Some of the Best Hiking Trails in Connecticut

With an abundance of trails spanning diverse terrain and highlighting natural features like waterfalls, lakes, and craggy traprock walls, Connecticut is among the best places in the United States for hiking and backpacking. The website WhyThisPlace.com rated it as the best state for hiking in the US, with a score of 73.98 out of 100 on its Hiking Index, which accounts for factors such as total trails and average annual rainfall and temperature.

1. Some of the Best Hiking Trails in Connecticut
Daniel Schiels

2. With an abundance of trails spanning diverse terrain and
highlighting natural features like waterfalls, lakes, and
craggy traprock walls, Connecticut is among the best places
in the United States for hiking and backpacking. The website
WhyThisPlace.com rated it as the best state for hiking in the
US, with a score of 73.98 out of 100 on its Hiking Index,
which accounts for factors such as total trails and average
annual rainfall and temperature.
Connecticut has 1,455 trails per 1,000 square miles and
more than 2,000 miles of trails in its state parks.
AllTrails.com, meanwhile, reports there are almost 2,200
hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking routes in the
state, including 1,387 trails for family-friendly hikes and 83
that are wheelchair accessible. Located in Giuffrida Park
near Meriden, Chauncey Peak Trail is the top-rated route on
AllTrails. The 3.9-kilometer loop trail has 107 meters in
elevation gain and offers great views of the Bradley Hubbard
Reservoir.

3. The Sleeping Giant Tower Trail is another highly rated route
on AllTrails. The out-and-back 5-kilometer route is
moderately challenging, with 182 meters of elevation gain
leading up to the Mount Carmel summit, where hikers can
marvel upon a four-story stone observation tower built by
the Civilian Conservations Corps nearly 100 years ago.
Paths are well maintained, but there are rocky sections,
and the trail can sometimes be overcrowded.
There are also plenty of suitable hiking trails in the 300-
acre Trout Brook Valley State Park Reserve in Weston.
There are no dogs allowed on the trail, and nearby parking
options are limited, but plenty of natural landscape to
explore, including rugged hills, valleys, and wetlands. The
park is part of a larger 730-acre preserve spanning Weston
and Easton that was saved from developers by the
Aspetuck Land Trust and actor Paul Newman in 1999.

4. Peterson Park in Wolcott is another great outdoor escape in
Connecticut. The Mattatuck Trail, accessible via the southern trailhead
off Route 69, is a particularly serene hike that Connecticut's Tourism
Office describes as "sort of a natural amphitheater ... with towering
hemlocks, filtered sunlight, tumbling and splashing water, and an
understory of moss-covered boulders, ferns, and mountain laurel." The
sound of the water is from the nearby Mad River, which begins near
Bristol and also runs through Waterbury.
Those looking for a relatively easy hike should check out the 5.8-
kilometer Wadsworth Falls Loop in Wadsworth State Park. While the
trail isn't marked as well as some others in the state, there are no
challenging hills or dangerous rocky sections. The trail takes about 90
minutes to complete, covers 110 meters of elevation gain, and passes a
pair of stone bridges before finishing near the Wadsworth Mansion. It is
dog and kid-friendly and a great place for snowshoeing in the winter, as
it's among the first areas in the state to get packed down.

5. Haystack Mountain State Park is another one of
the many state parks in Connecticut with ample
hiking trails. It has two well-maintained paths,
including a two-mile paved road, that lead to its
summit, where a 34-foot-tall stone tower, built in
1929, serves as a lookout for picturesque views
of the Green Mountains of Vermont, the
Berkshires, New York, and Massachusetts.
Located in Norfolk, the park is also a favorite
among cross-country skiers in the winter.
Some of the other notable parks for hiking in
Connecticut include Hopeville Pond State Park,
Housatonic State Forest, Dennis Hill State Park,
and American Legion State Forest.