CTMQ

Destroying the myth that there is nothing to do here

green mountain modern house
  • CTMQ’s Town Guides
    • Town Completion Celebrations
  • Museums
    • Museum Visits
  • Hikes, Bikes, & Paddles
    • CFPA Trails & Blue Trails Challenge
    • State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites
    • Land Trust Trails
    • Town Trails
    • Audubon, Nature Conservancy, RWA, and US Army Corps of Engineers Trails
    • Highpointing and Peakbagging
    • Cycling, Multi-Use, & Rails-to-Trails Paths
    • Water Trails
  • Food & Drink
    • Best, Historic, & Unique Restaurants & Foods
    • Classic Diners & True Taverns
    • Homemade Ice Cream, Cheese, & Chocolate Trails
    • Breweries, Brewpubs, & Cideries
    • Wineries & Meaderies
    • Distilleries
  • Everything Else
    • National Designations
    • Firsts, Onlies, Oldests, Largests, Longests, Mosts, Smallests, & Bests
    • Geography
    • Animals, Farms, Gardens, Plants, Trees, Rocks, Waterfalls, & Caves
    • Sports, Thrills, Cruises, Trains, Fairs, Parades, & Events
    • Houses, Communities, Urban Legends, Lighthouses, Libraries, Schools, Businesses, & Theaters
    • Towers, Bridges, Forts, Tunnels, Roads, Canals, Dams, Fishways, Airports, & Ferries
    • Religion, Remembrances, Statuary, & Outdoor Art
    • Cultural, Heritage, & Historic Trails
    • CT Books, Movies, People, & Stories
  • Non-CT
    • Travel & Vacations
    • World Soccer Stadium Tour
    • Highpointing & Peakbagging
    • Books & Reading Challenges
    • Oscar Movies Project
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Family
    • Smith-Magenis Syndrome
    • Press
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

George Waldo State Park

January 24, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

Where’s Waldo State Park It’s in Southbury, CT January 14, 2012 Another one of Connecticut’s “undeveloped” state parks, I stopped by here after a longer hike down along the Pomperaug Trail and some time watching bald eagles at Shepaug Dam. The park is easy to find, but alas, there’s not much to do. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Southbury

Orenaug Park & Fire Tower

January 22, 2012 by Steve 5 Comments

A Town Named Woodbury Needs a Good Fire Tower Orenaug Park Fire Tower January 7, 2012 Steel Tower (80 feet) on a 540 foot hilltop It's not often one can take their little kid on a hike in early January in Connecticut. Well, I suppose I should say back when I was a kid, this would never happen. But since we get … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Towers, Bridges, Forts, Tunnels, Roads, Canals, Dams, Fishways, Airports, & Ferries, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Damian, Great Views, Hikes with my Boys, Observation Towers, Woodbury

Orenaug Park Stone Pillars

January 19, 2012 by Steve 1 Comment

A Pillar of the Pillar World Orenaug Park, Woodbury January 7, 2012 To me, my title says it all. Oh sure, we have bigger stone pillars and more important pillars of our communities and rather handsome caterpillars in our state. But these pillars shall never be pilloried! For these are awesome pillars. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Religion, Cemeteries, Monuments, Statuary, Greens, & Outdoor Sculpture & Art, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Cool Rocks, Woodbury

Garvin & Maher Trails at Hunter’s Run

January 17, 2012 by Steve 2 Comments

Garvin and Maher Trail Loops Avon Land Trust January 2012 The baby was napping and Damian was contentedly watching a movie. The household chores were done and there was maybe an hour of sunlight left in the early winter day. What to do, what to do? I knew exactly what to do – I’d been thinking about it in my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes Tagged With: Avon, Avon Land Trust, Cool Rocks

Hazen Park & Skyline Trails

January 14, 2012 by Steve 1 Comment

Secret Hazen Ritual Hazen Park & Skyline Trails, Avon Land Trust (Avon) January 2011 Hazen Park is Town of Avon property. The Hazen Trail Extension and the Skyline Trail are on Avon Land Trust land. Now you know. The Skyline Trail had been on my to-do list for a couple years. I'd heard from a hiking friend that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Avon, Avon Land Trust, Great Views, Talcott Mountain State Park

182. Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate

December 15, 2011 by Steve Leave a Comment

It’s a Lovely Building, For What That’s WadsWorth Middletown (Google Maps location) August 4, 2010 My visit to this place came at the end of a full day of traveling around central Connecticut for CTMQ. I had some food stops and a bunch of National Historic Landmark stops down in New Haven, but looking back upon … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Museums, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Appointment Only, Free Museums, Historic Houses, Middletown, Not Really a Museum Museum

Avon Land Trust Trails

October 27, 2011 by Steve 2 Comments

Avon Land Trust Trails Here at CTMQ HQ, it’s not all about the CFPA Blue Trails. Oh no. I quickly came to learn that there are many other very worthy areas in which to hike when I stumbled on some Simsbury Land Trust trails years ago. They were excellent; very well marked and maintained and with great views and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes Tagged With: Avon, Avon Land Trust

SRA: Macricostas Preserve

October 23, 2011 by Steve 5 Comments

Micro-hike, Macro-Experience Steep Rock Association's Macricostas Preserve, about 6.5 miles total June 2011 & January 2013 Being somewhat of a CFPA Trail snob, I didn’t think much of the Steep Rock preserves before stepping foot in one. I knew Washington was a lovely town in a lovely part of Litchfield County, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes Tagged With: Great Views, Steep Rock Association, Steep Rock Hiker's Challenge, Washington

Metacomet Trail: Section 11

October 22, 2011 by Steve 5 Comments

Section 11: You Can't Pen These Woods Penwood State Park to Farmington River, 6.2 miles, Simsbury & Bloomfield October 2011 2019 Update: This section was written up in 2011, shortly before I started converting everything to a larger format, so please forgive the tiny pictures. If you want to start at the beginning … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, National "Stuff", State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Bloomfield, Blue Trails Challenge, Damian, Great Views, Hoang, Metacomet Trail, National Scenic Trails, New England National Scenic Trail, penwood state park, Simsbury

Nonnewaug Falls Open Space

October 13, 2011 by Steve 4 Comments

Damian, I'll Have Nonne Of It Nonnewaug Falls Open Space & Nonnewaug Falls Woodbury The Internet is a wonderful thing. Without it, my own experiences would just not be as rich and informational as they are here on CTMQ. But I also find great joy in learning about stuff around the state from old school pamphlets I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Another Freaking Jumping Indian, Bethlehem, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Justin Coleman Photography, Waterfalls, Woodbury

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • …
  • 110
  • Next Page »
  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram
  • RSS

Press & Media Inquiries

Latest Museum Visits

The heart of CTMQ

Totally Random Post!

CTMQ’s Guide to Waterbury

Sponsored Links

Recent Comments

  • Henry Suski on Soapstone Mountain Tower
  • Henry Suski on Butler-McCook House and Garden
  • Henry S on EdHill
  • Henry S on CTMQ’s Guide to Scotland
  • Henry S on 440. Huntington Homestead Museum
Disclaimer
Mission Statement
Copyright © 2025 - CTMQ