|
| |
 
 
 
Look here for :
Places
within ~1/2 hour of New Haven:
 | Connecticut Audubon Center at Milford Point |
| Devils Hopyard (East Haddam) |
| East Rock Park (Hamden) |
| Gorge Cascade Falls
(Hamden, CT)
 | nice looking seasonal waterfall. A brook goes down a series of falls at the same place where a smaller brook flows over the side of the gorge. The easiest way to view the falls is from the trail on the rim of the gorge. The pictures from the bottom were obtained by wading through the very cold brook and up into the gorge. |
| Trail Head Directions -- From the intersection of Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) and Route 10 (Whitney Ave) head North towards Sleeping Giant State Park. The main entrance to the park is off Mt. Carmel Ave across from Quinnipiac College. You could stop there to pick up a map, and many great hikes start from this point. However, the easiest way to get to the falls starts at a different trail head. Continue North on Route 10, past Mt. Carmel Ave to Tuttle Ave. Take a right onto Tuttle Ave. After about one mile, there will be
a small parking area off to the right. There is a wooden gate and a small sign, park here. If you go too far, the woods will end on the right side of the road and become a field. |
| Hiking Directions -- Follow the red circle blazed trail along the rim of the gorge. Take some time to hike the many other trails in Sleeping Giant State Park. |
|
| Indian Well State Park (Shelton) |
| Mount Carmel Spring Falls
(Hamden; Mount Carmel)
| A fall with a large drop, but a low water volume. Best chance to view the falls with water is in the spring. There is not enough volume or speed to throw the water, so the water just runs down the side of the cliff. The fall is located within Sleeping Giant State Park, with has one of the best network of hiking trails in the state. Following the hiking directions to the falls will lead you through a Gorge and by some nice rock formations. |
| Trail Head Directions -- From the intersection of Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) and Route 10 (Whitney Ave) head North towards Sleeping Giant State Park. The main entrance to the park is off Mt. Carmel Ave across from Quinnipiac College. You could stop there to pick up a map, and many great hikes start from this point. However, the easiest way to get to the falls starts at a different trail head. Continue North on Route 10, past Mt. Carmel Ave to Tuttle Ave. Take a right onto Tuttle Ave. After about one mile, there will be a small parking area off to the right. There is a wooden gate and a small sign, park here. If you go too far, the woods will end on the right side of the road and become a field. |
| Hiking Directions -- Hike along the red circle trail. The trail will reach the river then turn to the right and proceed up hill. You will be walking along the side of a Gorge with many cascades. Up to this point you have been on the right hand site (South) of the river.
Shortly after crossing the river to the left (North bank) there will be an unmarked trail on the left. If you wish to go to the bottom of the falls, you should follow the unmarked trail to the left. If you wish to go to the top of the falls, continue along the red circle trail.
 | BOTTOM OF THE FALLS -- Take a left onto the unmarked trail, which runs to the North East. After about .1 to .2 miles you should see the cliff off to the right.
Follow a small trail along the stream up to the bottom. |
| TOP OF THE FALLS -- Continue along the red circle trail until you come to the intersection with the Violet trail (about .1 miles). Take a left onto the Violet
trail. You will climb up onto the top of the ledge. After about .1 to .2 miles you will come to a place where a small stream flows across the path and down the cliff. The falls are here. |
|
|
| New Haven Harbor
Lighthouse (New Haven) |
| Osbornedale (Derby)
| The Park is located in the Naugatuck Valley hills just east of the Housatonic River. The wooded park offers shaded picnic areas for summer enjoyment and a skating
pond for winter fun. |
| **The Kellogg Estate portion is good for
butterflies |
|
| Roaring Brook Falls
(Cheshire)
| This is the highest single drop waterfall in the state. The falls are quite spectacular especially in the spring or after a heavy rain. The falls have not been turned into a park and have been preserved in their natural beauty by the Cheshire Land Trust. A great place to see falls as the are in nature. Help keep it that way. The easiest place to view the falls is from the trail which goes along the top of the ravine. Getting to the bottom of the falls requires hiking up through the steep, rocky and wet ravine. |
| Trail Head Directions -- From the intersection of Route 10 and Route 42 in Cheshire, head west on Route 42. Shortly after crossing the Farmington Canal Bikeway, route 42 will make a sharp turn to the left. A street will come in from the right, this is Mountain road. Take a right onto Mountain road. Follow Mountain road until you come to Roaring Brook road. Take a left onto Roaring Brook road. Follow the road around to the right. Park at the cud-de-sac at the end of the road. |
| Hiking Directions -- From the parking area, continue along a gravel road straight through the gate. You will go past a pond, tennis courts and picnic area. These are privately owned by the Roaring Brook Association and not for public use. A short distance after the gravel road enters the woods, the trail will turn off to the left. The gravel road is a private way and continues straight. Just before the trail crosses Roaring Brook, there is the remnants of an old cabin on the
left. After crossing the brook, the trail proceeds up hill and gets progressively steeper. As you hike, the sound of falling water will get louder, but you cannot see the river. Eventually come to an area with a bench and a good view of the falls. You can continue up the trail to the top of the falls. The trail gets quite steep at this point but has some interesting views. At the top the trail will flatten out and meet the blue blazed Regicides trail. |
|
| Sleeping |
| Sperry Falls
(Woodbridge, CT)
| Sperry brook splits in two as it falls over a ledge with a deep pool at the bottom. The pool is half surrounded by the ledge and cliffs. Note, there is no swimming allowed because it is a public water supply and it is enforced. |
| Trail Head Directions -- From North: From the intersection of CT route 42 and route 69 in Bethany, drive 5.0 miles south on route 69 to Morris road. Take a right onto Morris road. At .6 miles take a left onto Sperry road. Turns into a dirt road, continue to "Road Closed" sign (.4 miles from Morris road). Park here. |
| Hiking Directions -- From North: Hike along dirt Sperry road until a turnout on the right and a road on the left. Hike up road on the left to parking area. Take trail on the left. There is a rock at the trail entrance engraved "Sperry Park". Continue along the trail straight to the falls. |
|
| Wadsworth Falls State Park (Middlefield) |
| West Rock Ridge State Park (Hamden/New Haven) |
| Wharton Brook State Park (Wallingford) |
| Wintergreen Falls
(Hamden (Wintergreen), CT)
| West Brook rapidly flows down a curving water slide and over a two step fall. The falls are at the head of a small gorge, cut by West Brook through the soft rock. The falls themselves are made of hard trap rock, part of West Rocks Ridge. |
| Trail Head Directions -- From the intersection of Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) and Route 10 (Dixwell Ave) in Hamden, exit 60 off the parkway, head south on Route 10 for 1.8 miles to Woodin ST. Turn right onto Woodin Street and follow all the way to the end at the intersection with Wintergreen Avenue. Turn left onto Wintergreen. Continue on
Wintergreen until it passes under the parkway. Just after bridge there is a parking area on the left and a sign for Westrock Nature Center, park here. |
| Hiking Directions -- From the parking area head straight back towards the brook then fallow the trail downstream parallel to the brook. |
|
| Wolcot
Falls (Hamden, CT)
| Wolcot falls is a fall where you would not expect to find one. The falls are made when a small brook, flow across a fairly level area, and then drops over two slanting ledges and into a gorge. It is located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Hamden. |
| Trail Head Directions -- Corner of Shepard and Timberwood. Back into woods on right hand side. The trail starts at a break in the
guard rail on the right. |
| Hiking Directions -- Follow the trail down hill. You will soon come to the brook. Continue along the trail parallel to the brook. You will soon come to
the falls. |
|
|
