AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut: Four-Season Guide to 50 of the Best Trails from the Highlands to the Coast

by Rene Laubach, Charles W. G. Smith

Overview

AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut takes you through 50 of the best hikes for all skill levels across the state. Ideal for families, tourists, and locals alike, this easy-to-use guide helps you explore both tucked-away gems and regional favorites, including sections of the Appalachian Trail in the west and oceanside walks along the coast. A comprehensive revision of the previous editions, this title also includes new hikes, such as Zoar Trail, Ragged Mountain, Bafflin Sanctuary, Case Mountain, and Nyantaquit Loop Trail. All descriptions of previously featured trails have been updated to reflect the most recent expansions and reroutings, highlighting the best hikes statewide. Now available in full color for the first time!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628420708
Publisher:	Appalachian Mountain Club Books MA
Publication date:	05/25/2018
Series:	AMC's Best Day Hikes
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	467,503
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

René Laubach, the director of Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries, has led tours in the United States and internationally. He has authored many books, including AMC’s Best Day Hikes in the Berkshires. Charles W.G. Smith was the author of eleven books and many articles on natural history, outdoor recreation, and gardening. He was named conservationist of the year in 2004 by the Housatonic Valley Association. Charles dedicated his life to the enjoyment and preservation of natural places.

Table of Contents

Locator Map iv

At-a-Glance Trip Planner viii

Acknowledgments xiv

Introduction xvi

How to Use This Book xviii

Trip Planning and Safety xix

Leave No Trace xxii

Western Connecticut 1

1 Mount Frissell 2

2 Bear Mountain 7

3 Lion's Head 12

4 Pine Knob Loop Trail 16

5 Walcott Trail and Burr Pond 20

6 White Memorial Foundation: Mallard Marsh and Little Pond 25

7 River Road 29

8 Macedonia Ridge Trail 34

9 Mount Tom State Park 40

10 Mount Algo and Indian Rock 44

11 Sunny Valley Preserve: Silica Mine Hill and Lake Lillinonah 48

12 Kettletown State Park 53

13 Zoar Trail 59

14 Devil's Den Preserve 64

15 Audubon Greenwich 69

Central Connecticut 75

16 McLean Game Refuge 76

17 Indian Council Caves 82

18 Peoples State Forest 86

19 Talcott Mountain 92

20 Sessions Woods 98

21 Mile of Ledges and Tory Den 103

22 Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve 109

23 Chauncey Peak 114

24 Castle Craig, Cat-Hole Pass, and East Peak 120

25 Mattabesett Trail and Mount Higby 124

26 Bear Rock and Millers Pond 129

27 Mattabesett Trail and Coginchaug Cave 134

28 Sleeping Giant 138

29 Hezekiah's Knob and the Chestnut Grove 143

30 Bluff Head Ridge 149

31 Westwoods Trails: White Circle and White Square 153

32 Westwoods Trails: Lost Lake 158

Eastern Connecticut 165

33 Breakneck Pond: Bigelow Hollow State Park and Nipmuck State Forest 166

34 Connecticut Audubon Trail Wood Sanctuary 172

35 Connecticut Audubon Bafflin Sanctuary 179

36 Case Mountain Recreation Area: Lookout Mountain 184

37 Rock Spring Preserve 189

38 Rhododendron Sanctuary and Mount Misery 195

39 Day Pond State Park and Salmon River State Forest Loop 200

40 Laurel Loop 205

41 Lantern Hill 210

42 Burnham Brook Preserve 215

43 Devil's Hopyard State Park 221

44 Nayantaquit Trail 228

45 Cockaponset State Forest: Chatfield Trail 234

46 Hammonasset Beach State Park 240

47 Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge: Salt Meadow Unit 246

48 Bluff Point Coastal Reserve 250

49 Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center 257

50 Barn Island Wildlife Management Area 263

Nature and History Essays

Climbing the Taconic Klippe 6

The Ice Sheet Cometh 33

Partridge in a Shad Tree 58

Fire and Ice 81

Manitou Stones 91

Hungry Caterpillars 97

What in Blue Blazes? 119

Copperheads 128

Saving American Chestnuts 148

Mountain Laurel 163

A Man for All Seasons: Edwin Way Teale 178

Fences in the Forest 227

Hemlock Under Assault 233

Sea of Grass 256

Appendix

The New England National Scenic Trail 269

Index 271

About the Authors 276

AMC in Connecticut 277

AMC Book Updates 278

Appalachian Mountain Club 280