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 is my first time coming here, and I definitely need to return to explore the whole grounds!…read more There is plenty of parking upon entering and a dog park right near the parking lot There is an animal barn, a tobacco museum, picnic areas, a community garden, a maple sugar house, a nature center, a soccer field and 12 miles worth of hiking trails!! This could definitely be an all day adventure.

Northwest Park is a beautiful park located in the Town of Windsor. It is 473 acres and it used to…read morebe a tobacco farm. It's located right on the Farmington River. There are forests, wetlands, fields, and 12 miles of trails. There is a nature center, farm animals, tobacco museum, gardens, playground, and picnic pavilions. The tobacco museum is only opened seasonally. The parking lot was on gravel but there were plenty of spots available when I went; there is a porta potty in the lot as well. You can find restrooms at the nature Center too. Once you walk into the park, there is a viewing platform overlooking a small pond. The pond had goldfishes in it! First we went to the animal barn. There were turkeys, goats, ducks, donkey, chickens, cows, and rabbits. Next door to the barn was the maple sugar house; I don't think it was open when we went. We went into the nature center which was very nice. There were many exhibits, taxidermied local animals, a fish tank, hissing cockroaches, frogs, snake, a gift shop, a turtle pond, a tree house, and a table with puzzles and blocks for the kids. There was a clean bathroom onsite and the attendant working in the nature center was very friendly. The playground was also very nice. There were two playscapes for the different age groups. There were a couple of benches and the large picnic pavilions were nearby. They had a couple of gardens as well; one was an organic garden and the other was a butterfly garden, which was accessible. They had informational signs with braille on it. There are quite a few trails on the property. We walked over to the reservoir and Farmington River; the trails were easy and quiet. You can find the map online and in the Nature Center. There are also soccer fields and a dog park. Seriously, you won't be bored at this place. It's nicely maintained and the people of Windsor are lucky to have this park! I'm looking forward to going back!

The playground fits into the park perfectly...a tree house and more…read more... Provided by Premier Park & Play from Newton, MA

"Sunrise, sunrise I see we made it through another day"…read more(Norah Jones) A definite 5-Star experience. Sunrise Park is beautiful. It has 134-acres of woods and trails circling gorgeous White Pond. Besides the hiking trail around the lake, we saw a playscape, canoeing/kayaking facilities, fishing areas, a beach with a lifeguard chair, a volleyball court, horseshoe pits, benches, dozens of grills and picnic tables, a pavilion, a clubhouse, and two swimming areas - one for people and one for dogs. How's that for recreational variety? Our walk around the lake was scenic and tranquil, with one gorgeous view after another. The terrain is mostly flat and clear, with the occasional tree root or rock and a muddy patch here and there. It was a totally enjoyable way to kick off a Friday morning.

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.

Food was OK. I was there because my school was on an outing, and I was very happy to see all of my…read morestudents enjoy.

My 14 year old recently went here on a middle school field trip, She said it was over crowded,…read moreboring and the food was not good. She only ate a popsicle and a bag of chips. Additionally, the food area is a gross mess and the staff was rude. She couldn't even go in the pool because there were so many kids in it. Nothing to do and no where to sit. What a huge waste of $65.

The Viets family of East Granby operated a farm and livestock business on this site for many years…read more After the business closed, the land came into the possession of the Town of East Granby, who converted it into an almost 500 acre public park with a recreation center and hiking trails. In a beautiful nod to it's prior owners, the Town not only decided to leave the Viets Farm concrete silo standing, but also commissioned the painting of a mural on it to serve as a huge welcome sign to the park. It stands in the main parking lot entrance to the complex on Route 187. The gorgeous color mural covers every square inch of the silo with a lovely farm motif of animals, scenery and a blue sky. The original lettering was left undisturbed: L. H. VIETS & SONS CATTLE & HORSES It really is a gorgeous and very unexpected sight to see!!

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.

"Down by the ocean it was so dismal" (Redondo Beach - Patti…read moreSmith) There's nothing dismal about the Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve. It's 210 acres of land with two trails winding through it for 3.5 miles. We hiked some of the well-marked Green Trail today and wandered through a wide flat and very easy to navigate trail covered with leaves. We did cross into wetlands twice, but each time the trail prevented us from getting our feet wet with a footbridge and stones to elevate us over the water line. We caught a few glimpses of Creamer Pond but didn't get too close to it. I wonder if the Yellow Trail would have done that? The property also has an old building known as Glazier Cabin and an old colonial burial ground that goes back to 1795. We didn't see any of those because we got there late and it was rainy and getting pretty chilly, so we made a U Turn and decided to return soon and try the Yellow Trail. The trailhead is located at 253 Loomis Street. You'll see a small parking lot there, but we also saw half a dozen cars parked along Loomis Street.

It is a magical place with amenities that make it even more so. The historic Glazier Cabin…read moreoverlooks Creamer Pond, raised viewing platforms overlook vibrant marshes often full of interesting species of birds, and newly installed bridges and well manicured paths allow visitors to roam about without worrying about getting lost. From the cabin, visitors to the preserve can sit in comfortable rocking chairs and look out through the trees to the pond. Parents with children can entertain them with a library of books that can be read aloud in that peaceful place. At dawn and dusk there are beavers working in the pond, too. Before you come, I recommend that you download the free Avenza app on your iPhone and then download the digital app of the preserve. When you're on the property, even though there is not good Wi-Fi coverage, you can see exactly where you are at all times. A little blue dot that changes its location as you walk from place to place exactly locates you. For more information on that, check out the Granby Land Trust's webpage at www.granbylandtrust.org.

July 2016. I am downgrading the spot to 3 from 4. I have been seeing parasites on the fishes…read morecaught here. Most recent trip m, 4?sun fish & one bass, everyone of them got parasites. Either yellow like grain of rice type or tiny black spots in meat. Do not eat fishes caught at rainbow reservoir! If you like fishing, I am sharing my fishing spot especially because I need to write good & useful Yelp reviews :) My spot is to the left of the rainbow reservoir boat launch. The boat is infrequent but the jet ski is a bit annoying to fishermen. However, the spot is productive if you can cast far enough, there is a steep drop off that goes down about 15-20 feet, all kinds of fish there. I've taken my kids there many times, caught sun fish, bass, carp, catfish etc. all at the same spot. Don't eat the bass!!! High Mercury content. Ok to eat sunfish & carp, but carefully check the fish for parasite as I've seen them last year, they look like little grain of rice but yellow in color, yikes! Other than that, it's really fun spot to take the kids & you can BBQ right there as well!

There is so much potential here for great Kayaking, Stand up paddle boarding, or canoeing given the…read moreconvenient location, decent parking area with a boat ramp and flat water. However: 1, The long straight shape of the reservoir makes it an irresistible place for jet skiers to do full throttle high speed runs and boats towing skiers. 2. Between the warmer waters we're seeing and the summer and all the lawn fertilizer runoff from the adjacent houses, I don't think I've ever seen a more algae-choked lake, especially one that is technically part of a river (see photos). It's really unsightly and there are signs warning against contact with the water. It looks like I photoshopped the pictures, but yes --the water is literally this green. You'll have better luck in the pristine upstream parts of the Farmington river or the Connecticut River itself.

"If I were a painter And could paint a memory…read moreI'd climb inside the swirling skies to be with you" (Norah Jones) The East Granby Farms Town facility has quite a lot of features - the  Kilbon Recreation Center for community classes, its home for the town's Historical Center, it boasts a baseball field and basketball court, picnic facilities, and some gorgeous scenery for your hiking enjoyment. But none of those are the prominent feature you'll see when you drive into the South Entrance. There, you'll be greeted by an enormous concrete silo painted with an equally enormous farmland mural. You see, when the Town of East Granby converted the old Viets farmstead into a public park, they left the landmark L. H. Viets silo standing and commissioned a mural to be painted on the silo. It covers the silo from top to bottom and is really quite a gorgeous work of art showing farm scenery, farm animals, rolling hills and a blue sky. Definitely worth your time to swing into the parking lot and check it out.