Hello Rapunzel!…read more Built in 1929, this 34-foot tower is a must visit. It's about a 1 mile hike up with a slight incline. I was able to do it with my kids. Once you get to the tower and climb to the top, you can see the Litchfield hills, Berkshires, and even NY on a clear day. There is a parking area and the place was pretty quiet when we went. There was a couple of people but overall it was peaceful and not crowded at all. If you love history, hiking, and landmarks, this is worth a visit.

This was a great state park for people with just the right amount of non-fitness like myself…read more We parked near the summit and were able to take a just the right amount of long hike to the tower. Upon climbing the tower, we were gifted with beautiful views of the surrounding area. I'm not saying I would return, because it wasn't something that warrants doing more than once, but I did have an awesome time nonetheless.

Ahhhh.. Umpachene - how do I bottle you and bring you home?…read more Delightful 18 minute ride from where we were staying in Sheffield. Suggest loading GPS or navigation app before losing signal in the mountains. Of note, and quite a surprise after a score of years closed, the bridge on Umpachene Falls Road has been rebuilt and is open. Yesterday, the falls were rushing abs bracingly cold! While I didn't fully submerge or hide behind the water curtain, I sat in the flow and was transfixed and refreshed for an hour. Remains a Berkshire treasure!

Beautiful place. Nice picnic area. Very relaxing. Great place to go to unwind and enjoy nature…read more Highly recommended!

The falls are truly incredible…read more The trail down to the bottom of the falls, is a bit tricky. But so incredibly worth it. I would suggest not to believe the sign saying 189 steps.... it is definitely more! Take drinking water because you'll need that for sure. We went back in August and the heat was definitely there. The parking lot was pretty packed but throughout the trails people were pretty evenly spaced out. Not so much at the base of the falls themselves but there was still plenty of room to move around freely.

One of the tallest waterfall in NY, similar height to Taughannock Falls. Physical requirement is…read moredifferent tho, Kaaterskill Falls has about 500foot of elevation change and a lot of slippery stone steps at the end, if you come here when the weather is still cold. Parking: most people park at the Laurel-House Road parking area, because it is the closest. Or you can park at Mountain Top Historical Society, the old train station, which an extra mile. Starting from the old railroad station is nice, you can still see some old tracks on the ground. Walk to the overlook is fairly easy, once you get to the start point of Lower falls junction, it is where you need to be prepared. I recommend hiking shoe, especially in colder months where the ground is wet and iced. When you reach to the stone steps, they can get slippery. I am surprised no one fell in late March. Half of the steps were cover in ice and people were wearing regular sneakers. Once you reach the base of the two tier falls, the view is tremendous. If water levels are high, you can feel the energy of the water. There is a lot of spray from the falls when you get close. There is short trail to the middle tier pool. It was iced up during winter, spikes will definitely be useful. The end was amazing too. So close to the lead of the waterfall. You can keep going and follow Escarpment trail and follow the edge of the valley. There is monument for fireman Frank Layman who died during firefighting in 1900, at his monument, you can see route 23A bend around mountain. And if you keep going, there are a couple viewpoint to overlook the valley. Nice break points to enjoy the view and rest your legs.

It took me three attempts over three days to make it all the way to the waterfall, but it was so…read moreworth it! I took this journey at the start of February, and there was tons of snow on the ground. On the first day, I arrived at the Massachusetts parking lot around 3 PM I figured I had a good two hours before sundown. I turned back after walking a short way down the trail because it was so steep, I thought I was going to tumble into the river. When I got back, I watched a video of someone hiking on the Massachusetts side, and I realized that the trail is normally full of stairs This makes sense because it's very steep and that's why it's so short but because of the snow, the stairs are covered up I would definitely not recommend using the Massachusetts side in the winter On the second day, I got to the New York parking lot around 2 PM. I made it about halfway down the much more gradual and scenic trail before I turned back. I turned back because the sun disappeared behind the mountain, and it was dark and windy On the third day, I got to the New York side at 11 AM. This time I realized that the top of the trail is just always dark and windy because it's in a corridor between two mountain peaks. So I pressed on. It took me about one hour to get to the end of the trail. I walked pretty slowly and stopped to look at nature a lot. If you are not someone who is super confident staying on the path in the forest, these are fairly easy trails because it's just a straight line the whole way there and you are following the river the whole time. I'm so glad I didn't give up because the falls are one of the most beautiful magical things I've ever seen Instead of water flowing down through the ice, it was snow and slush bursting through the sections of the frozen waterfall the water exploding into 1 million tiny snowflakes from the top to the bottom I plan to come back here in the summer with my kids and I think they will really love it.

Must see if you are in the area! Two parking lots -- one in NY and one in MA. We did the NY one…read morewhich leads up up a gradual, pretty easy hill about 20min until you reach the falls. Looks like the MA lot -- you go down a steep, shorter hill to reach the falls. Along the way you'll pass by a stream and an array of Fall leaves. When you reach the falls, there were many people who climbed the little railing and took the rocky steps down to the falls. It's worth it -- as it's beautiful and a great picture spot. Dog friendly too!

5 stars for the magnificent beauty. I had to deduct a star because the paved trail was closed. It…read morelooks like an awesome trail but I think it's closed due to hazardous water conditions based on the sign. There are three parking lots total. However, there are no sidewalks across the dam. You can walk on the grassy part of the dam, it is high and there are no railings; you can either fall into the street or down the dam face, which would probably hurt a little lol. If you bring small children, hold onto their hands. So many people are there on a nice day to gaze at the wonderful views of the reservoir and hills. Now please open up the trails, it would be an awesome place to take a walk in nature.

Picturesque, bucolic atmosphere. Limited parking areas on both sides. Today, with full sun and…read morecloudless skies, absolutely beautiful. I imagine during any type of weather, it's beautiful. Makes me want to take up painting.

This is a beautiful state park with 2300 acres of land. Parking is free. There are 10 miles of…read morehiking trails, including the Macedonia Ridge Trail, 51 campsites, and you can fish. Sone of the trails get you to views of the Catskills and Taconic mountains. There are a lot of streams, and lots of places for grills and cooking. The land once belonged to the Scatacook Tribe.

Had the pleasure of staying at site 48 for my first camping experience! I can only speak of the…read moresite and the hiking trails. Site 48: There are lots and lots and lots of bugs. You will find flies of all shapes and sizes, mosquitoes, and spiders. This part isn't fun. But it's nature and it's expected. Make sure you load up on your bug spray. Other than that, you're given a fire ring, picnic table, and a pretty large space to back your car in so it's out of the road. The site is more or less secluded if you parked your car in the entrance. It's not fully shaded like it says online though. The latrine is suuuuper close by and so is the water spout. Definitely recommend this spot and will for sure be coming back to it. The trails: we hiked blue trail and it wasn't terrible but was totally not what I expected! There's tons of inclines and lots of climbing. If you're a hiking junky, you'll like it. If you're a first timer, I don't really recommend. And if you're a casual walker/hiker, you can give it a try but I personally don't think it's worth it. There are some slippery and rocky slopes. Other than that, I still enjoyed it but hear me out when I say it's not for the casual walkers!! The campground and park is overall well kept. The latrines don't smell awful in the day because of it's solar panel ventilation systems. Beware of it when the sun goes down. The water is safe to cook and drink. The staff maintaining the area is more or less nice. They have a very strict no alcohol and pets policy so don't let them catch you with either! And I repeat again DO NOT FORGET YOUR BUG SPRAY.

Here's a tiny spot in one of the rural corners of Connecticut, but a fun spot to poke around…read more Seeing the images of Beckley Furnace, then and now, are astoundingly different! It's a place you can get up close to the past, but also a peaceful spot to view the river and furnace locks, I especially recommend being here in autumn, watching sycamore leaves float down the river. Parking by the furnace isn't huge, but additional parking is just over the small bridge. There is plenty of interpretive signage to guide you, and ample picnic space to enjoy, but no facilities. We didn't even see a port-o-let. All the same, enjoy your drive and short hike!

I wouldn't exactly call this a destination sort of park, it's a landmark/monument with a little…read moreparkette along Lower Road in East Canaan. IIt's mainly of interest if you're interested in the history of the area, but something you could combine with visiting nearby Haystack Mountain Park. Still, it's well maintained and has a nice parking area, with a number of highly informative signs around the area, leading you on a short walk from the furnace over to the dam where the piping for the steam turbine is still somewhat in place. There's a few picnic tables as well, if you're in the mood for a picnic. Altogether a nice little pleasant stop on the road.

Amazing playground. Clean, wheelchair accessible, they have playground toys I didn't even know…read moreexisted, but I wish they did when I was a child!! They use rubber playground matting and the playground is easily accessible for parents and or grandparents to navigate around the different play areas with their kids.

It's truly a blessing living less than a five minute drive away from this playground. My daughter…read moreloves to go here and always has a blast. The amazing thing about this park is that it is ENTIRELY capable of allowing handicap children and children in strollers. How beautiful!!! My heart aches for the Martin family who this park was constructed for, they're all so nice. Honestly you'll find my daughter and I here 4/7 days a week, it's THAT nice. There's hardly ever any trash there. The ONLY thing I would change well-- suggest about the park is I think they should have installed a water fountain for when it's hot during summer. Then again, I don't have any clue on how difficult that would have been!

I hiked this mountain on October 18, 2024. I hiked Bear Mountain trail. Bear mountain did not…read moredisappoint. The fall foliage was beautiful. So many yellows and oranges. The was one little fly that we seem to make friends with. The scrabbles were good and a nice mix up to the trail. The trail was well marked and maintained. We were able to stand on the CT/MA line. The trail was about 6.5 miles long.

As the tallest peak in Connecticut (2,300 ft.) Bear Mountain has to be one of my favorite CT hikes…read more There are several ways up to the summit, all of which are steep, long, and strenuous. On our most recent visit, we used Lion's Head. Although it's a bit longer than the Undermountain Trail, it's less vigorous and I think it has some really spectacular views. This is the perfect spot if you love panoramic overviews. From several lookouts, you can actually take in some great long-distance views. The southern part of Connecticut spreads out in front of you with the rolling Litchfield Hills to the south, Twin Lakes east, Massachusetts north-northeast, and surrounding mountainsides, farmland, woodlands, and small towns fill in the pieces of this picturesque puzzle (no western views). If you use Lion's head to reach the summit of Bear Mountain, it's a 6-mile round trip. As you near the top, the Appalachian Trail appears and is marked with white hash marks whereas the Lion's Head trail is marked by blue hash marks. Keep this in mind for your return trip or you be going off course! FYI: Park at the dirt parking lot on Bunker Hill Rd on the labeled "hiker parking" lot. All in all, the hike(s) up to Bear Mountain are tough and challenging even for the average day-hiker. With some patience, plenty of water and snacks, some determination and good company, Bear Mountain will be a great day-hike for any level. If you're feeling fancy, bring a bottle of wine and actual food and have a picnic at the summit. And if that still isn't enough, don't forget the journey's reward -- great overviews, Appalachian Trail access, title of hiking Connecticut's highest peaks, waterfalls, and woodlands.

Every single time I go I love u. This time I we went late in the afternoon and spread a blanket…read more The roses aren't blooming yet in early May, but it was definitely still beautiful

This more than 100 acre park with its stunning rose garden is a wonderful way to spend the day…read more Entrance is free and it is open 365 days! We visited on a Sunday afternoon in early autumn and we're happy to see some roses still in bloom! There are over 800 varieties of old and new roses a d the best time to see in full bloom is mid June to early July. The rustic gazebo is stunning and allows for a great photo opportunity. There are walking, biking trails and trees throught the park are identified. Plenty of green space to relax and enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the park. Enter on Asylum Street to view the rose garden, pond, bridge, greenhouses and perennial garden. Stunning. Easy to walk around.