Hidden gem alert!…read more This waterfall is located in the Mclean Game Refuge. It's about 18-20 ft high. The best time to see it is after it rains and in the spring. Based on AllTrails, the easiest way to get there is off Simsbury Road and Broad Hill Road. That is about a 0.7 one way hike to the falls. I parked at the other end of Broad Hill Road and Cone Mountain. It's definitely the longer way but the trail was nice and flat; it's an old dirt road. I parked on the street. On the other entrance, I read that it can fit about 4 cars. It was a nice walk to the falls maybe about a mile one way. The falls was roaring today (April 29, 2026). I saw a few people walking and even a person on a horse. It's a nice waterfall and definitely worth a visit!

This waterfall is a little hard to find but normally worth the effort. I say "normally" because…read morewhen we have had lots of rain and snow it is a beautiful roaring waterfall. But during my visit Sunday it was a skinny waterfall due to our dryer weather. It's a little hard to find. There isn't an official parking lot just a link fence. It's part of the McClean Game Wildlife Refuge. After following the gravel trail for about 20 minutes, which really used to be Broad Hill Road before this portion of the road was closed, you reach a small unofficial bridge where the falls are and have to bushwhack yourself to the base to have the best view,

A short walk from the parking area (equipped w an outhouse). Very well constructed stone and…read morewooden steps / stairways going gradually downhill. Hand railings help. Both upper and lower falls not very forceful in the dog days of summer, especially w little recent rain. Probably a better time to visit is spring. Still, very scenic and well shaded on a hot summer day. And there are many opportunities to cool off in the babbling brook! Note approx 130 steps total, broken off in sections. Not really handicapped accessible.

A gorgeous place to go for a hike, swim or picnic. It is free to enter, has free parking and a…read moreporto potty. The trails are clean. When I went there was a steady stream of people. I saw two small waterfalls. I enjoyed getting my fill for the day of nature here.

This park is on 116 acres and provides many recreational options. We came here for the playground…read more The tot lot playscape was nicely maintained and is on mulch with a couple of benches. This playground is for children ages 2-10 and is a fenced in area. Over by the basketball courts, there is the playground for children ages 5-12. Parking was plentiful. Across the street are the restrooms. There are tennis courts right nearby and a huge soccer field. There are ball fields, a bandshell, basketball courts, bathhouse, children's memorial garden, dog park, horse exercise area, horseshoe game area, pavilions, volleyball courts, veteran's wall memorial, swimming in a pond, snack shack during games, and a pond house for events. This place has got it all for your recreational needs!

We visited Salmon Brook Park by parking in the hiking trail entrance so we could wander through the…read morevery pretty area. The hiking trail is very easy to follow and navigate. No rocks, no tree roots, and not too much animal waste except for one enormous deposit that had us wondering if it was squeezed out by a Great Dane or a bear!! We took one of the side trails to the right and entered the river basin where we saw some jaw dropping beautiful vistas down in the valley. Five stars for a photo op, believe me. We walked all the way to the event meadow, but things were quiet today. Salmon Brook Park has a lot to offer - a Band Shell, an Event Room, Baseball Fields, Basketball, Volleyball, and Tennis Courts, Field Hockey, Soccer and Lacrosse Fields, a river, a playground, 2 picnic pavilions, and that very nice network of Hiking Trails. Come to think of it, it has pretty much everything you need to spend a few very nice hours in the great outdoors.

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 .5 mile trail and if you make it a loop, it will total to 1 mile; it's on yellow and red…read moreblazed trails. This short trail connects to the longer West Mountain Trails. The parking lot was spacious and it could fit a few vehicles. There was a kiosk and right next to that, a trail that forks; one is yellow and goes down the stairs and the other is red. We took the yellow trail which brings us down some rock stairs, and it was flat and easy after that. The trail was blazed nicely and it had some roots but it wasn't too bad. We got to the wooden bridge that goes over Hop Brook; there was an old stone wall and remnants of a dam. There is another other set of stairs and a picnic area if you do the loop back to the parking lot. Overall, it is definitely one of my favorite short trails. I look forward to going back and hiking this short trail again; as well as the West Mountain Trails, which is connected to this.

This was one of the best hiking experiences we've had…read more The scenery is absolutely beautiful, you are deep in the woods and the quiet solitude and gorgeous views are quite a combination to behold. The trail is a one-mile loop so its not very challenging at all. There is a moderate incline on the way back to the parking lot, regardless of how you start the loop, and you do have to be pretty careful on the stone staircases, and you have to be quite vigilant and look out for stones and roots on the path. But the path is very well marked and for the most part level and easy to navigate. There's a stream, a picnic table or two, a one-person-at-a-time wooden bridge, an old and very cool stone wall, but mostly there is beautiful forestry and serenity all around. This was one of my favorite hikes to date.

In 1982 the State Department of Environmental Protection acquired the original 425 acres of land…read morewhich would become the Newgate Wildlife Management Area. Today, it has grown to over 600 acres. There is one main trail that heads back to and past Newgate Pond. What appears to be a mileage marker suggests that this was intended as a bike path. Either way, it's about as wide as a one-lane road, and makes a nice alternative to the crowded rails to trails bike paths in the area. There are also side trails coming off of it. Some have old sign posts at their entrances, but no actual signs remain. The main trail is in good shape, suggesting that some maintenance is still performed. I wish I could have seen the area when everything was still in place. Judging by what has been left here to rot, at one time there was a huge project to make this quite the nice park. Now, it looks relatively abandoned as far as promoting it as a recreational area goes. You'll see traps in the trees for tracking invasive insects, so the main trail is probably just being maintained for the DEP to gain access. I like this area because it is so rare to see somebody else here. Judging by all of the condom wrappers in the parking lot, that area probably gets more use than the walking paths do. I come out here at least once a week, and have almost always had the place to just me and my dog. An easy walk about a mile down the main trail takes you to Newgate Pond. This is truly a hidden gem. Bring a blanket and some beers and just sit and watch the noisiest geese in the world swim around and honk at you. Right at the pond, the main trail takes a hard turn to the left. I have yet to explore that far, so I can't tell you where it leads. However, I have seen a cyclist coming from that area, so it may connect to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Do yourself a favor and come explore this forgotten wildlife area. Chances are, you'll have it all to yourself.

Swan Preserve Trails is a 90 acre parcel managed by the Canton Land Conservation Trust (CLCT); it…read morewas donated in 2000 by the Swan Family. The white blazed trail was added in 2020 in memory of Ted Cowles, who was a board member of CLCT. The parking area for this trailhead can fit about 4 vehicles. I really liked that they had a Little Free Library and it was packed to the brim. If you've read my reviews, I love the library, books, and Little Free Libraries. There were some small steps down to the trail by the kiosk; this was located besides some houses. There are two trails on this property. The Swan Trails is a 1.5-miles loop with blue, red, and yellow blazes. The red trail is easy and the other two are moderate. There was a beautiful brook, uplands, and small bridges. The second trail is called Ted Cowles which is 1-mile and white blazed. It is considered moderate and is off the yellow trail. My family and I enjoyed exploring the yellow trail on this beautiful November Saturday. The leaves can be slippery and there were a bit of roots and rocks, so watch your step. There were some small ascends. I kind of enjoy the trail in the fall because it is bare, which means no ticks! There were quite a bit of mountain Laurels too. When we were leaving, there were other hikers coming through, other than that it was quiet. It seems to be a well loved trail for sure. I look forward to checking out the other trails on this property!

I came here specifically for the playground. The playground was small and old looking; my toddler…read moreloved the tall metal slide for some reason. The thing was kind of rusty, sharp, and a possible hazard. The playground is fenced in with a small opening and on mulch. There were a couple of swings and some bouncy rides. The two tennis courts adjacent were overgrown and looks like it hasn't been used for years. There were pickleball courts, picnic shelter with grills and tables; there was a softball field as well. I saw a couple of people going down a small trail to the Farmington River to kayak. The gorge is located there and you can see remnants of an old bridge in the river. The park is located in the middle of a neighborhood and looks like it's forgotten/hidden. Maybe an upgrade to the playground and tennis courts will bring in more people.

Friday afternoon we spent a few hours wandering around Tariffville Park and had a great time…read more There is a lot of cool stuff here - tennis courts, pickleball courts, a softball field, a picnic pavilion with tables and benches and grills, a small playground, and some terrific views of the Farmington River if you walk down the long dirt/gravel path to the gorge. From what I've read, the park is quite popular with whitewater kayakers as a way to access the River. But any outdoorsperson will have a blast here with fishing, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking options all over. A few things stood out from our visit- the gnats and flying bugs were terrible, we heard so many bullfrogs it became comical after a while, we saw and heard a lot of small planes due to the proximity of Simsbury airport, and we saw some curious looking concrete structures rising out of the water like so many surfacing Godzillas. Turns out they were some old concrete bridge abutments that used to connect a bridge from Tariffville to East Granby. They create a serious hazard for the boaters, so if that's your thing - be careful.

While driving around in East Granby and seeing the beautiful colors of fall, I ended up at this…read morelittle park, Granbrook Park. This park is perfect if you want to let your dog run, if you want your kids to play, if you want to bring a picnic, or if you just want to be outside. There is a full playground for kids, with the swing and slide, there is also a basketball court. As well as some additional swigs for little kids and big kids. I also took a swing my self, and that is something I haven't done in a long, long time! There is a little pond at Granbrook Park. There's numerous benches and even a grill. There's plenty of exercise one can do here. Unfortunately, this isn't the park for hikes. This is a relaxing, child friendly, beautiful and easy park that's very well maintained.

3.5 stars. I came here for the playground and there were lovely views of the bridge and brook…read more There was plenty of parking and a porta potty onsite too. Amenities include basketball court, baseball field, playground, gazebo with picnic tables, grills, and fishing. There was a person in the middle of the brook fly fishing. The playground was on the smaller side but it had swings and slides; the playscape looked old. The playground was on mulch. My only complaint was that it was very buggy. Overall, a decent little park and my toddler was happy with the playground.