It has been a long, very long winter in the Northeast. The weather finally felt like spring and that means it was time to find some new trails to hike. I came across the Hancock Brook Trail in Waterbury, CT on Instagram from some fellow CT hikers I follow. I never heard of it and the views looked cool. However, my research displayed this trail was closed including sites like Alltrails. After seeing recent posts and finding one actual site with directions on this trail, I felt comfortable enough to give it a go. And, I can confirm the trail is NOT closed. People are giving up too easily. Yes, there is a rotted bridge but the trail can be accessed elsewhere. For directions, plug into your GPS: Sheffield St., Waterbury, CT, 060704. Drive all the way down until you hit the quarry and there is a small parking lot to your right.

The Hancock Brook Trail is a blue-blaze trail along the edge of the Mattatuck State Forest.  This hike is a 2.8 mile loop. The terrain does get quite rocky, which includes steep uphill and downhill portions and some climbing. The trail was covered in leaves on this day and was quite slippery because of that. I would consider this a moderately difficult hike for the average hiker.

Onto to the infamous bridge I kept reading about. Ignore the bridge.

From the parking area, you will start walking up the side of the quarry and look for the first Blue marker. Upon entering the woods, the trail splits and the trail to the right with one blue marker will take you along Hancock Brook. The first half mile or so will give views of the stream and its rapids. The trail is fairly narrow and gets unpleasant as you reach the inclines where the bushes have grown into the trail.

You will reach a spot in the trail where you hear lots of trucks and work on the quarry.  There will be a sign to stay on the blazed trail on a tree with the Blue marker.

Continue this direction and go straight. This is a tricky part of the trail. The markings are not great until you reach the peak. You will want to veer right but that will take you the wrong way. There is a like a raised branch signaling not to go this way. If not, you will reach a small pond and you will see a very sketchy trailer. Do not go there. That is not part of the trail. You will be too close for comfort. Turn around. I just envisioned all the crazy TV shows I saw with a crazy dude coming out of a trailer and chasing me.

If you went the right way, you will reach the pond and see the trailer across far enough away. You need to make an abrupt left into the woods to start the incline.  Once you do not see blue markings, stop and just turn around. We walked by it as well. I took pictures for guidance. The blue marker was covered by trees.

The trail will get tougher at this stage as you enter a pine forest. There is a mini pond with a bunch of trees down as you get closer to the ascend uphill. Keep an eye out for the blue markings. They are a little too far apart in this area. Once you pass this pond, the steep uphill will begin and there will be some switchbacks.

This tough stretch will be worth it as you will reach a beautiful lookout spot for views. The rock formation is called Lion Head and is the peak at 660 feet. This is a great spot to stop and soak in nature. Have a snack and fuel up on water. Maybe eat a donut.

The climb down was tough at first but got pretty easy as we kept going. And, the trail markings were way better. The spots where they were too far apart, I suggest going the way that made sense and you will find them. You will pass a few more lookout points to enjoy more views along the way.

At the end of trail, there will be a steep downhill section before you reach the quarry where you started.  And, somehow we completely missed the waterfall coming in, or the water started to come down from melting while we hiked. Before we left, we took a closer look at what is called Hancock Cascades. This was to the left at the end of the final descend.

This was a surprisingly good hike. This took us about 2 hours and that is with stopping for 20 minutes.  I don’t think I would have found it without Instagram. The hike was fun and didn’t take too much time.  I would just be careful of the markers. There were times where it was lacking and you really had to keep an eye out. And, stay away from the Breaking Bad looking trailer!

Trail Review:

Hancock Brook Trail, Waterbury, CT (2.8m): 3 out of 5

HIKING FOR DONUTS

A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

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