2023

2023 Year In Exploration

Previous Years: 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Hikes by Month |expand|

January

  • Moss Tract – Quick return visit after discovering it’s hidden waterfall to check out the south section trails
  • Quinebaug Trail – Thru hiked the trail on a warm January day for about 17 miles round trip overlapping with heavy dirt bike presence
  • Hidden Valley Preserve – Revisited this great property hitting all the highlights from cave to river view to overlook
  • Steep Rock Preserve – The trail to overlook was closed on my last visit so I returned for it’s fantastic view before returning once more to the tunnel
  • Giuffrida Park – Hiked the Metacomet Ridge and returned along the reservoir in the standard rugged loop
  • Westfield Falls – Quick stop on a cold windy day to check in on the falls
  • Sleeping Giant State Park – Rehiked some of my favorite trails since I didn’t visit the Giant at all in 2022

February

  • Mount Higby – Hiked this section of the Mattabesett Trail on a rainy morning and made a movie of the views
  • Lewis Farm Bird Sanctuary – There are a fair number of trails tucked in this small property, I particularly enjoyed the curved bridge over the river here
  • Will Warren’s Den– The trail was a bit of a mud pit in the spring, but the views are always worth it
  • West Mountain Property – Caught Cathles Falls and the great overlook but didn’t have time to complete the full loop here
  • Mary Edwards Mountain Property – The first view is the best view, the trails are rugged, and I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised
  • Godard Preserve – Connected down to this preserve from Mary Edwards and the trails along the brooks provide peaceful hiking
  • Sunset Rock State Park – Hiked this to discover that you’re exploring Crescent Lake and its trails and the state park property is untrailed to the north, but a great overlook from the ridge line

March

  • Mansfield Hollow – Combining different loops here, still trying to discover new things at one of my most visited state parks
  • Pigeon Swamp – Rehiked this property after a couple years on a sunny spring afternoon, trails were exactly the same as I remembered
  • Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve – Lulled by the initial trails I was drawn in by the history and love the deep woods cabin and pond view
  • Schoolhouse Brook Park – Rehiked sections on either side of the road to see that mountain bike trails have been developing over the years

April

  • Sherwood Island State Park – First visit to one of CT’s uber popular beach parks, fun to walk the beach without the crowds
  • Trout Brook Valley – I feel like I only got to explore a tiny portion of this large and varied park 
  • Kilkenny Rock – One of the few sections of the Metacomet I haven’t done before, fun hike that overlaps significantly with mountain bike trails
  • Mono Pond State Park – Stopped here for a quick hike on a breezy morning
  • Cotton Hollow Preserve – The ruins have been protected, but now the harder work of fundraising to preserve them begins
  • Holcomb Farm – Explored what I could here, but access to the majority of trails washed away with a bridge that has yet to be replaced unfortunately
  • Dewey-Granby Oak – First visit to this majestic old former champion tree
  • Katan Ensor and Old Messenger Road Preserves – This new preserve is a real gem connecting multiple parcels, but the views were all fogged in due to rainy weather
  • Shelter Falls – Last hike here was in 2018, this time I found an abandoned stretch of trail down to a small pond 
  • Sperry Falls – Got the timing just right to see these rare falls roaring after heavy rains
  • Mahoney Pond – Poking around these old woods roads to find a simple forest loop
  • Cedar Wood Preserve – Still a work in progress, but interesting trails that feel longer than their length
  • Barrett Preserve – This property felt tucked away despite being surrounded by private property, the streams and bridges were a nice surprise

May

  • Bush Hill Preserve – Did nearly a full loop of the property and stopped to explore the barn tag sale land trust fundraiser
  • Stony Brooke Park – Hiked the northern stretch of trails, some of which are pretty overgrown
  • Shafran Conservation Area – Last hike here was in 2018 and not much has changed, the cool clear streams here are perfect
  • Tower Hill Preserve – Caught this just a couple days after its grand opening to find a well crafted trail with a surprise hidden waterfall
  • Blackledge Falls – Quick hike up to the falls and then connected into the southern edge of Gay City before looping back
  • Bigelow Hollow – Hiked the western perimeter and then along the East Ridge Trail, the parking was packed but we didn’t seen another person
  • Pixie Falls – Backpacked out to see the well-crafted fairy house above the falls and did an overnight at the nearby backpacking site

June

  • Thru-hike of the Shenipsit Trail – Hiked all 50.2 miles over two days during peak mountain laurel bloom
  • Peterson Park – The start of the Mattatuck Trail here is perfect riverside trail
  • Allanach-Wolf Woodlands – Finally revisited one of my old favorites to find trails have been officially extended and connect to Wolf Den Land Trust property
  • Codfish Falls / Fenton Tract – Finally connected these two thanks to a fallen tree over the Fenton River to check out the rerouted Nipmuck Trail

July

Mary Edwards Mountain Property

★★★☆☆

200 Mountain Rd, North Granby, CT 06060, USA

Mary Edwards Mountain Property Granby Land Trust 200 acres in Granby, CT Parking: Small pull-off near 200 Mountain Rd, North Granby, CT Trail Map       …

Will Warren’s Den

★★★★☆

200 Colt Highway, Farmington, CT, USA

Metacomet: Will Warren’s Den Metacomet Blue Blaze Trail acres in Farmington and Plainville, CT Parking: Main parking north end: Medium pull-off 200 Colt Highway (Route 6), Farmington,… Read more…

West Mountain

★★★★☆

60 Westledge Road, West Simsbury, CT, USA

West Mountain / Cathles Falls Simsbury Land Trust 70 acres in Simsbury, CT Parking: South trailhead: Small lot near 60 Westledge Rd, West Simsbury, CT North trail:…

Lewis Farm Bird Sanctuary

★★☆☆☆

1015 Hill Street, Suffield, CT

Lewis Farm Bird Sanctuary Audubon Property 89 acres in Suffield, CT Parking: Small lot near 1015 Hill Street, Suffield, CT Trail Map         Trails: 3…

Windsor Center River Trail

★★☆☆☆

34 CT-159, Windsor, CT 06095, USA

Windsor Center River Trail Windsor Town Park 49 acres in Windsor, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 34 CT-159, Windsor, CT Trail Map       Trails: 1.2…

Mount Higby

★★★★☆

41.539191, -72.744306

Mount Higby / Tynan Park Blue Blaze Trail and The Nature Conservancy in Middlefield and Middletown, CT Parking: North End: Small lot near 644 Country Club Rd,…

Phillip’s Pond

★★☆☆☆

J49G+VM, Voluntown, CT 06384

Phillips Pond Pachuag State Forest in Voluntown, CT Parking: Small lot near Trail 1 Rd, Voluntown, CT Trail Map       Trails: 3.7 miles       Rating:…

Moss Tract

★★☆☆☆

41.846329, -72.247674

Moss Tract and North Property UCONN Forest 416 acres in Willington, CT Parking: Small lot near 139-1 Old Turnpike Road, Storrs, CT Trail Map     Trails: 3.5…

Metcalf Nature Preserve

★★☆☆☆

10 Cedarwood Dr, Ellington, CT 06029, USA

Metcalf Nature Preserve Ellington Town Park 15.46 acres in Ellington, CT Parking: Shoulder parking near 10 Cedarwood Dr, Ellington, CT Trail Map         Trails: 1…

Cedar Wood Preserve

★★☆☆☆

183 North Wawecus Hill Road, Norwich, CT, USA

Cedar Wood Preserve Avalonia Land Conservancy 47.27 acres in Norwich, CT Parking: Small lot across from 183 N Wawecus Hill Rd, Norwich, CT Trail Map     …