There are two ways to get here: the paved road and the gravel road. If you have a 4x4 or another…read morehigh clearance vehicle, even bikes, you can do the unpaved road. Google did me a solid and took me on the unpaved road, which at the beginning is bumpy and soft, and seems very doable, but quickly turns rocky and hilly, and eventually goes berserk and turns into a road with big cracks, branches that are down, water puddles and brooks, a beautiful place to walk but not for a luxury four door sedan rental, which is what I always rent and ride. I'm joking, I rent two door vehicles, cheap gas, you know. Anyway, I went a bit too far hoping for the road to patch up and be normal, but after a few craters I knew that this road was a trail more than a road. So, if you are coming to Mohawk Mountain, do not leave the unpaved road because it will lead you to the main entrance and not where I was, which I never will know if it even leads to Mohawk Mountain since I aborted it after the second knock on the transmission. Oh! Yes, no way to turn around either, so I had to undo a large part of the trail on reverse. Good thing I know how to drive well! Other than that, this place is really cool. The name may be borrowed from an offshoot of the larger Iroquois nations, the Mohawk-Iroquois, which occupied New York, not Connecticut. As far as I know, the name of the tribe that may have inhabited this area is disputed.

I've been coming up here since I was a teenager! It's such a fun place to feel on top of the world…read moreand hang out. It's never "crowded" per se so it's peaceful and surrounded by nature. I like to bring a book when the temp is right and enjoy.

A warm, English-Tudor style cottage built in the 1920s on the top of a meadow surrounded by…read moregardens. Fields filled with birds, butterflies and dragonflies. I wish I could describe it better... I'm not going to, because I'm tired. I guess you can always just look at the photos. Unless you decide to actually go and experience it for yourself. Either way...

Since moving to CT, we discovered a great program that gives a little incentive for visiting a…read morenumber of CT state parks, the DEEP Sky's The Limit Program. In 2017, Topsmead was among the parks listed, so we decided to go give it a visit. Winter was not the best time to visit, and it's hard to give it a really good/fair rating. The main farmhouse area was closed for the season, and the weather wasn't really great for hiking. It would be a great spot for cross country skiing in the winter, though. The outstanding negative at the time of our visit were the state of the toilets. They're pit toilets, which is fine, but they were not dug at all deeply, and if not for the freezing weather, I can imagine it would be rather unpleasantly fragrant. We'll definitely be visiting again and reevaluating at some point.

This was a really nice hike I took recently. My cousin took me here and mentioned was a popular…read morespot to hike and swim at. It was so cool to walk through the trail with all the fall leaves and there wasn't anyone around at all so was able to enjoy nature (went in the middle of the week). The weather was perfect and cool which worked out as I did sweat. I was able to make it to the tower and had a really nice view around with the trees and the water. There is a beach too but we only drove passed it (looked really nice). For the tower just watch your head as there are spots, including going outside, you have to duck. It is a short trail up to the tower but be aware some spot can be a bit challenging to climb with going up hill and rocks. It did rain prior and was a bit slippery too but gotta watch your footing regardless. Overall this was a great place and would absolutely come back.

A great place for a short hike and the view at the top is stunning. It's a relatively short hike,…read morebut as you can see from the pic, a little goes a long way. It's a nice place to escape into nature.

At first glance, a neighborhood park with a few cottages, a field, and a large dirt parking lot…read more The cottages were for the Girl Scouts based on the sign I saw on them. I was here for the playground so I walked across the field to the back and found it. I didn't realize there were parking in the back lot and closer to the playground. The fenced in playground was big and had plenty of swings and space for my toddler to run around. The weather was perfect (55 degrees in February) so there were a few other people there. There was snow on the ground in certain parts, so it was very muddy/slippery in some spots. A few of the playscapes were taped off with caution tape; I'm assuming they were broken. This park is on 200 acres of land and has many events. There is a 50 acre lake area. The spring fed lake is called West Hill Lake; people can swim, fish, and boat in it. In the summer, you will need to buy a beach pass. They also have tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, and basketball courts. Nearby and across the street, you can find the Franklin P. Kearney Conservative Trail. Overall, a great spot to get some fresh air and exercise. Hopefully they will fix the broken playscapes and it will be less muddy when it gets warmer soon.

Just not great. Has a lot that could be improved. Not well kept, run of the mill regular park.read more

Ahhhh.. Umpachene - how do I bottle you and bring you home?…read more Delightful 18 minute ride from where we were staying in Sheffield. Suggest loading GPS or navigation app before losing signal in the mountains. Of note, and quite a surprise after a score of years closed, the bridge on Umpachene Falls Road has been rebuilt and is open. Yesterday, the falls were rushing abs bracingly cold! While I didn't fully submerge or hide behind the water curtain, I sat in the flow and was transfixed and refreshed for an hour. Remains a Berkshire treasure!

Beautiful place. Nice picnic area. Very relaxing. Great place to go to unwind and enjoy nature…read more Highly recommended!

If you need an outside local getaway, the Litchfield Community Field is a great place. There are…read moreseveral baseball fields, a walking path, playground, tennis courts, and pavilion. In non-Covid times, it must be hopping - there's a location for restrooms and concessions! I guess hot dogs for little league games? A much more authentic experience.

Burr Pond State Park is a very beautiful and peaceful park. The pond is the showstopper here, hence…read morethe name. Driving up to the park was enjoyable; there's a big hill with a small waterfall you can see from the street. The parking area was a decent size but I can see it being packed in the summer and on weekends. The park is on 438-acres and the man-made pond is 85-acres. Popular recreational activities in this park are hiking, fishing, swimming, and boating. The pond was created in 1851 to help produce power buy building dams. There are two trails within the park; 2.5-mile blue blazed Walcott Trail which goes around the pond and 2-mile John Muir trail which goes through multiple parks. The beach is quaint but does the job on a hot day rather than driving an hour or so to the beach. There were so many picnic tables throughout; definitely a nice area for picnics. There is a seasonal boat rental and concession stand. If you want to go boating, there is a boat launch. We went in the winter for an event, the parking lot was packed so they were offering shuttles. The park was beautiful in the winter with the pond being frozen. There were people ice fishing and playing on the ice. I went recently on a spring weekday, temperature was perfect and the place was quiet. We walked on the trail and it was lovely with the view of the pond. Overall, a great park and will be there as often as we can.

"Don't say a word Don't say anything…read moreDon't say a word I'm not even listening You better watch your step" (Elvis Costello) Trust the Mayor. You'd better watch your step as you're walking the three mile trail that circles Burr Pond, or you'll end up face first on the dirt trail with a broken ankle. The dirt trail sure has its share of dangerous tree roots and rocks, followed by relatively hazard free stretches to walk. You sure get some gorgeous views of the water! We saw people fishing, swimming by the small beach, a big group hanging out by picnic tables playing salsa music, and two dog owners whose well behaved dogs were swimming in the pond. The trail itself is flat with just a handful of inclines, but most of those inclines are tree trunk related. It really is a lovely park.

This recreation and conservation area in Harwinton has a pond, playground, picnic pavilion, beach…read morevolleyball net, benches, and trails. The trails are used for hiking and mountain biking; trailheads are located at multiple locations, such as Bentley Drive and South Road. The trails were a little muddy and buggy since it just rained; it was easy to walk on with a few roots here and there. I saw a structure that looked a like a teepee. These trails are connected to the library, sports complex, and town hall. There were plenty of parking and the road going into the parking area was narrow and on a hill; it almost looked like a private driveway. The entrance was in front of a traffic light. We went to the playground shortly after it rained so it was damp. It was a small playground on mulch. There were a couple of slides, a handful of swings, and ladders. The pond was beautiful with all the water lilly pads and flowers; I saw quite a few fish. Per the town's website, it's stocked with trout every spring. There was an old looking tennis court; it appeared to be run down and taped off, so I'm not sure if it's open. Overall, a great conservation and leisure area.

Lake Waramaug State Park has so much to offer, whether it be camping, fishing, swimming, renting a…read morekayak, boating, having a picnic, or just to take in the beautiful views. I came here for kayaking. This beautiful, scenic lake is clean, and circling the lake is an enjoyable 9-mile paddle. From the water, you can take in the scenic hills that surround the lake, or view some of the waterfront gorgeous homes. This state park is well worth checking out.

It's an okay stay over place, large spaces, no privacy, but pleasant enough. What totally ruined…read morethe experience were the extremely loud campers across the way who's nonstop shouting and swearing went well into the quiet hours with no one to contact for assistance since staff leaves at 10:00 (the start of quiet hours!)

Coe Memorial Park is located in Torrington and it is their "town green". The land was donated to…read morethe city by the Coe family to memorialize their parents; their home and greenhouse were on this 5-acre property. There's a large boulder with a memorial plaque; there were other war memorials as well. This park serves as a meeting place for the city and they hosts numerous events. The event we went to at this location was the Strawberry Festival. The park had plenty of green space with beautiful landscaping. The gardens had colorful flowers and plants throughout. The green space was plentiful for us to frolick around; my toddler loved playing near the trees. The walking path through the area was nicely maintained. There were benches to rest on and a building with a stage inside. There were plenty of metered on-street parking and a parking lot. Overall, a lovely town green amidst the bustling small city.

Nice park basically in downtown Torrington. I like how there are a variety of events that take…read moreplace here throughout the year. There is plenty of parking around though this park is walking distance for me. It is kept up nicely as I've seen the workers plant seasonal flowers etc regularly. The fountain in the center is very serene in the summer as is taking a picnic under one of the trees' shade.