The list
Up Next
The hikes I want to do but haven't gotten to yet. Every one is vetted for the thing I actually care about: real open views the whole way, not a woods tunnel to one leaf-screened lookout. They move off this list and into a full trip once I go.
- 01
Rattlesnake Mountain
Farmington, CT· About 50 min from Shelton· ~2.5 mi round trip (or ~3 mi with Will Warren's Den)
The quiet pick. A steep first mile knocks out the climb, then a rocky Metacomet ridge walk to open clifftop views. Farthest of the ridge hikes, but the trade is a quieter trail.
The views: West-facing clifftop overlooks over the Pequabuck River valley, Farmington below and the eastern wall of the Berkshires on the horizon.
Heads up: Plan's already written. Small lot off Colt Highway (Rt 6) that fills on weekends, and the trail entrance is across the road from the parking — go early.
- 02
Beseck Mountain
Middlefield, CT· About 40 min from Shelton· ~3.6 mi round trip
A 3-mile line of open cliffs on the Mattabesett Trail, the ridge right next to Higby. Views the whole way, not one payoff at the top.
The views: West-facing clifftops over Black Pond with Mount Higby rising right behind it — called one of the best views in the state. Talcott Mountain, Meriden, even Long Island Sound on a clear day.
- 03
Mount Lamentation
Berlin, CT· About 35 min from Shelton· ~4.5 mi loop
CFPA calls its cliff line 'perhaps the most scenic traprock ridge walk in the state.' Open ledge views the length of the ridge.
The views: Cliff-line views of the Hanging Hills — East Peak, West Peak, Silver Lake, and Beaver Pond — off big open ledges.
Heads up: Busier than most — shares the Giuffrida Park lot with Chauncey. Go early or on a weekday.
3 on the list. Done ones become full trips over in Bigger Hikes.