Al Breakyerneck Nipmuck State Forest Breakneck Pond Trails, Union & Woodstock June & October 2022 Finally. I'm finally finishing up my hikes (and write-ups) at the massive block of undeveloped land along the Massachusetts border in Union. Most people consider this whole area Bigelow Hollow State Park, but in … [Read more...]
Nipmuck State Forest: Bear Den/Paine Hill
Bearing Your Paine Nipmuck State Forest Bear Den/Paine Hill Block , Union Immabout to blow your mind. But first... wait. You're blowing my mind simply by the fact that you're on this page reading it. What brought you here? Why are you here? I regret to inform you that I don't really have much for you … [Read more...]
Cat Rocks Cave
Cat Rocks Fever Cat Rocks Cave, Union October 2022 Cat Rocks Cave isn't a real cave. There are no real caves in Union, Connecticut. In fact, there are only maybe two real caves in the whole state. So what does our little state do? We call everything that could be vaguely imagined to … [Read more...]
Bigelow Hollow State Park (West)
Big and Low Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union November 2020 & June 2022 Bigelow Hollow is geographically a little weird. The state park itself is pretty small, but pretty much everyone who goes up to Union to enjoy the trails and lakes assumes it's just "the whole thing." It's not. "The whole thing" is mostly … [Read more...]
Nipmuck Trail: Section 4
Section 4: The State of the Union Barlow Mill Road to MA State Line, ~7.5 Miles November 2020 & June 2022 This is a fairly rugged seven or so miles, but the kicker is that no matter who you are or how you hike it, you must hike several more miles to get back to a car. I suppose you could have a kayak left at the … [Read more...]
Nipmuck State Forest
Nipmuck State Forest Ashford, Stafford, Union, Willington, Woodstock I like to be thorough and almost always am, but when it comes to the Nipmuck... it's tough. It's big and it's sprawling, sure, but most importantly it contains many secrets within it. Secrets I hope to uncover over time. The Nipmuck (or … [Read more...]
Bigelow Hollow State Park
Bigelow Hollow State Park & Adjacent Nipmuck State Forest Union, Woodstock, Massachusetts Grrr. And Brrr. Grrr because in reality, Bigelow Hollow State Park is actually pretty small - containing a few loop trails, campsites, and Bigelow Pond. But no one differentiates the state park from the larger Nipmuck State … [Read more...]
Mountain Laurel Sanctuary
Peak Failage Mountain Laurel Sanctuary, Nipmuck State Forest, Union July 2018 On New Years Eve Day in 2016, I visited this place with my son Calvin. Who visits a Mountain Laurel Sanctuary in the dead of winter? We do... but we merely drove through it then to attain the all-important highest point in Windham … [Read more...]
Windham County Highpoint: Snow Hill
Snow Hill Windham County Highpoint (1,210 Feet), Ashford December 2016 When I decided to add Connecticut's county highpoints to my lists of things to do, my inner voice mumbled, "Snow Hill, huh? I should do that when it's snowing or something." Stupid inner voice. As I've written before, seeking out and … [Read more...]
Nipmuck Trail Intro
Nipmuck Trail Mansfield & Windham to Union, ~40 miles July 2010 - The CFPA's Nipmuck Trail excites me because I know parts of it are pretty much as remote as one can get in the Nutmeg State. From the two southern trailheads in Mansfield and Windham, the trail becomes one near Mansfield Hollow Dam and travels … [Read more...]