From what I’ve heard from my peers and social media, a sizable percentage of Connecticutians deem the many towns of Connecticut to be largely uninteresting and unentertaining. Everyone wants to travel and explore ancient landmarks on monuments across the United States and in Europe. People often commute to the Southern regions of Connecticut that host Mohegan Sun, Mystic Aquarium, and the Village.
Residing in New England, Connecticut has reasonable historical connections with nature and forests. Southwestern and central Connecticut may appear to be merely a copy of New York's urban regions, but a majority of the state has beautiful scenery to offer. Many of you may have been to the local “Cedar Mountain” loops and explored the quarry nearby, but I can offer something better. Stretching only 10 to 20 minutes away from our town of Newington, towns such as Plainville, Farmington, Avon and Simsbury all have something in common: their access to the Metacomet Trail. Even if you’re not an avid hiker, it’s very likely that you’ve found yourself within the boundaries of the trail at some point. The Metacomet Trail stretches for nearly 63 miles from central Connecticut to southern Massachusetts, with a variety of loops and sub-trails that encompass an abundant number of landmarks and state parks.
In the nearby cities of New Britain and Plainville, urban legends exist along the Metacomet Trail. A road leads through the woods that technically involves trespassing if moving off of the official trail that intersects it. It stretches from a legitimate street with houses to some relatively unused quarries nearby the shopping region of Plainville (Marshalls, Old Navy, AMC, etc). In ground concrete, basement like sections, as well as rusting poles, a Nike Missile Base stretched for some of the area of the trail, and that explains a lot of the obscure infrastructure. It also connects with a notable region of the trail, being Pinnacle Rock. Pinnacle Rock reaches above a large, steep residential region of Plainville and leads to a variety of other cliff views. A winding tree resides in the middle of the Pinnacle Rock dirt section that leads to the cliff, and it can be a fascinating base for photography.
Hiking farther North, you may approach Rattlesnake Mountain. This region also encompasses another urban legend that traces back to the 1800s. Will Warren, a resident of Farmington, ran away after setting a town on fire and stealing sheep. He was set to be hanged but fled to the Rattlesnake Mountain trails. He was hidden in what is now referred to as “Will Warren’s Den” by two Native American women. He lived within the rocks, dens, and caves for the rest of his life, along with his sheep. The caves provided shelter from wind and rain and also considerable insulation. Nowadays, they may be home to squirrels, spiders, woodchucks, or maybe even bears. Will Warren’s Den and the surrounding trail became incorporated under the Farmington government in 1987 and is now available for public use and exploration.
Many may not consider themselves to be “athletically fit” for hiking or outdoor exploration, but the Metacomet Trail in particular has a variety of sections that are accessible for all activity levels. Whenever you have the opportunity, it is certainly worth adventuring the Blue-Blazed trails throughout all of nearby Connecticut. Merely the sight and smell of the outdoors can relieve us from even the slightest bit of stress from grades and extracurriculars for college applications.