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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

Shenipsit Afterword

August 12, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

6 Section Hikes, 4 Regional Hikes Began: 11/24/2007 (Case Mountain Trails) Finished: 12/23/2016* *I completed the Shenipsit in 2010... but then they extended it at some point and I had to go back up to Stafford to complete it again. I have no idea how long the Shenipsit really is. Everything I read says … [Read more...]

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

Shenipsit Trail: Section 5

August 12, 2010 by Steve 1 Comment

Section 5: ShenipThat'sIt!* Ellington/Somers/Stafford ~ 8 miles May 2010 *The title implies that this section completed the Shenipsit. That later became inaccurate, for as you'll read, the northern end was extended. This just didn’t seem right. A hike on the Shenipsit – my final one – with good weather! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles Tagged With: Blue Trails Challenge, Ellington, Great Views, Observation Towers, shenipsit state forest, Shenipsit Trail, Somers, Stafford

Art Trail Viewpoint: Sherwood Island

July 29, 2010 by Steve Leave a Comment

Sherwood Island Viewpoint CT Art Trail Viewpoint Sherwood Island State Park, Westport, July 2010 I drove the family all the way to Sherwood Island beach in Westport for three reasons: 1) It’s a nice enough beach, 2) It has a nature center and 3) it’s part of the Impressionist Art Trail Viewpoint Addendum Trail … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultural, Heritage, & Historic Trails, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Art, Art Trail Viewpoints, Connecticut Art Trail, Sherwood Island State Park, Westport

Mount Tom State Park

July 19, 2010 by Steve 1 Comment

Mt. Tom State Park Litchfield, Morris, Washington July 3, 2010 This is perhaps the easiest state park write-up in the state. Why? Because it’s small and there are two activities here. I did both on a sunny Saturday in July while Hoang and Damian stuck to the one they most enjoy: hitting the beach. As a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Beach, Damian, Hoang, Litchfield, Morris, Mt Tom State Park, Swimming, Washington

Day Pond State Park

July 17, 2010 by Steve 2 Comments

Day Pond State Park Colchester There are hiking trails at Day Pond, but the park is very small and those trails almost all head off into the Salmon River State Forest, which is where you'll find my descriptions of them. Who spends the Fourth of July at some podunk little pond in the podunk town of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Beach, Colchester, Damian, Day Pond State Park, Hoang, salmon river state forest, Swimming

State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites

July 17, 2010 by Steve 2 Comments

Stately List State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, Natural Area Preserves, Wildlife Management & Field Trial Areas, & Campsites This page was a huge mess for CTMQ’s first 10 years. Connecticut makes such a simple sounding list incredibly difficult to organize for a bunch of reasons that you don’t care about. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites

Shenipsit Trail: Section 4

June 10, 2010 by Steve 6 Comments

Section 4: SHHhhhhhhenipsit Vernon, Tolland, Ellington ~ 6 miles May 13, 2010 Ahhh, such a clever title. For this is the secret section of what has become quite the oddball trail. I’ve come to learn why the Shenipsit isn’t included in the conversation with CFPA’s “big” trails (Metacomet, Mattabesett, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles Tagged With: Blue Trails Challenge, Ellington, Shenipsit Trail, Tolland, UConn, Vernon

141. Topsmead

May 5, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

Totally Tops Litchfield (Google Maps location) October 10, 2009 I used to maintain a personalized list on CTMQ called "Hidden Gems." After a while, however, I realized that there were just too many and defining what was hidden became impossible. So I scrapped the whole thing. If I had kept up with it, Topsmead … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Museums, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Cool Architecture, Damian, Free Museums, Hoang, Litchfield, topsmead state forest

Shenipsit Trail: Section 3

April 14, 2010 by Steve 7 Comments

Section 3: A Seriously Mixed Bag Manchester, Bolton, Vernon, ~ 12.2 miles March 14, 2010 I’m glad I had a partner for this hike – the learned Dennis Paul Himes (trailname: Cumulus) – or else I may have gone crazy. For this is one very strange stretch of the Shenipsit. Four towns, three town parks, two … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Blue Trails Challenge, Bolton, case mountain recreational area, Manchester, Shenipsit Trail, tankerhoosen wma, valley falls park, Vernon

Squaw Cave

April 10, 2010 by Steve 7 Comments

A Solution (Cave) for the Homeless Squaw Cave, Bolton April 1, 2010 Note: I enjoyed my title so much that I've decided to keep it, even though the entire premise turned out to be totally wrong. Just keep reading and you'll see at the bottom that I sorted it all out. Over the years of writing this website, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Bolton, bolton notch state park, Bushwhack, Caves & Dens, Cool Geology, Cool Rocks, Dubious Claims, Great Views

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