Metacomet Trail - Tariffville, CT

Date Hiked: Saturday, January 12, 2019
Estimated distance:  2.6 miles
Weather: 22°F, partly cloudy
Resources: OpenStreetMap, New England Trail- CT Section 18
Highlights of the trip:  fun group of people, nice views



This hike was arranged by the Simsbury Land Trust.   We had a good group of people, maybe as many as 20, though I didn't do a head count.  We parked on Church Street Extension in Tariffville and took the Metacomet Trail up Laurel Hill and past the ruins of the Bartlett Tower.  We followed the Metacomet Trail to the cell tower and looped back to the starting point passing a couple of power line cuts.  There is current work going on as they replace the wooden poles with metal ones.

Bartlett tower.

According to our leader, Bartlett Tower used to have a dance hall.  This article at Connecticut Explored gives a more detailed description.

My artsy view of Bartlett Tower.

Looking west.

These type of chimney's dot the Metacomet.

View of the Barndoor Hills in Granby.

Northwest Park - Windsor, CT

Date Hiked: Sunday, January 6, 2019
Estimated distance:  4.11 miles
Weather: 37°F, cloudy with a few sprinkles
Resources: Northwest Park
Highlights of the trip:  fun group of people


I led a small group of people from the Take a Hike! Farmington Valley facebook group on a hike around some of the trails at Northwest Park - one of my go-to places when I am looking for something relatively easy.  This park has a wonderful trail system.  It is generally well marked, though I find I can get a little screwed up when multiple woods roads, that are not marked, come together.

Beaver lodge on far side.

The water level everywhere else is relatively high, but here at the reservoir, it is low.  They must be releasing water from the dam.

Skies starting to clear after we had a few sprinkles.

McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Estimated distance:  3.53 miles
Weather: 30°F, cloudy
Resources: McLean Game Refuge
Highlights of the trip:  winter colors


Another nice day, but 20 degrees cooler than New Year's Day.  Today, I decided to hike in McLean Game Refuge starting at the parking area on Barndoor Hills Road.  From there, I walked on the woods road to Trout Pond and then took the blue loop back to the woods road. 

Trout Pomd

Winter colors

Along the blue loop

A view of the Barndoor Hills

Frost heaves

A short distance on the same woods road I had taken on the way in, led me to the green Werbitzkas Loop.  The trail took me down to a field, where on other occasions I have seen deer.  Not today.

The trail eventually comes out along the West Branch of the Salmon Brook.  There had been a lot of rain in the last few days and the brook was quite high, but based upon how the grasses were matted down all in one direction, it seems the water had been even higher.

A nice hike and it was great to get outside.

Carpenter's Falls - West Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Estimated distance:  1.80 miles
Weather: 50°F, partly cloudy
Resources: New England Waterfalls
Highlights of the trip:  waterfall



A great start to the New Year.  My husband joined me on a hike to beautiful Carpenter's Falls in West Granby.  Although you can use the trails at Holcomb Farm to get to the falls, we chose to make the more straightforward hike by parking by the gate on Broad Hill Road.  There is only room for a few cars there, so this location does not work if you are hiking with a group.

Once through the gate, you walk up an unmaintained dirt road.  Granby Land Trust's Diamond Ledges are to your right and the trails from Holcomb Farm are to your left.  At about the 0.70 mile mark, Weed Hill Road will go off to the left and a bridge will cross Beach Brook.  The falls are just below the bridge.

At the top of the falls.

On the way back down the road, we took a very short detour on to the land trust's Petersen Preserve.  There seemed to be a trail, although there was a tree down across it, but I wasn't sure where it was really going to lead us.  Normally, I am happy to just explore and see what I can find, but we had already been out for awhile, so I am saving it for another day.  You can get an idea of what the trail might be by looking at OpenStreetMap.  There is so much up here to explore, I can't wait to go back.

Broad Hill Road