton Block Trails

December 1, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

CCC I Told You So Natchaug State Forest Trails, Eastford, Chaplin, & Hampton October 2021 The Natchaug has been a state forest for over 100 years. That's pretty cool. Who knows... if not for that designation, the towns of Eastford and Ashford and Hampton and Chaplin and Pomfret may be bustling megacities by now. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Blue Trails Challenge, chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Natchaug State Forest

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