2021 Year in Exploration

Other Years: 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025

2021 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.

Recommended Hikes of the Year

- Waramaug’s Overlook
- Finishing the Narragansett Trail
- Scantic River Powder Hollow ruins

Blog Summaries

- Newsletter exploring the history of surveying Connecticut

Hiking

[su_spoiler title=”January” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Pequot Trail
- Halls Pond
- Boston Turnpike Trail
- Nathaniel Lyon State Park
- Read Connecticut Woodlands
- Read Boundary Disputes of Connecticut[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”February” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Bigelow Hollow
- Legend Wood [/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”March” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

[su_spoiler title=”April” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Benton Homestead
- Luce Conservation Area
- Schindler/Schmidt Conservation Area
- Soapstone Mountain [/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”May” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

[su_spoiler title=”June” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Mansfield Hollow
- Halls Pond
- Bear Den
- Knowlton Hill Preserve
- Macricostas Preserve
- Steep Rock Preserve[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”July” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Talbot WMA
- Pease Brook WMA
- Bear Hill WMA
- Zemko Pond WMA
- Nehantic Trail[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”August” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Paddled the Mystic River
- Two Sister’s Preserve
- Rock Spring
- Narragansett Trail: Green Fall Pond
- Hoffman Evergreen Preserve
- Whitney Forest
- Spiderweed Preserve
- Scovill Loop Trails[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”September” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Paddled Bigelow Hollow
- Moss Sanctuary
- Old Furnace State Park [/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”October” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- All hikes outside CT[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”November” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Hyde Park
- Boothroyd Preserve
- Crystal Peat Conservation Area[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”December” open=”no” style=”fancy”]

- Lombardi Ridge Preserve and Bobcat Woods[/su_spoiler]

Boating/Fishing

- Bigelow Hollow
- Mystic River

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Hi, I’m Matt.

I’m building ExploreCT to be the guide for all your outdoor adventures. All the trails, views, and waterways this great state has to offer.

Now get out and explore!