Hike #11: Talcott Mountain State Park - Simsbury, CT

Date Hiked:  Saturday, February 27, 2016
Estimated distance round-trip: 3.98 miles
Weather: 30°F, sunny
Resources: Talcott Mountain State Park, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: tower and the views
Progress toward 2016 hiking goals:  11/52 hikes; 36.14/250 miles


Another great hiking day.  In February, no less!

I have been to Talcott Mountain State Park many times over the years, but today I hiked on a trail I had not been on before.  I decided to take the Metacomet Trail - now part of the New England Trail - on the way up, and come back on the yellow trail.

Given the lack of snow and the nice weather, I had forgotten that the gate to the park would be closed.  The gates are part way up the road, but not nearly as far as the first parking spot indicated on the map.  I did a three-point turn and parked along the side of the road (Summit Ridge Drive).  I got to Talcott sometime around 11:00 and I am glad I arrived in the morning.  The parking situation as I was leaving around 1:00 was a lot tougher.  Cars were lined up on both sides all the way down to the entrance on Route 185 and it made turning around once you got in there pretty difficult. 

Part of Trail Map from DEEP Website

From where I had parked the car, I walked down the hill back toward Route 185.  I was hoping I wouldn't have to walk along the busy road to get to the Metacomet, and I spied an area that looked like it had been cleared and might be the start of a trail.  Don't go there!  The cleared area peters out pretty quickly and there are pricker bushes everywhere!  I back-tracked and walked along the road on the inside of the fence.  The Metacomet Trail is clearly marked and I was soon heading away from 185.
 

Only 2.4 miles to the Heublein Tower.

Unlike last week, there was no snow, but I was happy I brought my hiking poles.  The trail was rocky and we recently had a lot of rain.  I had to cross a stream a couple of times and in some places the trail was the stream.  The poles allowed me to keep my balance over the rocks and on slippery areas on the trail.

Icicles.

I wound my way along the Metacomet and climbed to the top of the ridge.  I had no idea there was going to be a view up there, but truth be told, the views down below on the yellow trail are better because you can see the floor of the valley.  The advantage to the Metacomet is lack of crowds.  I met only one other person on this section of trail.  They yellow trail can get quite busy.

I made it to the beautiful Heublein Tower.  If you come during the summer months, you can go in for a look.  I was most pleased to find that there were composting toilets available and they were clean and stocked with toilet paper.  Much appreciated.

Heublein Tower

After spending a few minutes walking around the tower and looking at the view, I headed back along the yellow trail.  There were a couple of nice view points along the way.

Looking north.

Looking south from a different view point.

The yellow trail had a big icy patch as it headed down the hill toward the parking.  I got my hiking poles back out and used them to help me navigate the ice.  Two more composting toilets at the bottom near the trail head  (just in case you wanted to know).

Here is a screen shot of the elevation for this hike.  I guess the graph and the values listed below must be calculated using different methods (one uses GPS and the other somehow overlays a terrain map?).  The graph seems to indicate a minimum elevation of around 300ft and a maximum elevation of around 800ft.  The values below the graph are 431ft and 945ft, respectively.  The total gain seems to be in the ballpark.

Again, I didn't manage to make the 5 mile mark.  If I had continued past the tower and down toward the reservoir on Route 44, I certainly would have.  I have never done that before, so I may have to try that another time.