This gem is quite a bit off the beaten path. If you travel off season, which we do most of the…read moretime, you are rewarded with a serene nature experience, and relatively few fellow humans. It is dog friendly. From April to September the water is comfortable, with a pleasant sandy bottom. There seems to be a path all the way around the lake, but we've never gone that far. You are expected to carry your trash out to the parking lot, where you will find the only toilet facility in the form of a porta potty. Always a great place to lose the stress.

Miller's Pond's desirability is very time dependent. Spring, summer, and fall are no go due to…read morelimited parking, disgusting trash, and rude people. If you like used diapers, beer cans, and broken glass, then go for it. Sad!

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 was my first time here I hiked the north and south trails. Each side had their own little…read morequirks and beauty. The north side was a little prettier than the south side however, I enjoyed them both. They both have the river as well as little ruins and signs that explain what they once were. It's a fairly easy hike.

Beautiful and scenic trials. Make sure you follow the trail heads or follow your scenery as a…read moremajority of the trails aren't marked. Very well maintained, clean and well preserved.

A park with a spectacular view!…read more Talcott Mountain State Park is a 574-acre park located in Simsbury. Parking was spacious. The trail to the Heublein Tower is 1.25-miles long. The Tower can be seen from various parts of the state. It's a beautiful, white, 165-foot high tower with 360 degrees view. The trail was wide and on gravel. There was recent heavy rains so some of the trails had some washout. The hike was mostly up hill with some flat areas; I'd say it's moderate but it was a little bit more challenging for me because I was baby-wearing my child. My toddler did great on it. There were a couple of benches and logs to sit on along the way; pet waste receptacles were seen. My only qualm were the bugs, so don't forget bug spray like we did. Once we got to the top, there were a couple of porta potties and a kiosk. The view of the tower up close was exhilarating, so much history. There was an informational movie on in the garage with benches. There was a huge picnic pavilion and picnic tables throughout; a giant BBQ pit and another small one. The Heublein Tower was beautiful and built in 1914; it can withstand 100-mph winds. The staircases going up and down were meant to be one way; this was a great way to reduce pedestrian congestion and a fire hazard. There were historic relics and rooms decorated the way it was back in the day. Informational signage throughout the space. The tower used to be the summer home for Gilbert Heublein; a successful businessman whose company acquired Smirnoff Vodka and A1 Steak Sauce. The view from the ballroom was amazing and breathtaking. They had signs showing what we can see based on the direction. The hike back down the trail was easier, becareful though, some of the gravel were slippery and I saw a kid fall. Overall, a great hike and the view was worth it!

Amazing and easy hike with the gals. The view is amazing from the top. It is a great hike to chat…read morewith people and too far from Hartford

Small but fun trail in Vernon , CT About 1.4 miles one way. There are also connecting loops of 0.3…read moreand 0.4 miles. Dog friendly. Plenty of beautiful birds and animals along this hiking trail.

"Why so unforgiving and why so cold Been a long time…read morecrossing the bridge of sighs" (Robin Trower -Bridge of Sighs) I subscribe to e-mails from "Only in Your State". They're a web service that spotlights oddities, curiosities, and attractions across the Nutmeg State. When they recently posted about a 100-foot long rope bridge somewhere between Vernon and Ellington, well how can you blame me for instantly wanting to go check it out? It turned out that finding it was pretty difficult. I did some research and learned that the bridge is part of the Hockanum River Trail, a loose collection of disjointed trail sections that frustrates even experienced hikers, which we most definitely are not. At first, I thought the bridge was in Ellington, so we found the Ellington trailhead near Windemere Avenue last week, walked around quite a bit, but couldn't find the damn bridge. So, I wrote to Steve Wood, whose name I found on a lot of hiking blogs and asked him for help on how to find that bridge. He wrote back and said, "don't feel bad - the Hockanum River Trail is a mysterious mistress". He sent me a map which directed me to a parking lot on Windsorville Road in Vernon, more or less between Penfield Avenue and Franklin Street. It took us a while to figure out that the bridge was on the opposite side of Windsorville, so you have to walk across the street to get there. We originally went the wrong way and between the mud and bugs, we luckily bailed before the conditions became intolerable. But when we corrected our mistake and found the bridge, it was worth every minute of our fruitless hikes. The David Smith Bridge (named after Vernon Town Engineer David Smith) is a 100-foot suspension bridge across the Hockanum River connecting the Vernon and Ellington sections of the Hockanum River Trail. I've never seen, let alone walked, on anything like it in my life. Walking across that bridge and feeling it sway slightly back and forth was one very cool experience.

Wonderful park for cookouts and swimming in season or for hiking around the lake anytime of year. I…read morerecommend hiking the The Split Rock trail which is not difficult and is only about an hour long trek which eventually leads to the split rocks high on a hill, a real wonder of nature most likely a glacier formation. The trail leads around the entire perimeter of the lake affording you different views and vantage points of the lake and surrounding forest, eventually you will cross a small bridge over the damn at the lower end of the lake which brings you back to the main beach and swimming area. Great hiking, great views, great Connecticut outdoor resource!

Spent the afternoon walking the white trail and the red trail. Trails were well marked and wide…read moreenough to walk without any issues. The trail was hilly in some spots but not exhaustively hilly. Because of all the rain we have been getting the streams and cascading falls were definitely a bonus for our hike. This was the first time visit in the park and I would have to say "Two Thumbs Up". The only thing I would recommend are more trail maps along the trails.

Backledge Falls is an 80-acre park with hiking trails, a pond, and yes...a waterfall. You'll find…read moreit on Route 93 (Hebron Ave) just on the Glastonbury side of the Glastonbury-Hebron line. There's a small parking lot at the trailhead. The trail is rather thin and has an extraordinary number of rocks and tree roots, so you really have to keep your head down and watch where you're going. Streams crisscross the park, so that explains why we found three small wooden bridges to help us navigate the wetlands. Two of those bridges had no railing, and one (a Boy Scout project) had a nice Trex railing, but just on one side. It was 81 degrees yesterday, but the high tree cover kept direct sunshine off of us for pretty much our whole time out there. There are some pretty steep inclines that had me huffing and puffing and thank the lord we had our hiking poles for balance and leverage. We walked most of the Blue and White trail, which is marked, but the paint is fading and in need of a refresh. We met around half a dozen groups of hikers, and each group was nicer and friendlier than the one before.

It was a beautiful late November day and perfect for a hike. Blackledge Falls is right in town…read morethough I've only been one other time after a snowfall. The hike is fairly easy with a small incline but a lot of small rocks on the "blue-white". As it was November, leaves covered the trail and made some spots slippery. The falls themselves were disappointing ... more like a dribble than a falls but it was still a nice walk in the woods. Perhaps springtime after the thaw is the better time to come if seeing a waterfall is your goal.