Submitted by sphockey t3_127o57b in Connecticut
I’ll be doing some hiking in NW CT. What town would you recommend staying in to have access to the best hikes there and what are some recommendations of your favorite hikes? Thanks in advance.
Comments
tidymaze t1_jef1eoe wrote
Most towns in NWCT don't have hotels/motels. The only ones who really do are Kent and Cornwall, and they ain't cheap. I'm not sure about AirB&Bs. That being said, the Appalachian Trail runs through there, and you can do parts of it with varying difficulty levels. I would also recommend hiking up to the top of Bear Mountain in Salisbury, as it's the highest "peak" in CT, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Vermont.
grusauskj t1_jef4h9q wrote
Like another comment said, there aren’t many options for hotels besides a bed n breakfast here and there. Check out Airbnb. I would bet Torrington would have some options, but it’s def not the shining gem of NW corner if you catch my drift. Kent’s my home town and was an amazing place to hike around all my life. Also look in Sharon, Cornwall, Salisbury/lakeville, north Canaan and even Millerton or Amenia NY
Check out Lions head and Bear mtn in Salisbury, Mohawk State Park in Cornwall, Bulls Bridge, kent falls and Macedonia State Park in Kent. Just following the AT is an amazing experience (particularly between bulls bridge/10 Mile river in Kent and pine knob loop trail in Cornwall, but that’s hometown bias), it has plenty of views and goes from mountain tops to the Housatonic River and everything in between. Hope this helps and enjoy!
tempertempest t1_jef4lph wrote
Hi! So you have some options.
The Salisbury area has access to the Taconics and the AT. Classic NWCT hikes like Lion's Head, Rand's View, and Bear Mtn are easy to get to from Salisbury. You also can dip into Mass/NY for great mountains like Brace & beautiful waterfalls like Race Brook Falls. Lodging here, whether Air BnB or the White Hart Inn, won't be cheap.
On the cheaper side and less rural would be staying in the Torrington/Winsted area. Here you can get to Haystack mtn and Campbell's falls in Norfolk, excellent views from People's State Forest, and you can head down to Litchfield for more trails at White Memorial (plus tons of great restaurants and shopping).
You could also consider staying in Kent, which is a beautiful town with some shopping and restaurants. It's a little less mountainous but still has great views by Caleb's Peak and Pine Knob, or head into Macedonia Brook state park.
Hope this helps!
gabbeau7 t1_jef6bfo wrote
Rands View is beautiful
Turokan t1_jef6hp0 wrote
Bear mountain is wonderful up in that area
callmemoderation t1_jeflxvk wrote
The Litchfield Inn to stay, hike all the good ones on the AT. Also some great hikes in the area preserves. Steep Rock, White Memorial, Flanders, etc.
Hike the Pinnacle at Macricostas Preserve in Washington of 202.
OralHairyLeukoplakia t1_jef0ai8 wrote
https://www.alltrails.com/
If you don't have the app, I highly recommend it. But even without the app, you can pick a post in NW CT, and set parameters of distance, difficulty, dog friendliness, out & back/loop vs point to point, and it'll give you maps of all the trails that fit your preference