This is a beautiful park, it's very well maintained and clean. There are a lot of people walking…read moretheir dogs. You can walk in a small boardwalk and read about the wildlife. There are also some more challenging hikes where there is even some scrambling. Very clean and peaceful. The pine needles smell so beautiful! There's lots of free parking. You need pay for parking if you're out of state. Plenty of porta potties and bathrooms.

It has been at least 25 years since we last visited this park which is a shame because it is a true…read moregem. There is no entrance fee for CT residents and only costs $5 for out-of-state vehicles. We enjoyed walking around the ponds and trails with out dog as it appears many others do. The sole disappointment is the small covered bridge is currently closed. Next time, and there will be a next time in the not too distant future, we will bring a lunch and settle in at one of the many picnic tables.

5 star views! You can see neighboring Chauncey, and Besek Mountain peaks, and glimpses of the…read moredistant Metacomet and Tunxis Trail ridges. Up close the geology is gorgeous highlands and rolling grass with rock, grass, and gravel along the well-blazed path. Follow those blues up to heavenly views. Definitely wear your hiking boots. As you can see from the start, trap rock is super rough. Despite the roughness, like much of the New England Trail, you are quickly at the ridge line. Higby has two ascents cut by a small, tranquil water crossing. At hiking speed you can get to the peak in an hour and a half, but those scenic views will probably slow you down. Unless you're through hiking to Tynan Park, this is a rewarding scramble. If your littles outgrew the Ergo, hike with care and keep them away from the edge. The views are rewarding, and parking is easy with an exit right after Baileyville Rd./CT 147, but there are no facilities whatsoever. It's an off-trail squat kinda hike. Nonetheless, the winter ice is gorgeous. There are slick spots in spring but you can hear spring peepers around the first ascent. In summer this is a cooling escape. In autumn you have fine views of New England foliage. In all a rough but rewarding hike, and likely close being just off a couple major highways. When you need a getaway and gas savings, here it is!

Ehh it was littered and underwhelming. Also far too busy for the size, there was poison ivy on the…read moretrail to get to the waterfall and at the base of the waterfall, and parking was not good. You have to parallel park on the edge of a non-level curve .... in a residential area. This wasn't for me and I don't recommend it and I believe the trails need some maintenance at the least. If you decide to follow the river down a little, you will be right underneath a busy highway. I also thought this was not nice and it contributed to my very low star rating. I would truly give 0 stars if I could.

There was no water!!!…read more End of August!! 91 degrees!! NO WATER!! Lol Hard to find! Literally looks like a side wall. Only two cars could fit!! Glad it's close to home!! I would definitely give it another try on a more rainy season!!

Great views are your reward for a very short sacrifice of fear and sweat…read more A very slippery, rock strewn, steep hill starts this hike out. Looks like they are attempting to add stairs and just gave up. Once past that horror is an easy up and down trail with astonishing views. A McMansion development couldn't mar the sheer beauty... Well, maybe a bit, but, still worth it. Next time I want to bring a thermos of tea to enjoy with the views.

I hiked this with my friend well aware that it was steep and dangerous... however when we hit a…read morethree mile point in the hike we were worried because we thought it was only supposed to be a mile and a half. The marks on the trees confused us and were too spaced apart; we ended walking over four miles and came out on the side of same random road. Thank god we weren't driving ourselves home because we would've had no clue where the car was. I had to send my mom my address to come pick us up... we ended up being on some random road in Durham when this trail is in Guilford!! We literally walked four miles away from where we started. These marks must be fixed.

Cedars swamps and…read morecrappers Great Cedar Conservation Area is a 320 acre swamp with several miles of hiking trails. It is home to the largest collection of Atlantic White Cedar trees in the state as well as the largest individual White Cedar trees. It's a flat and very easy hike as long as you go in the cold weather. This is a real swamp so the flies and mosquitoes are extremely numerous and will tear you to pieces if you are brave or foolish enough to go in the spring or early summer. Not a lot of interesting rocks or terrain, the trees and plants are the attraction. Some beautiful cedars and some cool ferns closer to the ground, this swamp is a tree lover and botanist's dream I notice some old fences and what looked like an old foundation but what really caught my old was a cool old outhouse with an interesting sign. Not sure who put the sign up or exactly where the venerable old crapper originally came from but I certainly didn't have the courage to open the door to see what what inside. The Great Cedar area is a pleasant little hike that is for people that like to go slow and look, listen and smell. Swamps are beautiful places to hike in the winter but just make sure you don't go when the hordes of insects are masters of the terrain.

Very easy hikes and a beautiful and strangely interesting stroll in the woods. The trails surround…read morearound a few small lakes that make wonderful stopping off points. The Conservation Area wraps around the Hay House property, The Hay House is constructed entirely of hay bales. It is private property but you are invited to see the Stuba Buddhist shrine that sites in the front of the property by the parking lot. The "crapper" is the private loo for the Hay House. Kinda misleading since it is sitting right there on the trail.

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.

Excellent CT State Park with a number of trails with varying degrees of difficulty. The White Bar…read moreTrail is the longest, around a 55 minute hike, perhaps the most difficult but only in certain spots. There is one area on that trail with a 104ft 35° verticle ascent which will get your heart pumping, the rest of the White Bar is fairly easy. Because the Park is predominantly a hardwood forest the best time to hike would be in the Fall foliage season. This place is a gem, don't miss it..!!!

River Highlands State Park is made for people like me. People who say they like to hike, but who…read moredon't want to work super hard. People who expect a hike to provide some kind of natural payoff, but who don't want to work super hard for it. From the time you park, it takes about 15 minutes (with a dog who likes to sniff everything) to transverse the forest and reach a part of the trail with a Connecticut River view. The way there winds up and down, over and around - but never too suddenly. When you reach the CT River, the trail splits and you can go north along the River or south. The trail at that point is fairly high relative to the River. Hence, the name of the State Park is (1) "River" because the trail is adjacent to the CT River, (2) "Highlands" because you are on high land. Explosion! Mind blown emoji! In my experience, River Highlands is never too crowded. The parking lot is small, but I've never seen it full. I've encountered families, couples, dog walkers, mountain bikers and sight-seeing birds. You know - the usual. May be best to avoid this park when professional golfers are in town. Four Stars.

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.