CT > Hartford County > Berlin
Mattabassett/Mattabesett Trail (2.5 miles in Berlin - one way)
Town of Berlin- trail section description
CFPA Interactive Map
New England Trail: Section 13
Metacomet Trail (8.8 mile section in Berlin - one way)
Town of Berlin - trail section descriptions
CFPA Interactive Map
New England Trail: Section 14
New England Trail: Section 15
CTMQ blog post (28 May 2007) - Metacomet Trail: Section 4
Ragged Mountain Preserve (>5 miles with options for varying lengths)
CFPA Interactive Trail Map - The blue-blazed Metacomet Trail runs through Ragged Mountain Preserve
CFPA Ragged Mountain Preserve Trail Map
Town of Berlin Ragged Mountain Park Trail Map
The Outbound Collective - Hike the Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve
CTMQ blog post (multiple hikes)
Hartford Courant Article (27 Nov 2009) by Peter Marteka
New England Waterfalls - Ragged Mountain Cascade
Included in the following book:
50 Hikes in Connecticut (4th Edition) by David, Gerry, and Sue Hardy
Town of Berlin Trails
Listing of all Trail Maps
Timberlin Park (Amelia Green Trail = 1.38 miles, connects to Metacomet)
Pistol Creek Area (2.12 miles)
Hatchery Brook Conservation Area (around 5 miles of connected loop trails)
Bicentennial Park (about 1.7 miles of loop trails, connects to Metacomet)
Beckley Quarry Conservation Area (0.92 miles one way)
Berlin Land Trust
Berlin Land Trust Facebook
Showing posts with label New England Trail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New England Trail. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Hike #31: New England Trail - Suffield, CT to Agawam, MA
Date Hiked: Saturday, June 11, 2016
Estimated distance: 4.88 miles (although my GPS says 5.22, we had started driving down the road before I turned it off)
Weather: 62°F, overcast then some rain
Resources: CT NET: Section 21 (Metacomet Trail), MA NET: Section 01 (Metacomet-Monadnock Trail)
Highlights of the trip: bog
Progress toward 2016 hiking goals: 31/52 hikes; 119.67/250 miles; 28.5/25 miles on Tunxis Trail
One of my old roommates, who shared a CIGNA house with me in Bloomfield before I got married, contacted me to see if I wanted to go on a hike. We ended up choosing to hike a part of the New England Trail (Metacomet and Monadnock) that I hadn't done before. We left a car on Route 57 near the Southwick/Agawam line (huge parking area across from Agawam Bowmen's Club) and took the other down to Phelps Road in Suffield to start our hike.
I was glad I had looked at the information on the New England Trail website before we left so that I knew we would be following the blue trail in CT and the white trail in MA. When we started our hike there were two trails, and at least I knew to take the blue one.
We climbed up and eventually came to a look out. A beautiful view except for the huge power lines. The picture below is my attempt to get a view with minimal power line intrusion, but I probably should have just taken one power lines and all so you could see what it really looked like.
Once across the bog, we were back under the cover of the trees. Thankfully, it hadn't rained heavily. We were wet, but not soaked. We got to the car and headed back to the other car at Phelps Road. It started raining a little more. We went our separate ways and within a mile, the sky opened up. It was crazy. I had the wipers on full speed and I just started laughing. We got lucky on this one!
Estimated distance: 4.88 miles (although my GPS says 5.22, we had started driving down the road before I turned it off)
Weather: 62°F, overcast then some rain
Resources: CT NET: Section 21 (Metacomet Trail), MA NET: Section 01 (Metacomet-Monadnock Trail)
Highlights of the trip: bog
Progress toward 2016 hiking goals: 31/52 hikes; 119.67/250 miles; 28.5/25 miles on Tunxis Trail
One of my old roommates, who shared a CIGNA house with me in Bloomfield before I got married, contacted me to see if I wanted to go on a hike. We ended up choosing to hike a part of the New England Trail (Metacomet and Monadnock) that I hadn't done before. We left a car on Route 57 near the Southwick/Agawam line (huge parking area across from Agawam Bowmen's Club) and took the other down to Phelps Road in Suffield to start our hike.
I was glad I had looked at the information on the New England Trail website before we left so that I knew we would be following the blue trail in CT and the white trail in MA. When we started our hike there were two trails, and at least I knew to take the blue one.
We climbed up and eventually came to a look out. A beautiful view except for the huge power lines. The picture below is my attempt to get a view with minimal power line intrusion, but I probably should have just taken one power lines and all so you could see what it really looked like.
We knew when we started the hike it was supposed to rain later in the day, but it started raining about half-way through our hike. Much earlier than we had anticipated. Thank goodness it wasn't a heavy rain (yet) and for the most part we were under the trees.
As we came out to Rising Corner Road in Southwick, we felt like we were walking through someone's yard. There is a kiosk and parking for hikers in the field across the street. Walking in between two other properties, we soon came to the bog I had read about. There was an old wheelbarrow full of scraps of metal and, as we stopped to put on more bug repellent, I tripped over a metal rod that was sticking out of the ground and then managed to stab my leg with it. Thankfully, it was nothing more than a surface scratch, but be careful there!
A boardwalk of sorts has been built across the bog. It is not fancy, and seems to be built layer upon layer. It needs to be high in order to make it passable. There is no way you could cross the bog without it, so thank you to the folks that built it.
Once across the bog, we were back under the cover of the trees. Thankfully, it hadn't rained heavily. We were wet, but not soaked. We got to the car and headed back to the other car at Phelps Road. It started raining a little more. We went our separate ways and within a mile, the sky opened up. It was crazy. I had the wipers on full speed and I just started laughing. We got lucky on this one!
Sunday, May 10, 2015
East Granby/Suffield - Metacomet Trail
Finally!
I have finally hiked the section of the Metacomet Trail in East Granby and Suffield from end to end. (See CT NET: Section 20) It seems a minor accomplishment. It is only about 5 miles long, but I was able to achieve something I hadn't before - find the trail register. I have hiked part way in from the East Granby end and part way in from the Suffield end, but I never saw the trail register that was supposed to be there. I think I must have missed a small section of the middle of the trail.
I hiked with my friend, D, and we left one car at the junction of Phelps Road and Route 168 in Suffield. Then we drove around to the parking on the corner of Newgate Road and Route 20 in East Granby.
There is an initial ascent that is fairly steep, but then things level out for awhile. If you check out the link above, it indicates numbers of +999 feet/-1007 feet. I can only assume that that is the cumulative elevation gain and loss over the entire trail section. My phone indicated that the lowest elevation was 388 feet and the highest was 815 feet. In general, once you get up on the ridge, there is not a lot of change in elevation except for the ravine between the two peaks, Peak/Copper Mountain and West Suffield Mountain. (The CT Walk Book gives elevations of the two peaks as 672 and 691 feet, respectively).
Heading up from Route 20, we soon spotted some pretty little violets. Based on information from the Connecticut Botanical Society website, I am guessing they are birdfoot violets.
We also saw a lot of Wild Red Columbine. Really pretty and they stand out from the browns and greys of the leaves and rocks.
There are several lookouts to the west along the way (not to the east as indicated by the Walk Book). The first overlook is quite expansive and gives a great look at the valley and down the ridge line toward Talcott Mountain and the Heublein Tower. Unfortunately, it was pretty hazy, so our views were limited. At around the 1.5 mile mark, there is a view of Old Newgate Prison. Still closed for renovations with no opening date in sight as of this writing.
The basalt formations along the ridge are really interesting.
At about the 4.0 mile mark, there is a great view of flat-topped Manituck Mountain.
The trail register is near one of the viewpoints (can't remember which one). We nearly missed it because as we came back down from the viewpoint, it was behind us. One of the people who signed it the day before us was on his way to completing the whole New England Trail. He was planning on finishing at Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire (which isn't technically on the NET - yet). I like the idea of setting a goal like this. The Appalachian Trail is beyond me, but perhaps the NET is achievable.
I have finally hiked the section of the Metacomet Trail in East Granby and Suffield from end to end. (See CT NET: Section 20) It seems a minor accomplishment. It is only about 5 miles long, but I was able to achieve something I hadn't before - find the trail register. I have hiked part way in from the East Granby end and part way in from the Suffield end, but I never saw the trail register that was supposed to be there. I think I must have missed a small section of the middle of the trail.
I hiked with my friend, D, and we left one car at the junction of Phelps Road and Route 168 in Suffield. Then we drove around to the parking on the corner of Newgate Road and Route 20 in East Granby.
There is an initial ascent that is fairly steep, but then things level out for awhile. If you check out the link above, it indicates numbers of +999 feet/-1007 feet. I can only assume that that is the cumulative elevation gain and loss over the entire trail section. My phone indicated that the lowest elevation was 388 feet and the highest was 815 feet. In general, once you get up on the ridge, there is not a lot of change in elevation except for the ravine between the two peaks, Peak/Copper Mountain and West Suffield Mountain. (The CT Walk Book gives elevations of the two peaks as 672 and 691 feet, respectively).
Heading up from Route 20, we soon spotted some pretty little violets. Based on information from the Connecticut Botanical Society website, I am guessing they are birdfoot violets.
 |
| Birdfoot Violet? |
We also saw a lot of Wild Red Columbine. Really pretty and they stand out from the browns and greys of the leaves and rocks.
 |
| Wild Red Columbine |
There are several lookouts to the west along the way (not to the east as indicated by the Walk Book). The first overlook is quite expansive and gives a great look at the valley and down the ridge line toward Talcott Mountain and the Heublein Tower. Unfortunately, it was pretty hazy, so our views were limited. At around the 1.5 mile mark, there is a view of Old Newgate Prison. Still closed for renovations with no opening date in sight as of this writing.
 |
| Old Newgate Prison on far side of road. |
 |
| Basalt spire. |
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| Manituck Mountain |
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