I Enjoy Fitness…
Simsbury Farms Fitness Trail, Simsbury
November 2024
My son used to have a t-shirt that said “I Enjoy Fitness…” then a picture of a taco, then… “Fitness Taco in my Mouth.” It always cracked me up. Anyhoo…
There are dozens of these fitness trails around the state. At least there were at one point. So what makes this one in Simsbury special enough to warrant my walking it and now writing about it?
For one, it appears in the Simsbury Walk Book which necessitates its inclusion here. But besides that, it’s actually a pretty darn nice trail.
Down a driveway, behind some houses, around a golf course. And through its maintenance garage. And alongside a road.
Oh sure, you think I’m kidding, but I’m not. Okay, it doesn’t go through the maintenance garage, but it did take me right through its back lot, which is weirder than it sounds. But I enjoyed all 2.5 miles of this thing.
Yes, all 2.5 miles. When I take these hikes I often wonder how many people think I take shortcuts or skip sections or whatever. I’ve always been clear in my writings on those rare occasions that I do such things.
And for this loop hike, I took pictures of all 20 fitness stations. Proof for you naysayers! And now you’re going to have to suffer through all 20 of those pictures – plus some others!
The Simsbury Farms is, at least from the face of it, a super nice complex. It was built on the former Orkil Farms apple orchard and opened for use in 1971. I guess for a lot of people, it’s all about the 18-hole golf course. It looks like a nice course to me, but I really wouldn’t know. But beyond that, Simsbury Farms consists of four separate pool areas; a 25 yard, eight lane pool, a 25 by 50 foot training area, a specially designed wading pool, and a separate diving pool.
There’s also a covered outdoor skating rink, rebuilt in 1999, and is lighted for evening use. There are tennis courts and a restaurant and a giant playscape and, of course, the fitness trail.
The David Emott Memorial Family Fitness Trail consists of 20 exercise stations on a 2 1/2 mile circuit around the perimeter of the Complex. Each station has posted guidelines for beginners as well as advanced exercisers, to help each individual develop their own program.
To your first (and only) question: I don’t know who David Emott was or is. However, upon closer inspection of my own photos, I see this is actually the David Emott Jr. Memorial Family Fitness Trail. And, tragically, there is an obituary online for the young man who died at age 8 in 1979 in Simsbury. Let’s take a moment to think about that child. What a cool way to memorialize him, I must say.
The trail starts with some difficulty. There’s a huge sign outlining and mapping the whole thing by the main parking lot. I like how the person icons along the way tell us to walk or run to the next station. Note: I did not run once during my outing.
I found the first station easily enough. It invited me to do some arm swings. Okay then. I can swing my arms.
There are signs pointing the way, but I was initially a little uncomfortable walking down someone’s driveway in front of their house. I’m not entirely sure people live here, but it sure looks like it. I knew I was to head towards the former apple barn, so that’s what I did. The former apple barn sales area has been renovated as an indoor meeting and program area. It’s that white building your scrolled past above.
I found the trail down near the road; a lovely paved path. I was back gettin’ my fitness on. Station two doesn’t come until the path turns east, along the property’s southern border. From there, the stations come rapid fire.
There’s a lot of stretching and general silliness with these stations. I’m imagining my 13-year-old athlete actually doing the fitness and laughing. (Granted, as a 52-year-old, I wasn’t doing anything but walking, so who am I to talk?)
Station 7 marks the beginning of an impressive stand of pine at the southeastern corner of the property. This is the prettiest part of the whole trail and it’s the furthest from the parking lot… which I kind of like for some reason. (There are access points for the surrounding neighbors at several points along this first stretch, so it does get traveled.)
I haven’t yet mentioned that this trail covers just about every trail surface imaginable: asphalt, concrete, grass, dirt, rubber, mulch, wood, pine needles, stone dust… it’s kind of crazy.
It’s also very apparent that the town puts a decent amount of effort into keeping this whole thing pretty well maintained. Well, the 20 fitness stations have seen better days, but when compared to other fitness trails with these stations around the state, this place is in much better shape.
After station 10, the Fitness Trail gave me good views of golfers and fairways and greens. It really does look like a nice course to this non-golfer. It was at that point, following the trail as intended, I walked behind the large maintenance shed.
Two workers were doing some metal work out back as I strolled past and said hello. “I didn’t expect the fitness trail to take me through your garage,” I said. “Oh, there are many more dangerous areas along the whole thing!” he replied.
What? Where? I knew the remainder of my trek would be near roads, but this guy worked he. He helped maintain the place. What had I missed? What was forthcoming? This was just a graded fitness trail at a suburban golf course!
I continued onward.
Past two more guys installing a security fence at a Simsbury town office of some sort. They looked at me like I had a screw loose, and I looked at them like they didn’t know they were installing a fence across a driveway that also serves as The David Emott Jr. Memorial Family Fitness Trail at Simsbury Farms.
The trail took its turn back west and climbed a little hill behind some houses. A dog furiously barked but it remained unseen. The fitness stations continued to urge me to stretch and bend.
At this point I just kind of wanted to finish. For the most part, this entire last stretch of nearly a miles was out near roads. At one point, it almost was on the road – perhaps the dangerous stretch the guy referenced – and wasn’t all that exciting.
So my mind drifted to things like how I knew I was nearing the end of my time exploring Simsbury. What I mean is that, for CTMQ purposes, I was almost done with everything there is to do in town. Over 80 museums, trails, and other places of interest. Crazy, I know.
But that’s what I do. That’s why I was walking past stations 14, 15, 16 along Hop Brook Road and taking pictures of them. For completion.
I found station 16 oddly funny. The one just above. A log attached to a chain? You’re supposed to lift up the log a bunch of times – in full view of passersby. How many people do this?
The log looked used though. People do this, and good for them! I just envision old guys in sweatsuits and headbands and wrist bands out here along the road doing log lifts along the Simsbury Farms Fitness Trail.
These last stations come in rapid fire. As I rounded the bend towards the entrance to the complex, three more came at me, boom-boom-boom.
Yeah, that’s right. I did Station 18, as you can clearly see above. I was feelin’ it. Another Simsbury trail nearing completion.
There are a ton of super cool trails in the town, and they will take explorers over and through a huge variety of terrain. Bogs, fields, woods, traprock ridgelines, rivers, historic sites. People often think the Heublein Tower is in Bloomfield or Avon, but the actual tower and the entirety of the access trail is all Simsbury, baby.
I passed the 20th and final fitness station (weirdly, a balance beam) at the entrance and began the final trek up the hill to the parking lot. I still had several things to finish up in town before I could call it complete, but this was the last “nice” and sensible thing I had to do. And it felt good.
Even though I never stretched.
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