Estimated distance round-trip: 1.5 miles in total
Weather: 67°F, beautiful and sunny
Resources: Simsbury Land Trust
Highlights of the trip: Views, beautiful fall colors already appearing in the bog
With a month to go before a hike up Mount Cardigan in New Hampshire, I've been trying to find some places locally that I can hike that will challenge me. The elevation gain at Cardigan is nearly 2000 feet, and I am just not going to find that in Connecticut. Today, I chose Hedgehog Mountain in West Simsbury.
I parked at the end of North Saddle Ridge Drive and took the white trail up along the stream and turned left onto the red trail which climbs to the top of Hedgehog Mountain. I know this is nothing compared to what I am going to find in NH, so I decided to hike without stopping until I got to the overlook. (That's a big deal for me.) I think this view of the Farmington Valley is the best around. It offers a whole different perspective than the one you get from the Metcamet Ridge on the other side.
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| Looking north. |
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| Looking east. That is the bog in the center. |
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| Comon Polypody fern. |
I returned to my car and drove just a short distance back down North Saddle Ridge Drive to the marker for the Bog Walk. A short walk through the woods brought me to a boardwalk into the bog. The colors were fantastic.
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| Looking at the ridge of Hedgehog Mountain. |
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| Love the puffs of white cotton-grass in this photo. |
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| After all the color of the bog, the photo of the trail along the esker looks black & white. |
Nice colors! Save some for me!
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