A Good Win For All Goodwin State Forest Chaplin & Hampton Good ol' Goodwin. As you can imagine, I doubly enjoy our state forests with a good trail system. And I triply enjoy those with a good trail system and a museum. There are more than you realize, trust me. In fact, as I type this sentence I'm going through my … [Read more...]
Natchaug SF: Chaplin, Eastford, & Hampton Block Trails
CCC I Told You So Natchaug State Forest Trails, Eastford, Chaplin, & Hampton October 2021 The Natchaug has been a state forest for over 100 years. That's pretty cool. Who knows... if not for that designation, the towns of Eastford and Ashford and Hampton and Chaplin and Pomfret may be bustling megacities by now. … [Read more...]
Air Line State Park Trail: Section 2
Putting the Quiet in the Corner Route 97, Pomfret to Hop River State Park Trail, Windham (~14 miles) August 2021 If you'd like to begin with my Section 1 through Thompson and Pomfret, here you are. (This is just a placeholder for now.) We'll pick up this section at the Route 97 crossing in Pomfret, although I'd … [Read more...]
Natchaug Trail: Section 2
Section 2: Still NatCHUGGING Along 10 miles, Eastford, Chaplin, & Hampton July 2017 What a thing... splitting this trail into two hikes; the first in single-digit temperatures in March and this one in the heat of mid-July. I guess that's not really a very interesting thing, as I've done that plenty of times. You … [Read more...]
CTMQ’s Guide to Hampton
Everything Hampton I’ve been exploring and writing about Connecticut since 2006. After a decade, I began compiling CTMQ guides for each town in the state. I plan on “completing” Hampton CTMQ-style... as well as the other 168 towns, cities, and boroughs in Connecticut. That is the ultimate goal of CTMQ. If … [Read more...]
Hampton’s Town Trails
Hampton's Town Trails Hampton is a town that when you mention it, people assume you mean Hamden. Especially if you say, "I'm going to go hiking in Hampton." People will hear "Hamden" and think Sleeping Giant State Park. The irony there is that there are a lot of trails to hike in Hampton - more than just … [Read more...]
James L. Goodwin State Forest Intro
James L. Goodwin State Forest Chaplin & Hampton Covering more than three square miles the James L. Goodwin State Forest offers recreation for every season of the year. An extensive variety of trails, including a equestrian trail and the miles-long Air Line Trail, is open from dawn until dusk, 365 days a year. The … [Read more...]
Air Line State Park Trail Intro
Air Line... NOT "Airline!" 58.5 Miles, Portland, East Hampton, Colchester, Hebron, Columbia, Lebanon, Windham, Chaplin, Hampton, Pomfret, Portland, Putnam, Thompson My title above is for one Mr. Peter Marteka who is enamored with this particular trail to an unhealthy degree. Envisioned as a high speed passenger … [Read more...]
Natchaug Trail Intro
Natchaug Trail Ashford - Hampton, 19 miles March 2017 - July 2017 Ashford. Eastford. Chaplin. Hampton. Chances are, you can’t pinpoint these four Connecticut towns on a map. But don’t despair! When it comes to hiking through the wilds of Connecticut, I consider this a good thing. In fact, The Natchaug … [Read more...]
Wolf Den Land Trust Intro
Wolf Den Land Trust Brooklyn, Hampton, Killingly, & Windham This is another one of those sort of weird, sort of difficult to parse land trusts in Connecticut. For one thing, Wolf Den is tightly aligned with an outfit called "The Eastern Connecticut Forest Landowners." Their shared vision and mission is good of … [Read more...]