Penwood State Park

• Paved Loop – 3.4 miles
  • Forking right from the parking area the left fork is open to cars and leads to the picnic area and park headquarters.  Most hikers start on the right fork heading uphill among the pines (this section is closed to cars).  The pavement, likely laid about 100 years ago, is slowly being reclaimed by nature but it still easy enough to travel with strollers.  It is basically a straight shot north through the forest.  There is access to many side trails should you want something a little more rugged including at about a mile in there will be access to the Cedar Ridge Overlook.
  • The paved loop turns back at Lake Louise.  There is a short steep spur road up to where Curtis Veeder’s cabin used to be with access to the highpoint of the park at Pinnacle Overlook. The loop continues downhill to the manicured lawns of the picnic area and back to the main parking area.
• Metacomet / New England Trail – 3.2 miles
  • The park contains 3.18 miles of the Metacomet section of the New England Trail. After leaving Talcott the Metacomet goes through the parking area and briefly follows the paved access road before turning off into the woods for a steep initial climb.  The trail cuts through the heart of the park and is actually pretty tame compared to sections farther south.  Well worn, it meets the junction at Lake Louise before leading around its edge.  Beaver activity frequently floods the trail so slightly higher side trails lead around the worst spots.
  • A reroute over the last couple years took the trail off a steep rocky climb and has been moved to a couple switchbacks and some well crafted natural rock stairs to reach the Pinnacle Overlook.  The overlook has amazing views south to Heublein Tower and west across the Farmington River Valley.
  • Past the overlook the trail continues north for about 1.25 miles to the north end of the park descending off the ridge on a standard steep rocky terrain
  • Heading north: Wilcox Park
  • Heading south: Talcott Mountain State Park
• Yellow Trail – 1.35 miles
  • The yellow trail starts off on the driveway up to the parking area and basically follows the Metacomet Ridge which comprises the Simsbury/Bloomfield town line here.  The trail here is meandering following the curves of the landscape along the ridge.  At about a mile you will reach the Cedar Ridge Overlook, the first great view on the trail.  A picnic table allows you to sit and enjoy the view and there are a couple similar views a bit up the trail.
  • The trail continues north a bit straighter now (with a blue blazed option to down off the ridge to Simsbury’s Tanager Hill) until the north end of the trail crosses Lucy Brook for a fantastic waterfall over the ridgeline.  Unfortunately the steep terrain doesn’t allow for much of a view.
• Red Trail – 1 mile
  • Following the right fork of the paved loop the red trail will curve off the road leaving Gale Pond behind (the park is fenced off from Gale Pond so there is no access).  The red trail is an easy gravel path between the paved road and private property off Penwood Rd and Stuart Drive and many of the houses have access paths and gates.
  • Once past the private property there is access to Wintonbury’s Stout Family Fields and small meadow with a pleasant view.  And just beyond that is an abandoned shack (that appears to have been partially restored recently) which houses a clear pool of water from a nearby stream.  I’d guess that it dates to when Curtis Veeder ran the area as a farm and perhaps was water for the cows.
  • Eventually the trail will reach the backside of park headquarters and a view of the historic barn and rejoins the road in the picnic area.

Trail Running

The park is home to the Traprock 50, a 50k (31 mile) race, part of the Blue Blaze Running Trail Running Series.

The Traprock course is a loop course of approximately 10.5-11 miles per loop. There will be two races (one (17k) and three loops (50k)). It is a rolling course with 50 % technical single track on the Metacomet Trail. The balance of the course is double-track. Consisting entirely of rolling forest roads or single track that can be extremely rocky, the course will provide a true test of the runner’s fitness and mental stamina. You should only consider entering this race if you are confident you have sufficient running experience such as having completed a recent road or trail marathon.

Over the years I’ve seen more and more runners on the loops here.