This 160 acre park in New Milford, CT is open 8am to sunset. Entrance is free and decent sized…read moreparking lot. You can walk over the bridge and follow the trails for a pleasant hike in nature. There are also some historical ruins you can read up on and then visit. The park was very clean. Wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors!

This was a really nice hike that I was able to come do. The park was another fun suggestion to me…read morefrom family as I was wanting to find some nice fall colors. All I saw was nice green and yellow leafs everywhere I loved the colors especially with how sunny and bright the day was. They had this really cool bridge you can look around on and check out the water. The bridge did have some gaps in the center so hope no one drops anything as you definitely won't be getting it back. Besides that though the bridge was very stable. There was also signs of information/history about the park too if you like to read about that stuff. It looked like there were a few paths you can take to walk around doesn't seem like you could get lost easy. There was this one cool path where you can see nothing but yellow leafs around you on the path and it looked so cool. I also found this really old hut looked interesting too. Just watch your step but otherwise I didn't see any difficult paths. I would definitely come back to this park when I come back to visit again.

Putnam Park is one of my favorite parks in the area. The history and the scenery just do it for me…read more It's especially gorgeous during the Autumn months. The main trail is paved and easy for anyone to walk. There are also a ton of historical landmarks within the park grounds. Along with being the oldest state park in the Connecticut, Putnam Park is also designated as the first State Archaeological Preserve. It was the site of the winter encampment of the troops under General Israel Putnam (for whom the park is named). There are regular Revolutionary War reenactments hosted by The Friends and Neighbors of Putnam Park. Putnam Park is a nice quiet place on the Bethel/Redding line. I am very grateful to those who pushed to reopen it.

Went there today 8/19/26...we love rev war history so we were very excited to check this off our…read morebucket list of sites to visit! Beautiful visitor center and fascinating ride on our mountain bikes through the park. Arrived at the door of the adorable 1921 stone museum building and it was like Wally World in the movie vacation! CLOSED!!!!!! . Soooo disappointed! It's the main attraction! Omg! I couldn't believe it! Website did not mention anything about being closed other than a few days in a June!!!! . I would have given them five stars but when the museum is closed???? Not nice for visitors traveling a long way to see artifacts from the park. My advice is to call first. Apparently they don't feel it necessary to post on their website.

3.5 stars but not a solid 4…read more The good - plenty of trails to cover, easy to moderate. Beautiful views from the lookout and to the pond. Dog friendly, parking for 20 or so cars. The Bad - Poorly marked trails, esp with the WHITE TRAIL, marked in green. Lots of road noise from 84.

Stratford may be the only town in the state that has it's own forest. Others have State of CT…read moreforests but I'm unaware of municipally owned forests. Regardless, this is such a great asset! There's a peaceful little pond next to a parking area if you just want to relax with a cup of coffee or sandwich. There's a bonafide camping area that you can reserve that will handle a largish crowd and has composting toilets. There are so many hiking trails and you can see coyote and bear and all kinds of other wildlife if you're lucky. The trails are easy to follow and well marked and it's very hard to get lost. There's a picnic area that will be good for families or larger groups. There's even a small dog park on the road in. Love this forest!

Best go to trail walk, its always empty which is good for when i go after work on fridays with my…read moreHusky. The sitting area by the pond is the best spot. 4 different trails depending on how far you want to walk. The pond is the entrance

This is a beautiful trail, quite deserted, but be warned, now bow hunting is allowed in the area,…read moreso please wear brightly colored clothing and make enough noise to alert other hunters lurking that you are human. It might even help keep away bears, some which have been spotted and reported visiting backyards in Redding. If you see a sign that cryptically says permit required to hike in the area with no other information, it just means you have to have a trail map of the region which helps double as your hiking permit. These trail maps can be found at the entrance of most of the trails. But they are mostly soaked wet with the rain. Alternatively, you can also download them as a pdf. Because of all the macro-burst and sort of hurricane weather and storms we've been having, most of the trees are down and the trail is not well maintained anymore, but it does not retract from the hikability and beauty of the trails and the area. And this is definitely one of the more deserted hiking trails. Somehow walking through what felt like it's ancient forests, I can imagine the olden days the native Americans living on these lands navigating by its rivers, and somehow it feels like the magic and the echoes of those past years have remained in a time capsule of sorts enclosed and felt in these woods.

I really enjoy hiking this location, especially in the winter. There is a train trestle that…read morecollects giant icicles. That's really cool to look at. We did the Pinney Loop which is just under 4 miles. The trail was obviously covered in snow as we had hiked January 1.

What goes great with a hike is coming with a group of friends and/or family, and Steep Rock…read morePreserve brings it all. It's worth the trip from surrounding areas for a weekend get-together or definitely the holidays. Free parking is provided with plenty of spaces to park. The trail map is provided at the beginning of the hike, or looking online and printing it out. Very useful to have on the whole journey. The main hiking trail is a gravel trail that parallels the Shepaug River from the parking lot, where cars pass through and also horses, which I found quite interesting. There are also dirt trails along the way with different colors (see map or online). Some highlights of coming here are checking out the old train tunnel, a bridge that crosses the river (which is wobbly, so be careful), and Steep Rock Summit, which can be tiring but well worth the climb with a decent view of the Clamshell section of the Shepaug River Valley. Bring snacks and a lot of fluids, it's needed according to the big map.

The Woodcock Nature Center is nestled in a residential area on the border of Wilton and Ridgefield…read more It is a great spot to take a hike, play at the playground at pond with the kids or see some animals. Just outside the nature center building are the birds of prey (owls and hawks) and inside they have snakes, fish, turtles and lizards. You will see birds, squirrels, chipmunks and ducks out on the hiking trails and pond. The nature center offers programs for toddlers through teens, with on-sight and off-sight programs. They offer summer camp, vacation week camps during the school year and holiday activities. The summer camp is a mix of outdoor activities, time with the animals and craft activities. Older children may choose to do a trip out on the pond with a canoe or a sleepover with a parent. Overall it is a great nature center, it is just a bit off the beaten path. No frills like the one in New Canaan, but honestly it is about the nature, right?

I sent my two kids ages 3 and 5 to a week at the summer camp program that the Nature Center offers…read more I was so impressed with this program. Both my kids loved it and are ready to go back next year. The staff is so friendly and super organized. From the entrance into the parking lot right up until I dropped off my kids in the center, there was assistance of where to go and lots of welcoming smiles for my kids. My son and I went to the campout on Friday night of his camp week. We both had a blast. Again, super organized but laid back enough that we really enjoyed ourselves. I highly recommend this program. We'll be back to explore more that the center has to offer.

Best walking trail in the area. It's several miles long, fairly flat and decently maintained. Great…read morespace for walking strollers, kids or just with friends. It does get very muddy even a day after a rain, though. The bikers can get a little annoying too. The parking lot can fill up quickly on weekends, but there's plenty of parking on the side street parallel to the trail.

I rode the trail today from Daniels Farm Road to Benedict's Home and Garden in Monroe. I stopped…read morehere and had to go back because I had no idea where the trail went from here which is my complaint about this trail. It is poorly marked. There is a fork in the trail with a sign that says "Main Street Spur, one way and Spring Hill Road Trail Route" the other way. I took the Main Street route and after about 200 yards I was at the edge of Main Street and I had no idea which way to go as there is no signage at all. I doubled back and took the Spring Hill Road route which took me to Victorinox. Here you either go left or right, again no trail markers. I went right towards Victrinox because it looked like that trail went around the the property but no, I was soon met with a no trespassing sign. So I doubled back again and found the trail again which took me to another trail head with no markings although I did find the Stephen French Store/Post Office marker, but no trail marker as to which way to go. I gambled and went right and found the Stepney Depot marker but no trail marker. I continued north until I came to the Benedict's Home and Garden Center, again which way do I go? Again I gambled and went right to Wolf Park which seemed like a logical way to go, however the park was closed for the Bicentennial?! Again you guessed it no trail marker to be found. I gave up at this point and went back to my truck and went home. Did I miss something? Did I miss all the trail markers? If I did please let me know where they are. Otherwise it was a great ride with some slight inclines and and mostly smooth riding. I would recommend it but be aware there are no obvious trail markers.