Estimated distance: 2.57 miles
Weather: 22°F, partly cloudy
Resources: Granby Land Trust, Seth and Lucy Holcombe Preserve Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: nice views
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| Screenshot of route using MapMyHike. |
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
GLT's Seth and Lucy Holcombe Preserve - North Granby, CT
Date Hiked: Sunday, January 13, 2019
Estimated distance: 2.57 miles
Weather: 22°F, partly cloudy
Resources: Granby Land Trust, Seth and Lucy Holcombe Preserve Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: nice views
Estimated distance: 2.57 miles
Weather: 22°F, partly cloudy
Resources: Granby Land Trust, Seth and Lucy Holcombe Preserve Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: nice views
Monday, January 14, 2019
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.
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| Bartlett tower. |
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| My artsy view of Bartlett Tower. |
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| Looking west. |
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| These type of chimney's dot the Metacomet. |
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| 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.
The water level everywhere else is relatively high, but here at the reservoir, it is low. They must be releasing water from the dam.
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.
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| 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.
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| Skies starting to clear after we had a few sprinkles. |
Sunday, January 13, 2019
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.
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.
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.
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| Trout Pomd |
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| Winter colors |
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| Along the blue loop |
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| A view of the Barndoor Hills |
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| 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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| Broad Hill Road |
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Stillman-Danaher Preserve & Topsmead State Forest - Litchfield, CT
Date Hiked: Saturday, June 9, 2018
Estimated distance: 1.85 miles at Stillman-Danaher + 3.07 miles at Topsmead
Weather: 73°F, sunny
Resources: Litchfield Land Trust, DEEP Topsmead SF
Highlights of the trip: gardens, wildflowers, birds
Progress toward NET Hike 50 Challenge: 10.5/50 miles completed
Nearly two months ago, my hiking partner and I headed over to Litchfield to check out two properties neither of us had been to before. First, we hiked the trail at Litchfield Land Trust's Stillman-Danaher Preserve and then we drove less than two miles down the road to Topsmead State Forest.
The hike at S-D was fine, but there were no views, even from Pinnacle Rock. I think perhaps this is a trail best done in the winter, where you might get a peek through the trees or other features may stand out (see Peter Marteka's article here). One thing we did find of interest were some young trees that seem to have some kind of disease. I'm not sure this would be noticeable in the winter without the leaves. It only seemed to be happening on young trees. The thin branches were all twisted and there was a mass of dead leaves with new smaller leaves growing above. My pictures were terrible and I haven't identified the tree. The Land Trust thought it may be a beech tree, but I am not sure. I have searched the internet for something similar, but without success. I may have to go back and take better pictures.
Topsmead State Forest
At Topsmead, we parked and strolled up to the former summer home of Edith Morton Chase. The "cottage" is beautiful and is surrounded by lovely gardens and fields. There is also an area of cedar and yew that forms a bit of a cave that I am sure kids would really enjoy.
As we wandered around the house, we also saw that there were bobolinks at the edge of the field. I first saw these birds last year at the Winchester Land Trust's Hurlburt Field.
From the cottage we went back toward the cars, but turned north past a field with wildflowers to end up at a little pond lined with yellow irises.
We took the trail that went past the pond and looped around back to the road and then walked across the fields on the southern side of the property. There were lots of wildflowers and more birds. The birds were blue, but I couldn't get a good enough look to say whether they were blue birds or barn swallows. I am sure a real birder could tell simply from watching their flight, but I can't.
Topsmead State Forest is an absolutely stunning piece of property and well worth another visit. There are picnic tables in various places, so I would recommend stopping and getting some sandwiches and enjoying a picnic. I would think this would be an ideal place to snowshoe or cross country ski in the winter months.
Estimated distance: 1.85 miles at Stillman-Danaher + 3.07 miles at Topsmead
Weather: 73°F, sunny
Resources: Litchfield Land Trust, DEEP Topsmead SF
Highlights of the trip: gardens, wildflowers, birds
Progress toward NET Hike 50 Challenge: 10.5/50 miles completed
Nearly two months ago, my hiking partner and I headed over to Litchfield to check out two properties neither of us had been to before. First, we hiked the trail at Litchfield Land Trust's Stillman-Danaher Preserve and then we drove less than two miles down the road to Topsmead State Forest.
The hike at S-D was fine, but there were no views, even from Pinnacle Rock. I think perhaps this is a trail best done in the winter, where you might get a peek through the trees or other features may stand out (see Peter Marteka's article here). One thing we did find of interest were some young trees that seem to have some kind of disease. I'm not sure this would be noticeable in the winter without the leaves. It only seemed to be happening on young trees. The thin branches were all twisted and there was a mass of dead leaves with new smaller leaves growing above. My pictures were terrible and I haven't identified the tree. The Land Trust thought it may be a beech tree, but I am not sure. I have searched the internet for something similar, but without success. I may have to go back and take better pictures.
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| What is wrong with this tree? |
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| Spider with large egg sac. |
At Topsmead, we parked and strolled up to the former summer home of Edith Morton Chase. The "cottage" is beautiful and is surrounded by lovely gardens and fields. There is also an area of cedar and yew that forms a bit of a cave that I am sure kids would really enjoy.
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| Neat little "cave" under the trees. |
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| Bobolink |
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| Leafy spurge. |
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| Cow vetch. |
We took the trail that went past the pond and looped around back to the road and then walked across the fields on the southern side of the property. There were lots of wildflowers and more birds. The birds were blue, but I couldn't get a good enough look to say whether they were blue birds or barn swallows. I am sure a real birder could tell simply from watching their flight, but I can't.
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| Ragged robin. |
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| Orange Hawkweed aka Devil's Paintbrush. |
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| Path through the pines. |
Topsmead State Forest is an absolutely stunning piece of property and well worth another visit. There are picnic tables in various places, so I would recommend stopping and getting some sandwiches and enjoying a picnic. I would think this would be an ideal place to snowshoe or cross country ski in the winter months.
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