Trails were scenic and lovely. Some downed trees block the way. Orange trail has some vertical…read moreareas, and uneven in spots - but that's nature. Waterfall easily accessible from parking lot - short distance, wide trail mostly crushed stone. Vista A lovely overlook of the river valley and mountains.

Superb park! One of my favorites to ride my motorcycle through. It was already a 5/5 experience for…read moreme without even getting off my bike. "Where should we ride today?" "How about through Devil's Hopyard?" This was a common discussion between my partner & I. It was only during our last ride that we actually parked our bikes & got off them to explore. So imagine my delight to find waterfalls, creeks, beautiful trails, & a covered bridge! There were quite a few people there, but it didn't feel crowded at all. It was possible to evenly disperse ourselves to not disturb other people. The only con (& this is just Mother Nature at work, so all we can do is prepare better in the future) is the amount of mosquitos. Load up on your favorite deet free bug repellant & you'll be good to go.

Gillette Castle is a historic home and museum that was built in East Haddam, Connecticut in 1919…read more It was the home of the late American stage actor and playwright William Gillette. He is most well-known for portraying the famous literary character Sherlock Holmes: a role he assumed more than 1,300 times on stage, once in a silent film, and twice on the radio. Gillette's use of the deerstalker cap and calabash pipe became enduring symbols of the character. He had planned to build a retirement home in Long Island, but changed his mind when he saw the Seven Sisters cliffs while traversing the Connecticut River in his houseboat, Aunt Polly. He chose this location for his "castle", which he designed himself and dubbed "Seventh Sister". Taking nearly five years to complete, the 14,000-sq-ft castle featured a 3-story-plus-tower and 24 rooms. Gillette also built a 3-mile-long narrow gauge railroad around the property, which he was particularly fond of. Notable celebrities of the early 20th century visited the home, including Albert Einstein, Helen Hayes, and Charlie Chaplin. Gillette passed away in 1937 at the age of 83. The State of Connecticut purchased the property in 1943 and dubbed it "Gillette Castle". Today the residence and surrounding park receive 350,000 visitors annually. Every holiday season, the Friends of Gillette Castle volunteer organization decorate the castle and the grounds with festive Christmas decorations. Visitors can tour the massive home in all of its holiday splendor. My family and I loved exploring the interior of the castle. The gorgeous rooms are even more beautiful with all of the Christmas trees, wreaths, ornaments, nutcrackers and other various holiday accents. Of course, there were quite a few Sherlock Holmes artifacts scattered around as well. Mrs. Claus was also in attendance distributing cups of hot apple cider to visitors. We also really liked seeing the miniature locomotives at the Visitors' Center: some of the only remaining relics of Mr. Gillette's cherished miniature railroad.

Beautiful drive here this morning from Hartford to East Haddam, CT. It's late in the autumnal…read moreseason but still plenty of fall foliage in yellows oranges and reds to admire. We unfortunately could not visit the visitor's center or the inside of the castle because they are closed after early October for redecorating the interior for the winter holiday season. We explored the grounds along two nicely up-kept trails down to the Connecticut River's edge, with more deciduous trees as well as evergreens giving beautiful shade. It must be gorgeous when it snows here. If you're visiting there are several pretty areas with benches, perfect for a picnic.

PLAYGROUND WITH AN APP!! What a great park! Butternut Hollow is located on a cute little pond that…read moreactually gets stocked with trout in the spring (a great spot to take your kid to catch their first fish). The park was newly renovated in 2017 with a brand new playground. Slides, shapes, swings, monkey bars, and more. There are even several music stations. They also have an expression swing, which allows guardian and child to both be seates face to face. There is even a phone app you can download that coordinates with some of the equipment. The park gets busy during summer and weekends, you you might need to park on the street.

A great place to bring the kids to have fun in the sun. They have plenty of large slides swings and…read morejungle gym area. There are two covered picnic areas perfect for eating lunch or having a Bday party. The parking lot is a bit small but you can park your cars on the road if you need too. The pond has geese that will come up to you if you have food. It's a nice stroll to walk around.

Love hiking here! Great views, beautiful forest, easy parking, dog friendly.read more

We've made a couple of visits to the Salmon River State Forest since we moved to CT. There are a…read morecouple of parks and trails that go through the forest - The Air Line Trail and Day Pond State Park are both inside the forest, and the Salmon River Trail goes through it, around Day Pond park and over to the Comstock Covered Bridge. The trails are well maintained and well signed, and this is overall a great place to spend time hiking or fishing.

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.

The parking along the route isnt obvious, except for cars along a guardrail. There are 2 separate…read moreentrances from there, mostly obscured by overgrowth of bushes. The stairs lead down to what used to be an open picnic area, tables, grills, now quite a bit overgrown. The "falls" are simply a creek that flows along the picnic area, with a few small cascades, all under 5-6 feet tall. There is a trail that goes along the other side of the creek, and it then moves up & away from the creek into woods. That trail is ok, and eventually leads to a quirky rock formation where it's clear people either party and/or camp out and leave trash around. Like other comments, this place is in dire need of TLC by the state and better care by people who use it.

I wish that it was as well kept up as it was in years gone by. It seems to have gone downhill a lot…read morein the last 10 years or so. The parking lot was well kept, there were tables to picnic at and when my kids, now adults, were growing up it was family friendly. I can not say that is still true and I feel DEEP or whoever needs to invest in the area. If they returned it to what it was I feel it would be a much better place for families. I do not know who to contact to ask about doing this. BUT I do wish someone would do it. Haddam Meadows is kept up so well and IF they did this to 7 Falls it would be great especially because it is so close to cities and town in the area.

What a great hiking adventure! There various trails to choose from, but all of the terrine tends to…read morebe flat. There are stairs in some locations, but I've found them to be near the waterfall and throughout various place in the trail There is a waterfall basin in the beginning of the trail in the parking lot. Various bridges and beautiful scenery. There are benches along the trails for a quick break or to watch nature and the wildlife.

Enjoyed an amazing hike here! Plenty to see! There is a bunch of different trails you can pick…read morefrom. Beautiful views of waterfalls. So much to see and do here definitely check this spot out!

The Air Line State Park Tail is really quite spectacular, one of the best biking trails, scenery…read morewise, that I've been on. It's a rails to trails project, and the southern section of the trail starts at Main Street in East Hampton, and runs all the way to Windham, all off road (except for one short section going under Highway 2.) The path is all gravel/dirt, so it's good for hikers as well as cyclists. There seem to be a lot of trails that have sections that utilize the Air Line Trail, on the day we rode there were quite a few people, but not so many that it was a traffic issue. The first section from the Cranberry Bog down to Salmon River is mostly downhill, which is of course fun going one way, but a little challenging on the way back, just something to keep in mind difficulty wise. There's a fantastic variety of scenery along the way, from cuts blasted through rock with water dripping, to high-level viaducts, and marshy bog areas, and tree lined paths. The time of year we rode was early spring, but I imagine it is pretty gorgeous in the autumn when the colors are turning. There's lots of parking all along the route, so if you're someone who likes to hike/ride sections of trail, you'll have plenty of places to go from. My only main complaint and the reason for 4 stars instead of five is that there is not a single bathroom along the trail at all. Not even a porta at one of the larger parking lots. This is a huge oversight in my opinion, and something the State Parks should really consider remedying.

Wonderful place to get fresh air, exercise-whether jogging, walking, biking, snow shoeing! The…read morelength of the course is perfect for the "weekend warrior" (and can be tailored to your fitness level). Whenever I went biking, there were always families, more serious athletes, and recreational folks like me just wanting to get fresh air and exercise. It seems to be well kept in that new gravel is laid down annually, as well as trees are cut to keep the trail safe and free of debris. The scenery is breath taking, especially in the fall where you can see the pretty colors. You can Chart how far you want to stay on the trail as it continues to Windham.

This is a nice little park, but pretty small - 61 acres per the DEEP site. The main entrance for…read morethis park is on Short Beach Road in East Haven, where there's a small lot right next to a house - it can be easy to miss. This park is surrounded by houses, so it doesn't really feel all that private. It feels almost like it should be a municipal park or preserve. It seems to be a favorite of locals walking their dogs, which is what we were doing as well. Once you get past the fire road, there's a lot of meandering trail in the marsh area. The views are pretty, and it's a nice little place, but it seems to need some blazing and trail maintenance. There's also a picnic area marked on the map, but it's just a meadow area - no picnic tables.

Great little nature preserve nestled in East Haven. Some beautiful views and osprey nests. Yes,…read morethere are houses around but it's pretty sweet for basically being right in town.

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.