Haystack Mountain State Park, Connecticut

Trail Description: Haystack Mountain Trail contains an impressive stone fire tower with stunning views of the mountains in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont.

Trail Info:

Where: Norfolk, CT Distance: 0.8 mile (30-45 min) Difficulty: Moderate Trail Type: Out & Back Features: Views, Mountains, Valley, Tower

How to get there:

Haystack Mountain State Park On Rte. 272 Norfolk, CT 06058

Trailhead parking location here.

Easy to find off Route 272. The road goes halfway up Haystack Mountain to a parking lot, where the shortest trail starts. The parking lot can hold about 10 cars or so.

Hiking Tips

• Download park map, click here.

• Cell phone service is spotty. Hike carefully.

• There can be seasonal closures of the park.

The Hike

This guide will be for the shortest trail route at 0.8 miles from the top parking lot of Haystack Mountain. These days my time is a bit limited and the best bang for your buck is what is more appealing. If you want to make it a longer hike, there is the Yellow Trail that starts near the beginning of park road at the gate entrance.. This will be 1.8 miles, out and back. Both of these options will be great hikes to get to the main attraction, the amazing tower views.

Once you have parked at the top parking, which is about a mile once you enter the park, the trail is to the left to begin the summit.

This trail is fairly straightforward. It is well-maintained and clearly marked. The first 0.2 miles are flat and easy breezy. The next 0.2 miles will get your heart pumping as the trail bends to the left and starts a quick incline with 200 feet of elevation. Those quads might be on fire but it is all worth it once you see the bad ass tower at the top.

Now, it’s time to climb the 34 foot stone tower up to the top for the 360 views at 1,683 feet of elevation.

Definitely some of the best views you will have in Connecticut. It was a bit overcast and cloudy for me, but still impressive views nonetheless. On a clear day, there is visibility of the Riga Plateau in Northwest Connecticut, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, the Catskills in New York, and the Green Mountains of Vermont. That is quite a combination of views.

This would be great to pair with some other short hikes in the Litchfield County area. In addition, there are great local breweries as well such as NorBrook Farm for post hike brews.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

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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Enders Falls, Granby, CT

Trail Description: Enders Falls is a quick out and back trail with multiple picturesque waterfalls.

Trail Info:

Where: Granby, CT Distance: 1 mile (30-45 min) Difficulty: Easy Trail Type: Out & Back Features: Views, Waterfalls, Water, Brook

How to get there:

Enders State Forest Granby, CT 06035

Click here for coordinates from GoogleMaps.

Hiking Tips

• Bring bug spray for the applicable season.

• There are a few trails off from the parking lot heading down to Enders Brook that will converge.

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The Hike

Waterfalls can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes they all just feel the same. Generally, my first inclination is to find a hike with cool summit views. However, things done changed, and that can’t always be the case. I have a toddler and many toddler nieces/nephews. I want to still get out in nature and show them all how awesome it is. And, waterfalls are a great hiking option for this. There are many in Connecticut that are accessible. I am behind on my CT waterfall game but that will likely change.

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Enders Falls is an easy trail with 4-5 visible waterfalls that vary in size and look. The trail is very popular but we picked a great day and had the trail to ourselves. My wife had my daughter in a carrier and I had my nephew in my backpack carrier. And on we went to enjoy a day of nature.

From the parking lot, I definitely did not take the best course of action but we got back on track easily enough. The best start would be starting at the gravel in the far right corner by the porta potty.

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There will be Purple markers (look pink to me) on the gravel trail and follow downstream to the staircase along the ravine. It seems this has been updated recently with steps of granite, fortified railings, and wooden fencing for safety purposes. It appears there were some accidents but it is very safe and well constructed. And, you can still get great views on some of the falls.

There is a good view of the 2nd waterfall and cliff area from the small viewing platform.

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At the end of the staircase, there are stone steps that lead back to the gravel trail back to the parking lot for about a half mile.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

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.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

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Hiking the Breakneck Ridge Trail, New York

Trail Description: The Breakneck Ridge hike is one of the most challenging trails in the Hudson Valley. The mountain is known for rocky terrain, steep rock scrambling, and beautiful views of the Hudson Valley. This trail is immensely popular due to its easy access.

Trail Info:

Where: Cold Spring, NY Distance: 3.7 miles (3.5-4.5 hours) Difficulty: Strenuous Trail Type: Loop Features: Views, River, Mountains, Rock Scrambling

How to get there:

Typing the location “Breakneck Ridge Trailhead” into Google Maps will take you near the parking areas. There are multiple parking spots along State Road 9D, just park where you can north of the tunnel. There is a small lot near the trailhead and a larger lot further down.

Click here for coordinates

For those concerned about parking/driving, this hike is accessible via train. There is a MTA to the Breakneck Ridge train station that is within walking distance to the trail on weekends only.

Hiking Tips

• Go on a weekday to avoid the crowds, if possible. Go early on weekends. 

• Be prepared to rock scramble & use your hands to scale the cliff.

• Not dog friendly (unless small dog that you can carry or your dog is a mountain climber)

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The Hike

After parking, make sure you are walking along the right hand side of the road. The trailhead starts to the right of the tunnel, where there is trail signage and maps. 

There are 3 trail route options for Breakneck Ridge. There is a sign explaining this at the beginning of the trail. The options consist of the short loop (2 hours) ,the regular/classic loop (3 hours), or the trail back to Cold Spring (4 hours). This guide will be the option we took which is the full classic loop.

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There is a set of rock stairs that will bring you to the sharp ascent. Follow the white trail markers and start climbing! The terrain on the trail is pretty hard right away. There is a very steep ascent and I needed my hands and knees to get me through this portion of the hike. If you did bring hiking poles, I would suggest securing the poles to your backpack here as they will not be helpful. Depending on your level of climbing up, this can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. 

Keep climbing until you reach the flagpole. You will see Pollepel Island with Bannerman’s Castle to your right, along with views of Storm King Mountain straight ahead across the river.

After taking in the views and enjoying a break, continue to follow the white markers as the incline continues. This part is less intense but still some rock scrambling. There is an area in the trail where you can choose to go steeper or take the easier ascent marked with X with an arrow pointing left & right. The easier route was definitely welcomed after the steep climb.

Continue to climb higher and there is another viewpoint with the flagpole far in the distance from above.

Keep climbing until there are no more bluffs and cannot continue further.This is where you head into the forest. The next few miles are much, much easier. You could go back down the way you came but it’s a tough way down and you will be greeted with a traffic jam of many hikers ascending up.

Continue on white markers &  ignore the yellow marked trail for now.

There will be a fork eventually. Look for a turn off to the red marked trail (tough to miss red marking on rock). Follow red trail down a gradual descent through woods.

Depending on your pace, the red trail will dead end in about 30-60 minutes where you take left onto yellow trail (Wilkinson Memorial Trail) and keep going downhill and follow all the way to the parking area.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

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.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

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Lovers Leap State Park, New Milford, CT

Trail Description: Lovers Leap State Park has multiple hiking trails with views of the Housatonic River and other structural landmarks such as the popular Lovers Leap Bridge.

Trail Info:

Where: New Milford, CT Distance: 1.8 miles (1.5 hours) Difficulty: Moderate Trail Type: Loop Features: Views, Valley, Bridge, Lake, River

How to get there:

178 Short Woods Rd, New Milford, CT 06776

https://goo.gl/maps/4FUFjzSinExpgzHfA

Hiking Tips

• Click here for trail map

• Be cautious switching trails. If markers cannot be found, turn back to retrace steps. Also, the blue trail appears to have a fake marking on top of the hill toward the wrong direction.

• Don’t just hike up to the popular scenic view & leave. There is another cool view from the East on the Blue trail.

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The Hike

Lovers Leap State Park is pretty easy to find. The parking lot is pretty big as this does seem like a busy hike. The wife and I caught a good time of day as the lot was almost empty. From the parking lot, we headed towards Lovers Leap Bridge. The bridge will appear pretty immediately. The structure is interesting. The lighting was spotty with shadows so I did not successfully get the best picture for the insta. Darn it!

We crossed the bridge and got the first view of the Housatonic River. Taking a right off the bridge took us down a gravel road, also known as the Lovers Leap Trail. Within 0.3 miles of some incline, the money shot picture awaits. This scenic view offers the best one in the park overlooking Lake Lillinonah. From here, you could take your donut and go home, but there is some more hiking to be had at this park.

There are some interesting features and landmarks on some of the other trails. We decided to trace back our footsteps on the gravel road until we noticed the red markers for the Castle Trail on the right. Have a map handy, we had an issue finding. Pretty sure we did not go the way intended but it worked. The red blazed was a pretty good incline. Got my lungs working. Within a short distance, we came upon the castle ruin, which was just its foundation and a tall chimney. And, across from this was a castle-like turret. As I try to sit here explaining it, here’s a picture. If you must know more, I suggest the google machine.

In between the castle features, there is a trail we took that connects the red blazed trail to the blue blazed trail, known as the Falls Mountain Trail. We took a right from the red to the blue. This took us up a steeper hill.

Once we reached the top of the hill, we saw a blue marker to the left but that was not correct. We met just bushes and the end of a ledge. It appears that it was painted incorrectly as a joke perhaps. That could be very dangerous if you are not paying attention. This is why we can’t have nice things. That person sucks who did that. Fortunately, we found other lost hikers and we noticed the view was behind us and we needed to retrace our steps and keep going straight and the ridge is on the right. From the ridge line, there is an open area view from the east that is pretty nice. From here, we retraced our steps down the blue to the red trail back to the gravel road.

Bonus Foodie Find: 

After hiking, the post meal is important. Not all hikes are near donut shops unfortunately. However, other great food spots can be found. This hike is close to the downtown area of New Milford, CT. We stopped at Johana’s Restaurant for a brunchy meal. Great menu. I got the English Scramble - eggs, bacon, scallions, cheddar cheese in a skillet with home fries. Hell yes. And, my wife got the corn cheddar pancakes. That’s how we get down. Everything was delicious. Also, if you go in the warmer months, check out the farmers market. There’s an awesome bread company there.

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HIKING FOR DONUTS

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.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

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Jones Mountain Preserve, New Hartford, CT

Trail Description: The Vista Trail is a red-blazed loop that circles the Jones Mountain Preserve.  Most of the trail is an old carriage road that leads to summit views overlooking New Hartford and the Farming River to the north.

Trail Info:

Where: New Hartford, CT Distance: 2.5m (1.5 hours) Difficulty: Easy Trail Type: Loop Features: Views, Mountains, Valley

How to get there:

161 Steele Rd, New Hartford, CT 06057

You will see the parking lot located on the right coming from Route US-44W.

Hiking Tips

• For trail map, click HERE.

• Stay on the trails. Lots of hunting areas surrounding.

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The Hike

Once entering the nature preserve from the parking lot, there is a footbridge crossing. There will be a fork for the start of the red blazed trail. This is the Vista Trail that loops around the preserve. Going right will lead you to the summit view. After about 0.3m there is a sign with an arrow toward the peak to follow.

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This part of the hike is the most difficult. There is a gradual incline with an elevation gain of 367 feet as you make your way toward the carriage road. This will last for 15 minutes or so. Reaching the carriage road will occur at about 0.5m and it is fairly easy from here. At 0.9m there is another footbridge crossing.

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This will bring you to the summit of Jones Mountain at 1.5m. The lookout is a splendid view of the Farmington Valley West to New Hartford.

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Continue on the red loop for the rest of the trail. Due to storms, there is a road closure at the time of our hike. This forces you to hop onto the white trail inside the preserve. The white will lead back to the red and right to the parking lot.

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Based on what I saw online, there are some monuments and mill ruins along other trails in the preserve if that interests anyone reading this. We chose to just tackle the summit view.

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I am enjoying finding new hiking trails in Connecticut. This trail is fairly easy, has a good view, and will get your heart pumping a little bit. Any one looking to get into hiking or just need a break from a strenuous trail, I would suggest this. Fall is officially here as I write this post. This would be a good fall hike as well once the leaves change. Get hiking!

HIKING FOR DONUTS

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every change 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.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

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24 Hours in the Black Canyon at the Gunnison National Park

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is one of the least known national parks and that is a travesty. I admit, I wasn’t too familiar with this park myself.  Located in western Colorado, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison did not gain National Park status until 1999, making it the second youngest national park in the U.S. The Black Canyon is named so because the walls are often covered in shadows making them appear black. These steep walls were formed over 1.7 billion years ago. Another awesome note on this park is that it contains 12 out of the 48 mile-long canyon of the Gunnison River.

For most national park or outdoors enthusiast, you want to experience as much as possible in your travels. Planning trips can be difficult and offer time restraints. Exploring most national parks you need anywhere from 3 days to two weeks. On my recent Colorado road trip, I planned for one day at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. There is a North and South Rim. This guide will be for the South Rim only. This rim is more developed and accessible. Can you explore the entire South Rim in 24 hours? The answer is yes. The best time to visit is April to November. We stayed in Montrose, which is about 15 minutes from the park. The downtown is pretty cool. Oh, and there is an amazing donut shop, Montrose Donut and Deli Shop. The best donuts I had in Colorado. Get the biscuit donut. I digress…..

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The South Rim is comprised of a modest 7 mile loop with 12 spectacular overlooks.  I suggest to stop at each overlook. A lot of the overlooks do require walking a short trail but nothing strenuous. I would not miss out on Painted Wall, Cedar Point and Sunset View.  There are multiple hikes on the South Rim. I went out of my way to do them all and to be honest, if you are stressing for time, skip the hikes. If camping is your thing, there are campgrounds here.  Lastly, do NOT leave the park without driving down East Portal Road. I cannot recommend that enough. There is no crowd concern at this park. I counted maybe 30 people on a Friday in mid-May. I read the peak of the visitors stroll through in July. There are even less visitors on the North Rim, which is a 3 hour drive from the South Rim. However, the views are even more dramatic from the North Rim. The scenic driving was amazing. This park should be way more popular. The views were ridiculous. One of the best experiences I had in a national park. Here’s my guide to the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

How to get there

Black Canyon’s South Rim is about 14 miles from Montrose and 63 miles from Gunnison. To get there from Montrose, travel 7 miles north on CO Highway 347 from the intersection with U.S. Highway 50 east of the city.

Viewpoints (South Rim)

The first viewpoint that visitors will see entering the park is Tomichi Point. This is right off the side of the road, no hiking needed.  The second viewpoint, Gunnison Point, is located right behind the visitor center. A short path down some steps leads views of the canyon facing northwards. The view is more vivid than Tomichi Point and there is sneak peak of the ravine.

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Tomichi Point

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Gunnison Point

The next viewpoint is about two miles down the road at Pulpit Rock Overlook. There is a 134 yard trail leading to this area. The canyon really opens here with the river in view as it curves around a 90 degree bend. Cross Fissure View offers a different a unique look at the canyon. The river is not visible and most of the canyon is hidden. There is a view of overlapping ridges and crevasses from multiple angles. This viewpoint is a 357 yard walk.

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Pulpit Rock

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Cross Fissures

Rock Point is a less traveled path at 294 yards.  The longer the path the less visitors you will see. Devils Lookout is the longest path at 607 yards. This path goes right the edge of the rims for great views including the river and the valley. Both this and Rock Point lie above the narrowest part of the entire canyon.

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Rock Point

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Devil's Lookout

Chasm View is one of those jaw dropping views. This is a very short path off the road above the steepest part of the whole canyon.  Painted Wall View is almost adjacent to Chasm View. This may be the most well-known viewpoint.  Painted Wall is the highest cliff in Colorado at 2,250 feet and a half mile across. 

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Chasm View

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Painted Wall

Every viewpoint from here on is a must see. Cedar Point is a 303 yard path overlooking the lower canyon.  This is a spectacular view as you can see 1.5 miles of the river, flowing rapids, and some greenery below. Next up, Dragon Point offers very similar views. The widening ravine enclosing colorful waters of the river. This can be reached by a path of 300 yards.

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Cedar Point

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Dragon Point

Sunset View was one of my favorites. This is the westernmost viewpoint along the South Rim road. There is large parking area along with restrooms and picnic tables. This a great place to soak in amazing views of the canyon. This is the longest stretch of V shaped canyon. The last viewpoint is another mile down the road, High Point.  There’s not much to this but you have to pass this in order to turn around and head back. 

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Sunset View

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High Point

The Hikes (South Rim)

At the end of South Rim road, there is a parking lot where the Warner Point Trail begins. This a 1.5 mile out and back that takes you to the furthest overlook on the South Rim.  The trail starts flat with views of green fields 1,000 feet above Bostwick Park. The trail begins to climb slowly then drops and ascends again before reaching the final viewpoint. This overlook offers stunning views of the San Juan Mountains, West Elk Mountains, Uncompahgre Valley, and the canyon. If you choose a hike in the South Rim, this would be the one I suggest.

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Warner Point

The Oak Flat Loop begins by the visit center.  The trail is narrow and traverses down a steep slope. This offers a peek at the landscape below the canyon’s rim. This is the most challenging hike in the South Rim with steep uphill and downhill portions. In total, the loop is 2 miles.

Rim Rock Nature Trail starts at the visit center or the Campground Loop C entrance. You can even hop on this trail from Tomichi Point. This relatively flat hike takes you along the rim of the canyon for views of the Gunnison River and sheer walls of the gorge below. This can be between 1-2 miles.

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Oak Flat Loop

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Rim Rock Trail

East Portal Road River Access

Located right at the entrance/exit to the park, you will see the access for East Portal Road. This is a 5 mile road with a significant decline (16% grade) with hairpin turns taking your car to the base of Black Canyon. This is the only way to get down into the canyon. Once arriving at the bottom, the views from down below are gorgeous.  The picturesque surroundings of the beautiful lake and the cliff walls of the canyon from up above are majestic. By far the coolest experience I had in the park. I was just in awe. I read a lot of things online and it made it sound dramatic and dangerous to drive down. Any car/van can handle it. Vehicles with an overall length (including trailer) greater than 22 feet are prohibited. Trailers may be left unhitched and left at a parking area at the campground entrance. This road is closed in the winter. Just be smart about driving down. It took us about 30 minutes. This is a bucket list type event. Don’t chicken out!

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The drive down into the canyon.

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HIKING FOR DONUTS

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every change 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.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

SEE OTHER POSTS IN ARCHIVE

Archive

• CO 2
• CT 14
• Canada 1
• Donuts 7
• Hike 50
• Hiking 50
• Iceland 2
• MA 1
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• NH 3
• NY 11
• National Parks 6
• PA 2
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• Travel 24
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