A serene neighborhood park in Windsor. There was no parking lot that I could see, but plenty of…read morestreet parking. There are two ponds, walking paths, playgrounds, picnic pavilion, and an open field. The ponds were created to power a factory and eventually supply drinking water. We enjoyed the playgrounds. One was fenced in for the younger kids; both were in good shape. There were benches and a little free library too. It's a nice place to visit!

Bunker Hill Trails are owned by Canton Land Conservation Trust (CLCT). The trailhead is on Bunker…read moreHill Road in Canton. There was parking on street, on the shoulder; maybe one or two cars can fit, tops. There was a sign showing where the trail starts. There were two trails; red and yellow (Scout Trail), 1-mile out & back and easy, based on their website. There are 54 acres with three parcels; Sweeton Pasture acquired in 2006, 4-acres donated by the Goodwin family in 2018, 12-acres purchased by CLCT in 2020. We went on a weekday evening and it was quiet. The bugs weren't too bad, I think because we had bug spray on. The trail was hilly, rocky, with tree stumps; some spots were overgrown. A pair of good hiking sneakers and a walking stick would've made this walk a little bit better. I am not a professional hiker by any means, but they labeled this trail as easy and in my opinion it was more moderate. There were steep inclines and declines on the trail; I wore my baby so that added an extra element. The woods were peaceful and the brook was exquisite. There was a brand new looking wooden bridge that goes over it and takes you through the yellow trail. Overall, an okay trail that needs more blazing in some spots. If you like a little bit of a challenge and sweat, I recommend it.

This Canton Land Trust trail is located around 22 West Rd. There is street parking on the side of…read morethe road that can fit about 2 to 3 vehicles. It's in a nice neighborhood. The trailhead is across the street from the parking spots. You can make it an out and back trail by turning around at the blue marker. We continued to the orange trail to do the loop. It's about a 1 mile loop and I'd say it's moderate. The best feature was the Cherry Brook, so serene. Con: so many mosquitoes at 3 pm on a summer afternoon, so bring those insect repellents. There were some ascends and descends, not too hard of a hike. There was one narrow part with a steep drop by the river, so be careful. My kids and I were able to enjoy it and it took us about an hour since we stopped at the brook and have little legs lol.

Pratt Preserve Trails goes through a 50-acre preserve and is part of the Canton Land Conservation…read moreTrust. It was donated to CLCT by Winifred Pratt in 2012. Alfred Reid donated an additional 2.3-acres in 2019. Finally, donors Elizabeth Cotterman and Gerald Green donated another 26-acres in 2021. It's located off of Cherry Brook Rd. (West side) next to # 84. Per the CLCT website, it's a 1.3-mile loop trail from the wooden bridge or 1.7-mile starting from the parking lot. There is a small dirt parking lot that could fit 2-3 vehicles. There was a sign stating "Land Trust Parking". Follow the blue trail markers down to the picturesque Cherry Brook. There was a cabin with a few picnic tables, an old chimney, and a lovely bridge going over the brook. There were parts of an old dam; it used to power 18th/19th century mills. The trail had a couple of muddy spots due to the recent heavy rains. There were some ascends and descends; definitely wear some hiking boots and if possible, a hiking stick. It may have been a little bit more challenging for me because I was wearing my almost 30 pound toddler lol. My three year old loved it and I think it's a good trail for kids, just keep them close when near the hills, bridge, and brook. The terrain was mixed with rocks, dirt, mud, roots, gravel, and some grass in the beginning. A lovely place to bring snacks and sit on the picnic table by the brook, after the hike. I noticed there were white and red trail markers too; I did not hike those yet. Check the AllTrails app for more details on the routes. My family and I really enjoyed our hike and would definitely hike it again!

3.5 stars. The…read moreplayground was huge and located behind the pool house; there were two playscapes, one for younger children and one for older kids. There was a restroom and a large field adjacent to it. Further yonder, the elementary school can be seen. There was a little free library and so much space for the kids to play. It's a boundless playground so it is handicap accessible. One thing I noticed, was that there were trash everywhere even though there were trash cans around. It was quiet when we went but a summer camp of about 50 kids came; this may be the reason it gets wrecked with trash and it doesn't get picked up on a daily basis. I am not sure if the town's public works department keeps up with the maintenance of this; it's unfortunate because it is a lovely playground. This wouldn't deter me from going back. It's a great space for the kids to release some energy. I look forward to checking out the splash pad next to it as well.

If you're looking for an easy paved trail, this is the one. The trail is wide and goes around the…read morereservoir. Many joggers, walkers, dog walkers, and people pushing strollers. Dogs on a leash are allowed, it's wheelchair accessible, and kid friendly. If you bring your dog, signs says to pick up after them. The Nepaug dam has a beautiful waterfall with serene sounds. It was built between 1914 to 1916 and created the 951 acre reservoir about 35 feet deep. There is a parking lot; on nice weekend days, it does get full. Overall, it's one of my favorite trails because I can take a stroller/wagon to lug my babies. Also, the view is amazing!

One of the good things that happened to us from the Pandemic was it got us out of the house on…read moreweekends to visit so many of the parks and hiking trails in our area we had never visited before. We must have hit 30 different venues in 2020, and we started 2021 by visiting another new place that turned out to be a terrific find. The Nepaug Reservoir Trail is a mile long and is wide, paved, flat and about as easy to walk on as any trail we have visited. We parked at the main parking lot on Route 202, walked through a chain link gate, and found the start of the trail to begin our scenic walk around the reservoir and across the historic 100-year old Nepaug Dam. The 600-foot long dam has a concrete spillway in its center. The spillway is over 100 feet tall and is quite spectacular. The trail around the dam has a few cutouts that serve as observation platforms to take you out over the top of the dam. You will love the view ! We saw quite a variety of folks out there today -young families with strollers, couples of every age, joggers, lots of leashed dogs, and even a few hoverboard operators. What a great way to kick off the New Year.

Hanmer Park is on 0.7 acre of open space and it has a small basketball court. It used to be a pond…read morecalled Goose Pond but has since been filled since the 1920s. There were a couple of benches; one was circling a tree. There was an informational sign providing historic details of the area. This was a great spot to stop and enjoy the fresh air after a walk through Main Street. It was named after Captain John Hanmer. He left this area with his crew of 72 soldiers to a war, on his ship, The Sloop Ann. They were headed to Long Island for The Revolutionary War Battle of Long Island in 1776. This area is rich in history and it's interesting to look back in time while sitting on the benches there. Other that, there is not much going on in this small park.

This 3059-acres Connecticut State Forest is located in Barkhamsted and was established in 1924. The…read moreroads, trails, and museum was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The museum was built in 1935 and is considered historic. There are about 10 miles of blazed trails. American Legion State Forest is on the west branch of the Farmington River while Peoples State Forest is on the opposite side. Popular activities include canoeing/kayaking, hiking, camping, and snowmobiling. There are many entrances since this place is so large. Waze took me to a side entrance which led me to the Beaver Brook Recreation Area. There were two parking areas that probably can fit 4 vehicles. I saw a picnic area by the brook. The very bumpy dirt road led me to a wooden bridge near the recreation area and I decided to park there since there were cars parked there. I walked by a snowmobiling trail which was cool to see even though it's not winter yet; I'm sure you can walk on that trail in the warmer months. I walked up the dirt road and found a blue and orange blazed trail which was a boardwalk. The boardwalk was nicely maintained some spots were buggy. I got to the end of the boardwalk and walked back to the car. I drove around the place and there were more trails and a museum. I look forward to going back to hike some more trails, loved what I saw though!

Beautiful and well maintained. All trails are easy to moderate. FALPS has added some great trails…read morerecently.