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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

General Nathaniel Lyon Memorial State Park

April 11, 2017 by Steve 3 Comments

I Ain't Lyon General Nathaniel Lyon Memorial State Park, Eastford This was originally visited and written up as part of The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge. Eh, what the heck. If we were going to go all-in on the coldest day of Winter 2016-17 with a hike up in Union, we might as well pick up aother TSTL … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, Religion, Cemeteries, Monuments, Statuary, Greens, & Outdoor Sculpture & Art, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, Eastford, Firsts Onlies and Oldests, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Military History, Natchaug State Forest, natchaug trail, nathaniel Lyon Memorial State Park, Sky's the Limit Challenge

TSTL’17.5: Bigelow Hollow State Park

April 10, 2017 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge #5 Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union March 4, 2017 Quick! Who remembers March 4, 2017 in northern Connecticut? It was that Saturday? In early March? With all the wind? Yeah, it was that freezing cold day with temperatures in the low-teens but a howling and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: bigelow hollow state park, Calvin, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Sky's the Limit Challenge, Union

TSTL’17.4: Topsmead State Forest

April 2, 2017 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge #4 Topsmead State Forest, Litchfield February 2017 Something has occurred to me. Since this year's 14 TSTL Challenge points are almost all very short/easy walks (with much longer excursions encouraged, of course), perhaps I'm subconsciously making them more challenging by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Litchfield, Sky's the Limit Challenge, topsmead state forest

TSTL’17.3: Beckley Furnace Industrial Monument

March 28, 2017 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge #3 Beckley Furnace Industrial Monument, North Canaan February 26, 2017 Another cold Connecticut winter’s day... What to do, what to do... Oh, I know! Bundle up the boys, toss them into the car, and point the car west to pick up a couple more 2017 Sky’s the Limit Challenge … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Museums, New Post Tagged With: beckley furnace, Calvin, Damian, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Industrial History, North Canaan, Other state owned trail, Sky's the Limit Challenge

Largest Cairn in Connecticut

March 27, 2017 by Steve 1 Comment

You Don't, But I Cairn About This Stuff The Largest Cairn in Connecticut (?) January 2017 I just wrote about being surprised in the Manchester woods by a nice little covered bridge at the Oak Grove Nature Center. And I was surprised! But that surprise pales in comparison to the jaw-dropping surprise I felt when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Cool Rocks, Dubious Claims, Manchester

Oak Grove Nature Center

March 26, 2017 by Steve Leave a Comment

There's a Hemlock and a Cedar Grove Too Oak Grove Nature Center, Manchester January 2017 As I work my way through the trails of Manchester, I continue to be surprised by how enjoyable almost all of them are. This isn’t a knock on Manchester at all, but rather a comment on the fact that there are dozens of trails … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Calvin, Hikes with my Boys, Manchester, Nature Centers

TSTL’17.2: Bolton Notch Tunnel

March 19, 2017 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge #2 Bolton Notch State Park, Bolton February 19, 2017 They added lights in 2025! (picture at bottom). We were so emboldened by yesterday's 2017 TSTL kick-off hike that we decided to do another one the very next day. I drove the boys up to Bolton Notch State Park; a place … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Bolton, bolton notch state park, Calvin, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Hop river state park trail, Roads and Tunnels, Sky's the Limit Challenge

CFPA Trails & The Blue Trails Challenge

March 13, 2017 by Steve 1 Comment

Connecticut Forest & Parks Association Trails 2006 - Skip Intro and Jump down to Trail List There are nearly 1,000 miles of CFPA hiking trails in many different towns in little ol' Connecticut. This list follows the organization's Blue Trails Challenge List and their published Walk Books. The CFPA is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles Tagged With: Blue Trails Challenge

Hockanum River Trail 13: Hackett

February 23, 2017 by Steve 1 Comment

Softball Hike Hockanum River Trails: Hackett, Manchester .75 miles, November 2016 If you are reading my thru-hike of the Hockanum River Trail in order (generally south to north), you have already read the Hilliard Trail page. If you haven't, it's a fun one and you should. I'll wait. Better yet, start at the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, New Post Tagged With: Damian, Hikes with my Boys, hockanum river trail, hockanum river watershed association, Manchester

TSTL’17.1: Stratton Brook State Park

February 20, 2017 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge #1 Stratton Brook State Park, Simsbury February 2017 Saturday, February 18th, 11:41 AM. The thought dawns on me that the CT DEEP should have just released the 2017 Sky's the Limit Challenge. Google. Click. There it is! Scan list. Scratch head. Scan again, this time … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Simsbury, Sky's the Limit Challenge, stratton brook state park

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