Rockefeller State Park Preserve
Unfortunately, I don’t have a ton of data on this hike. It was the Saturday afternoon of Fourth of July weekend and I think I just needed to get out of the house for some time with Mother Nature.
If I recall correctly, I took Brothers’ Path (BP) around the east side of Swan Lake and then back up the west side of the lake.
Overall, I considered this more of a walk through and near wooded areas than a hike. All of the paths I ended up on were dirt or gravel carriage paths with little canopy and it sometimes felt like walking down a quiet street. It was still great exercise and it was outdoors, but I'd much prefer being more enclosed by woods than this. Now that I have a better lay of the land, I'm going to do more research about Rockefeller State Park Preserve to see if there are more traditional hiking trails. There are over 45 miles of paths here, so there is plenty to explore on future visits!
I helped lead a group of Club Getaway guests up the Collier's Climb Trail in Emery Park, near Kent, CT. The route to the summit of Leonard Mountain is a steady incline — not incredibly steep, but consistently at an angle and rarely leveling off. At the top there's a view of the surrounding mountains and valleys, partially obstructed by summer foliage. We went on an exceptionally hot, humid day and stopped a few times for water. We had hoped to descend a different trail, but a recent storm had left it blocked by downed trees, so we retraced our steps for a 2.29-mile out-and-back.
Taxter Ridge Park Preserve was the site of my first COVID-era hike, and returning six years later reminded me why I fell in love with it. Despite heat and humidity in the low 80s, the trail delivered — open meadows, dense woods, old carriage trails, a marsh, a water tower, the ruins of a 19th-century sanctuary, and glimpses of stunning multi-million dollar homes along the way. I had the entire 200-acre park almost entirely to myself. Not a single person, not a single car in any of the three parking lots. Just the trail, a lingering deer, and a 2.5L hydration pack I was glad I brought.
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