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 > Hiking Challenges with Rewards

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

TSTL’16.14: Bluff Point State Park

January 16, 2017 by Steve 1 Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #14 Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve, Groton October 30, 2016 Here we are... at the end of the long and winding road that the 2016 DEEP Sky’s the Limit Challenge presented us. With hikes in New Fairfield, Greenwich, Thompson, and now Groton, we’d covered the … [Read more...]

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

TSTL’16.12: Airline State Park Tri-Point

January 5, 2017 by Steve 1 Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #12 Air Line State Park Trail (CTMARI Tri-point), Thompson October 16, 2016 Every so often I have one of those proud dad experiences out in the woods with my boys that affect me in ways I couldn’t have foreseen. These have almost exclusively been hikes during which … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: air line state park, Calvin, CT-MA-RI Tri-Point, Damian, Geographic Extremes, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Sky's the Limit Challenge, Thompson

Mianus River State Park

December 18, 2016 by Steve 1 Comment

You Bet Your Butt This Place is Great Mianus River State Park, Stamford & Greenwich October 2, 2016 This page only describes the trails at the state park, which were hiked for 2016 Sky's the Limit DEEP challenge. Mianus River Park is an attached town park that also straddles Stamford and Greenwich. Longtime … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, Greenwich, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Mianus River State Park, Plants, Sky's the Limit Challenge, Stamford

TSTL’16.9: Squantz Pond State Park

October 26, 2016 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #9 Pootatuck State Forest/Squantz Pond State Park, New Fairfield August 30, 2016 I know the title here is Squantz Pond, but 99% of this hike was not in the state park but rather in the Pootatuck State Forest. “Squantz.” Go ahead. Say that word a few times in your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, Great Views, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, new fairfield, pootatuck state forest, Sky's the Limit Challenge, Squantz Pond state park

TSTL’16.8: Windsor Locks Canal Trail State Park

October 24, 2016 by Steve 1 Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #8 Windsor Locks Canal Trail State Park, Suffield/Windsor Locks July 2016 This section, notably the southernmost bit and parking area, has been cleaned up and is much nicer than the apocalyptic wasteland described below. Of all the Sky’s the Limit Challenge hikes we’ve … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Calvin, Canals and Dams, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Sky's the Limit Challenge, Suffield, Windsor Locks, Windsor Locks Canal Trail State Park

TSTL’16.7: James L. Goodwin Forest

October 3, 2016 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #7 James L. Goodwin Forest, Hampton June 26, 2016 Nobody ever thinks about Hampton, Connecticut. Your mind is probably drifting away from the thought of Hampton right now. Stop doing that – focus! Sometimes you’ll see Hampton mentioned in geo-oddity blurbs because … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFPA Hikes, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites Tagged With: Blue Trails Challenge, Calvin, Damian, Hampton, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, James L. Goodwin State Forest, Sky's the Limit Challenge, video

TSTL’16.5: Mansfield Hollow State Park

March 20, 2016 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #5 Mansfield Hollow State Park, Mansfield March 19, 2016 After last week's more-difficult-than-usual hike over in Barkhamsted, I sought out an easier one for us this time around. To keep the boys engaged, I wanted a relatively short and flat Sky's the Limit … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Hiking Challenges, New Post, State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites, US Army Corps of Engineers Trails Tagged With: Calvin, Canals and Dams, Damian, Hikes with my Boys, Hiking Challenges with Rewards, Mansfield, mansfield hollow state park, Sky's the Limit Challenge

American Legion State Forest Trails

March 14, 2016 by Steve 2 Comments

Buck Up, Turkeys American Legion State Forest Trails, Barkhamsted March 2016 & September 2007 The American Legion Forest is a smallish swath of state land west of the beautiful Barkhamsted Reservoir out near aptly named Pleasant Valley and Riverton sections of Barkhamsted. The West Branch of the Farmington … [Read more...]

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

TSTL’16.2: Collis P. Huntington State Park

February 28, 2016 by Steve 2 Comments

The Sky's the Limit 2016 Hiking Challenge #2 Collis P. Huntington State Park, Redding, Bethel, Newtown February 27, 2016 Most The Sky's the Limit Challenge points allow those seeking them a few different trail choices in obtaining them. For instance, if I was doing this thing myself, I'd be fully exploring the … [Read more...]

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

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram
  • RSS

Press & Media Inquiries

Latest Museum Visits

The heart of CTMQ

Totally Random Post!

Holy Cow Ice Cream Shop

Sponsored Links

Recent Comments

  • Roberta on Camp Aya-Po
  • Emma on East Hartford Nature Park
  • Donna McNally on Nipmuck Trail: Section 3
  • Henry S on URR Trail: Middlefield
  • Mr.Z on Black Hog Brewing Company
Disclaimer
Mission Statement
Copyright © 2025 - CTMQ