Rattlesnake Mountain

This is the plan, not done yet, so take the notes as a plan. I went looking for a traprock ridge with real cliff views that wouldn't be a zoo, and Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington kept coming up as the quieter one. It's the same blue-blazed Metacomet ridge family as my favorites, just farther north and less trafficked than the marquee spots, which is exactly what I wanted.

Here's what I've pieced together. You park off Colt Highway, Route 6, and pick up the blue blazes. The climb is honest, steep for about the first mile, and then you're basically done with the elevation. From there it's a rocky ridge walk out to the payoff: clifftop overlooks facing west over the Pequabuck River valley, with Farmington below and the eastern wall of the Berkshires off on the horizon. If you tack on the short spur, you also pass Will Warren's Den, a jumble of boulders that's a local legend spot.

A steep first mile, then a rocky ridge to open clifftop views west over the valley toward the Berkshires. One of the quieter traprock ridges.

The one thing to plan for is the trailhead. Navigate to the Colt Highway trailhead, not the summit, and note that the trail entrance is on one side of the road and the parking is on the other, which trips people up. The lot is small and fills on weekends, so an early start is the move, and it's a big part of why I picked this one for a quiet hike.

So the plan is: get there early, grind out the steep first mile, then enjoy the ridge and the western cliff views without the crowds. Short, a real climb, and open views, my kind of hike. I'll come back and write the real trip, with ratings, once I go.