Here is a map of the open space in New Hartford as of 2011. This map from the Northwest Hills Council of Governments also shows some trails. I have been unable to find any information on the Brodie to Bakersville Trail that is shown on this map.
Tunxis Trail
Part of the blue-blazed Tunxis Trail passes through New Hartford. The trail in New Hartford starts up near Ski Sundown and goes through Nepaug State Forest. The Nepaug section is covered below. Check out the interactive map on the CFPA website. For a description see CTMQ.
Nepaug State Forest (trail map)
I hiked here while doing a section hike of the Tunxis Trail and it was one of my least favorite sections. At the time I hiked, vehicular traffic was still allowed, but I have read that it no longer is. It does seem to be popular with mountain bikers. It is a hunting area, so be careful. To get a taste for it before you go, you can review the following blog posts:
GranWood Explores
CTMQ
A to Z of CT State Parks
New Hartford Land Trust
The land trust owns multiple small parcels, but the crown jewel, and the only one with a trail map, is Jones Mountain. The "foam dome" has been removed, but the property is still worth a visit. These were old carriage roads and the stone work is impressive.
Farmington Valley Homeschool Hikers
David Reik
Town of New Hartford (info and links to trail maps)
Brodie Park South
Antolini Woods/Surdam Farm - the town does not yet have a map that shows these properties connecting, but from other articles and blog posts it appears they do. Here is the map for Antolini Woods, but also check out the trails in OpenStreetMap. Nearby Phillips Farm and Goula Open Space may also be connected. Check out David Reik's post:
David Reik - Surdam Farm and Antolini Woods
Article by Peter Marteka
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Friday, May 15, 2020
Canton, CT
Here is a map showing the protected open space in Canton as of 2011.
Roaring Brook Nature Center (trail map) - Great little nature center with displays. They also have classes and summer camps.
Canton Land Conservation Trust - Own a number of properties throughout Canton. Overview of where their trails are located. Pocket guide with trail maps.
Nepaug Reservoir Trails
Roaring Brook Nature Center (trail map) - Great little nature center with displays. They also have classes and summer camps.
Canton Land Conservation Trust - Own a number of properties throughout Canton. Overview of where their trails are located. Pocket guide with trail maps.
Nepaug Reservoir Trails
Friday, April 24, 2020
Hartland, CT
Here is a map showing the protected open space in Hartland. The vast majority of this land is owned by the Metropolitan District Commision (the land around the reservoir) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Tunxis State Forest).
Tunxis State Forest - DEEP does not seem to have a page for this forest other than a letterbox page. The following trails are within Tunxis State Forest.
CFPA Tunxis Trail (interactive map) - I'm not the biggest fan of the interactive map. I do recommend using the CT Walkbook, but you almost need two - the 20th Edition printed in 2017 and the East and West books printed in 2005/6. The detailed trail descriptions have been removed in the 2017 Edition.
Another resource for this area is OpenStreetMap. Parking at the northern terminus of the trail is either in Massachusetts (according to CFPA) or you can park in a little lot at the end of the paved East Pell Road. I do not recommend traveling by car on Pell Road.
There is also a campsite at Hurricane Brook. Here is the page listing the campsites and how to apply for a permit.
CFPA Falls Brook Trail (see interactive map above) OpenStreetMap - Steve Wood also offers a good description of his hike there. More information on New England Waterfalls.
Horace Clark Woods maintained by the New England Forestry Foundation. I recently (May 2020) went up to check these trails out. Unfortunately, it does not look like they have been maintained. I can see blazes on the trees, but no real trails.
Tunxis State Forest - DEEP does not seem to have a page for this forest other than a letterbox page. The following trails are within Tunxis State Forest.
CFPA Tunxis Trail (interactive map) - I'm not the biggest fan of the interactive map. I do recommend using the CT Walkbook, but you almost need two - the 20th Edition printed in 2017 and the East and West books printed in 2005/6. The detailed trail descriptions have been removed in the 2017 Edition.
Another resource for this area is OpenStreetMap. Parking at the northern terminus of the trail is either in Massachusetts (according to CFPA) or you can park in a little lot at the end of the paved East Pell Road. I do not recommend traveling by car on Pell Road.
There is also a campsite at Hurricane Brook. Here is the page listing the campsites and how to apply for a permit.
CFPA Falls Brook Trail (see interactive map above) OpenStreetMap - Steve Wood also offers a good description of his hike there. More information on New England Waterfalls.
Horace Clark Woods maintained by the New England Forestry Foundation. I recently (May 2020) went up to check these trails out. Unfortunately, it does not look like they have been maintained. I can see blazes on the trees, but no real trails.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Windsor, CT
This map from the University of Connecticut shows the protected open space in Windsor as of 2011.
Northwest Park (trail map) - Owned by the town of Windsor, this is a fabulous park with miles of hiking trails, a nature center, animal barn, playground, tobacco museum, and playing fields. See also Friends of Northwest Park.
Matianuck Natural Area Preserve - See the OpenStreetMap of the area. This place sounds fascinating. Read David Reik's account of his visit.
Windsor Meadows State Park (trail map) - I think you can probably pass on this one. See Steve Wood's post here.
Northwest Park (trail map) - Owned by the town of Windsor, this is a fabulous park with miles of hiking trails, a nature center, animal barn, playground, tobacco museum, and playing fields. See also Friends of Northwest Park.
Matianuck Natural Area Preserve - See the OpenStreetMap of the area. This place sounds fascinating. Read David Reik's account of his visit.
Windsor Meadows State Park (trail map) - I think you can probably pass on this one. See Steve Wood's post here.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Bloomfield, CT
This map from the University of Connecticut shows the protected open space in Bloomfield as of 2011.
Wintonbury Land Trust - Several trails listed.
Speer Trail connects to MDC Trails and to the Metacomet Trail in Talcott Mountain State Park.
Hawk Hill White Trail offers fantastic views of Hartford and also connects to Bloomfield's LaSalette Open Space.
Stout Family Fields Trail leads into Penwood State Park. These Trails are used during the annual Over The Mountain hike that Wintonbury Land Trust and Simsbury Land Trust do together. On the Simsbury side, you come out on Tanager Hill. You can view all the trails and how they connect on this OpenStreetMap.
Auerfarm State Park - at this point, there is no trail map, but it is pretty easy to figure out. Here is the OpenStreetMap that shows the trails. Park as indicated across from Cider Hill Road. At the end of Cider Hill Road you may be able to see Hartford, depending on the growth. There used to be some old cabins up there, but last time I was there, they had been removed. This is from my visit before removal of cabins.
Marion K. Wilcox Park (connects to the Metacomet Trail and Simsbury Land Trust's James Property)
Talcott Mountain State Park (trail map)
Penwood State Park (trail map)
Metacomet (part of New England Trail)
CT NET Section 17
CT NET Section 18
CT NET Section 19
Farmington River Park - I can not find any trail maps for this park. I last visited in 2013 and determined it was not a place I would hike alone. Since then, David Reik has gone and explored much more extensively and even ventured into neighboring Windsor. Here is the OpenStreetMap of the area which shows some of the trails.
Wintonbury Land Trust - Several trails listed.
Speer Trail connects to MDC Trails and to the Metacomet Trail in Talcott Mountain State Park.
Hawk Hill White Trail offers fantastic views of Hartford and also connects to Bloomfield's LaSalette Open Space.
Stout Family Fields Trail leads into Penwood State Park. These Trails are used during the annual Over The Mountain hike that Wintonbury Land Trust and Simsbury Land Trust do together. On the Simsbury side, you come out on Tanager Hill. You can view all the trails and how they connect on this OpenStreetMap.
Auerfarm State Park - at this point, there is no trail map, but it is pretty easy to figure out. Here is the OpenStreetMap that shows the trails. Park as indicated across from Cider Hill Road. At the end of Cider Hill Road you may be able to see Hartford, depending on the growth. There used to be some old cabins up there, but last time I was there, they had been removed. This is from my visit before removal of cabins.
Marion K. Wilcox Park (connects to the Metacomet Trail and Simsbury Land Trust's James Property)
Talcott Mountain State Park (trail map)
Penwood State Park (trail map)
Metacomet (part of New England Trail)
CT NET Section 17
CT NET Section 18
CT NET Section 19
Farmington River Park - I can not find any trail maps for this park. I last visited in 2013 and determined it was not a place I would hike alone. Since then, David Reik has gone and explored much more extensively and even ventured into neighboring Windsor. Here is the OpenStreetMap of the area which shows some of the trails.
Simsbury, CT
This map from the University of Connecticut shows the protected open space in Simsbury as of 2011. In 2018, the Town of Simsbury created an updated map. Both are useful for identifying hiking areas.
Simsbury Land Trust - with the COVID-19 pandemic, SLT made their Walkbook available online. I don't know if the link will stay active. If not, individual maps for their properties can be found on their website. Older version of Walkbook. The Walkbooks also include maps for properties that are not SLT properties and may be listed separately, below.
McLean Game Refuge (trail map) - A larger scale trail map can be purchased from the gift shop in the McLean Home. Most of the Refuge is located in Granby, but there are miles of trails located in Simsbury, as well.
Ethel Walker Woods Trail Map - A nice hike of over 5 miles can be made by parking at the SLT kiosk behind the Tulmeadow Farm store, taking the road over the fields, through the woodlot to Town Forest Park and, from there, entering Ethel Walker Woods.
Massacoe State Forest (Great Pond block trail map) The trails at Great Pond can be combined with the trails at Simsbury Land Trust's Wagner Woods to make a nice 4 mile hike.
Stratton Brook State Park (trail map)
Talcott Mountain State Park (trail map)
Penwood State Park (trail map)
Metacomet Trail (part of New England Trail)
CT NET Section 17
CT NET Section 18
Onion Mountain Park
Simsbury Land Trust - with the COVID-19 pandemic, SLT made their Walkbook available online. I don't know if the link will stay active. If not, individual maps for their properties can be found on their website. Older version of Walkbook. The Walkbooks also include maps for properties that are not SLT properties and may be listed separately, below.
McLean Game Refuge (trail map) - A larger scale trail map can be purchased from the gift shop in the McLean Home. Most of the Refuge is located in Granby, but there are miles of trails located in Simsbury, as well.
Ethel Walker Woods Trail Map - A nice hike of over 5 miles can be made by parking at the SLT kiosk behind the Tulmeadow Farm store, taking the road over the fields, through the woodlot to Town Forest Park and, from there, entering Ethel Walker Woods.
Massacoe State Forest (Great Pond block trail map) The trails at Great Pond can be combined with the trails at Simsbury Land Trust's Wagner Woods to make a nice 4 mile hike.
Stratton Brook State Park (trail map)
Talcott Mountain State Park (trail map)
Penwood State Park (trail map)
Metacomet Trail (part of New England Trail)
CT NET Section 17
CT NET Section 18
Onion Mountain Park
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Granby, CT
Granby has many acres of open space. This map from the University of Connecticut shows the open space as of 2011. The largest owner of protected space in Granby is McLean Game Refuge (dark brown) which has miles of well-maintained trails. The State also has a large holding with Enders State Forest. The trails here are less well defined. Granby Land Trust also owns a number of parcels some of which have been purchased since this map was created. The most up-to-date map for the Land Trust is linked below. Finally, the town owns Holcomb Farm which has hiking trails on both the east and west sides of Simsbury Road.
McLean Game Refuge (map here) - larger maps are available for a few dollars at the McLean Home gift shop in Simsbury.
Enders State Forest - there are no maps for Enders State Forest. I divide Enders into four areas:
Enders Falls - Parking area off Route 219. As of March 2020, this area is closed as the state finishes its work to make the area safer. It is expected to open later this year. Please, stay out until they have finished their work.
Pine Cone Mountain - Accessed from the Pine Cone Trail in McLean Game Refuge. No real trails, but David Reik has a blog post and GPS track. December 27, 2019
Enders Road - Parking area off of 219. It can also be accessed from Legeyt Road in East Hartland. There are large blocks at either end to prevent vehicles from traveling. The road is broken and rutted and if you are out for a hike, there is no reason to go around these blocks and drive on the road. The Enders Road area does not allow hunting. Two blog posts by David Reik show his GPS tracks, but there is a lot of bushwhacking. March 7, 2020 March 11, 2020
Fox Road - Off of Route 20. Hunting is allowed in this area. Again, David Reik comes through with some blog posts with GPS tracks: February 23, 2020 February 27, 2020
Granby Land Trust - (map of the Land Trust properties and easements - turn on and off layers to see other open space owned by state and town)
GLT has been updating the trail maps of their properties using the Avenza Maps app. Here are the ones that have been updated:
Godard Preserve
Mary Edwards Mountain Property
Holcombe Preserve
Western Barndoor Hill Preserve
The Nuckols Preserve on Simsbury Road (across from Stonewall Drive) does not have an official trail map, but does have a fairly well defined trail, at least initially. The trail leads all the way over to Barn Door Hills Road, but the last part seems to enter private property. See OpenStreetMap to see where the trail goes.
Town of Granby: Holcomb Farm (trail map) The trails at Holcomb Farm also connect to McLean Game Refuge.
Granby has a wealth of hiking opportunities. You can even create a long circuit hike like David Reik did on June 16, 2019. The most southern part of this loop is in Simsbury, but the vast majority is in Granby using McLean Game Refuge and Holcomb Farm trails. Longer routes are possible if you take trails on the eastern side of the Game Refuge that David did not use. (I would recommend hiking in the opposite direction, starting at Holcomb Farm and hiking counter-clockwise).
McLean Game Refuge (map here) - larger maps are available for a few dollars at the McLean Home gift shop in Simsbury.
Enders State Forest - there are no maps for Enders State Forest. I divide Enders into four areas:
Enders Falls - Parking area off Route 219. As of March 2020, this area is closed as the state finishes its work to make the area safer. It is expected to open later this year. Please, stay out until they have finished their work.
Pine Cone Mountain - Accessed from the Pine Cone Trail in McLean Game Refuge. No real trails, but David Reik has a blog post and GPS track. December 27, 2019
Enders Road - Parking area off of 219. It can also be accessed from Legeyt Road in East Hartland. There are large blocks at either end to prevent vehicles from traveling. The road is broken and rutted and if you are out for a hike, there is no reason to go around these blocks and drive on the road. The Enders Road area does not allow hunting. Two blog posts by David Reik show his GPS tracks, but there is a lot of bushwhacking. March 7, 2020 March 11, 2020
Fox Road - Off of Route 20. Hunting is allowed in this area. Again, David Reik comes through with some blog posts with GPS tracks: February 23, 2020 February 27, 2020
Granby Land Trust - (map of the Land Trust properties and easements - turn on and off layers to see other open space owned by state and town)
GLT has been updating the trail maps of their properties using the Avenza Maps app. Here are the ones that have been updated:
Godard Preserve
Mary Edwards Mountain Property
Holcombe Preserve
Western Barndoor Hill Preserve
The Nuckols Preserve on Simsbury Road (across from Stonewall Drive) does not have an official trail map, but does have a fairly well defined trail, at least initially. The trail leads all the way over to Barn Door Hills Road, but the last part seems to enter private property. See OpenStreetMap to see where the trail goes.
Town of Granby: Holcomb Farm (trail map) The trails at Holcomb Farm also connect to McLean Game Refuge.
Granby has a wealth of hiking opportunities. You can even create a long circuit hike like David Reik did on June 16, 2019. The most southern part of this loop is in Simsbury, but the vast majority is in Granby using McLean Game Refuge and Holcomb Farm trails. Longer routes are possible if you take trails on the eastern side of the Game Refuge that David did not use. (I would recommend hiking in the opposite direction, starting at Holcomb Farm and hiking counter-clockwise).
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