2021

2021 Year in Exploration

Other Years: 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 20192020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Stats

  • 65 locations explored
  • 156,419 views to the site
  • 1285 hours of my movies watched on YouTube
  • 3 TV interviews for WFSB
  • 1 podcast on Backyard Road Trips
  • Several hundred pages delisted from Google Search and a few hundred brought back

The story of ExploreCT’s 2021 falls into two halves.  The first half was firing on all cylinders exploring new places, updating the site, writing newsletters, making movies, and befriending new people.  The second half saw the site be delisted by Google for not loading fast enough according to their updated ‘Core Web Vitals’ and a resulting massive drop in traffic.  It was technical to fix and I don’t think fully resolved but Google’s algorithms have made connections back to my site.

[expand title=”Hikes by Month    |expand|” tag=”h3″]

January

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March

April

May

June

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August

September

October

  • All hikes outside CT

November

December

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Mystic River

★★★☆☆

550 River Rd, Mystic, CT 06355, USA

Mystic River Connecticut State Boat Launch in Groton and Stonington, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 550 River Rd, Mystic, CT Trail Map     Trails: 3 miles…

Willimantic Whitewater Park

★☆☆☆☆

28 Bridge St, Willimantic, CT, USA

Willimantic Whitewater Park Willimantic Town Park 1 acre in Windham, CT Parking: Small lot near 28 Bridge St, Willimantic, CT Trail Map         Trails: No…

Quaddick State Forest

★★☆☆☆

519-461 Quaddick Town Farm Rd, Thompson, CT 06277, USA

Quaddick State Forest Connecticut State Forest 1,109 acres in Thompson, CT Parking: Shoulder parking along 519-461 Quaddick Town Farm Rd, Thompson, CT Shoulder parking near 26 Wakefield…

Bear Hill

★★☆☆☆

41.532457, -72.59797

Mattabesett: Bear Hill & Kätchen Coley Mountain Laurel Preserve CFPA Blue Blaze Trail and Middletown Town Park 100 acres in Middletown, CT Parking: North End: Shoulder parking… Read more…

Dinosaur Caves

★★☆☆☆

41.532688, -71.792088

Narragansett: Dinosaur Caves Connecticut State Forest and Blue Blaze Trail 200 acres in Voluntown, CT Parking: Small lot on Camp Yawgoog Rd, Rockville, RI Trail Map   …

Green Fall Pond

★★★☆☆

41.535437, -71.810033

Green Fall Pond Connecticut State Forest and Blue Blaze Trail 200 acres in Voluntown, CT Parking: Large lot near Green Fall Pond Rd, Voluntown, CT Trail Map … Read more…

Boothroyd Preserve

★★☆☆☆

48 Tolland Turnpike, Tolland, CT

Ernie Boothroyd Nature Preserve & Bellante Preserve Northern Connecticut Land Trust 94 acres in Ellington, CT Parking: East Side: Shoulder parking near 50 Tolland Turnpike, Tolland, CT…

Zemko Pond WMA

★☆☆☆☆

41.497541, -72.258677

Zemko Pond Wildlife Management Area Connecticut WMA 464 acres in Salem, CT Parking: Small lot near 220 Round Hill Road, Salem, CT Trail Map      Trails:…

Bear Hill WMA

★★☆☆☆

Bear Hill Rd, Bozrah, CT 06334, USA

Bear Hill Wildlife Management Area Connecticut WMA 365 acres in Bozrah, CT Parking: Small lot at the end of Bear Hill Rd, Bozrah, CT Hunting Map   …

Pease Brook WMA

★☆☆☆☆

103-213 Horiska Rd, Lebanon, CT, USA

Pease Brook Wildlife Management Area Connecticut WMA 213 acres in Lebanon, Franklin, and Bozrah, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 103-213 Horiska Rd, Lebanon, CT Hunting Map … Read more…