Mount Higby

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, Middletown, CT
• Middle: Shoulder parking at the end of Preston Ave, Meriden, CT
• South End: Medium sized lot near Rt 66/Meriden Rd, Middlefield, CT

Trail Map         Trails: 3.6 miles       Rating: ★★★★☆

Mount Higby alos know as Higby Mountain offers fantastic views west from its traprock ridges.  Trailed almost entirely by the blue blaze Mattabesett Trail the cliffs are part of the Metacomet Ridge.  The land is preserved in part by the state with a parcel of the Cockaponset State Forest, The Nature Conservancy, Wesleyen University, and the CFPA.

Hiking

This section of the blue blaze Mattabesett Trail comes from crossing Rt. 66 next to New Guida’s restaurant (with “world famous” hotdogs) over to a parking area trailhead and then works up a steep very rocky climb to the ridge.  While it is only 0.4 miles from the parking area to the first overlook, the traprock covering the trail and the rocky climbs make this a bit more of challenge.

It doesn’t seem to deter many on these well-worn trails as the views are more than worth it.  A first partial overlook has views south to Black Pond and after another up and down reaches the first real set of views west over Meriden. There is well over 1000′ of exposed ridge line with the trail right up against the drop in parts and veering off into the bushes in others.

The trail then descends off the first ridge into Preston Notch with access down to the middle parking area at Preston Ave.  There is a small cascade over a series of rock ledges on what appears to a pretty regular seasonal stream.

The trail then begins to climb again up to Camel’s Hump.  Though less exposed here there are still 2-3 great viewpoints though much closer to I-91 and its traffic noise.  The trail follows the ridge above the highway rest area before descending off the back side to meet the Tynan Park connector at 3 miles.  I didn’t explore down this trail due to impending rain but it is 0.8 miles to the Tynan parking area at Higby Road.

The Mattabesett continues north through Nature Conservancy and Wesleyan property for another 0.6 miles until reaching a road walk portion on Country Club Road.

Previous Section: Black Pond

Next Section: 1.2 mile road walk Country Club Rd over I-91 to Bell St onto Highland Pond (unexplored)

History:

Links:

The Nature Conservancy – Higby Mountain Preserve

Peter Marteka – Hitting The Higby Heights (2010)

CTMQ – Mattabesett Trail: Section 2 (2008)

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Last updated January 19th, 2023