New Jersey’s Kittatinny Valley State Park: A Haven for Outdoor Enthusiasts
The Kittatinny Valley State Park, located roughly 8 miles north of Route 80 in Andover, NJ offers an abundance of opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. The picturesque property offers several hiking and mountain biking trails and numerous options for hunting, fishing, boating and bird watching. In winter, the snow-covered trails of Kittatinny Park provide the perfect terrain for cross-country skiing, for snowshoeing and even for dog sledding. The park features an abundance of natural beauty including stunning glacial lakes and limestone outcroppings. The Pequest River starts its 25-mile journey to the Delaware River from Lake Aeroflex and Gardner’s Pond, both of which are situated within the park.
Visiting New Jersey’s High Point State Park
If you’re looking for fun and excitement, amid a vast array of lush landscape and magnificent scenery, the Garden State has a park created with you in mind. New Jersey’s High Point State Park has it all. Encompassed by a view of 1,803 feet above sea level, the park’s vantage point features a gaze of the tri-state area as vivid as it gets. Whether you are an avid hiker or an enthusiastic camper, the grounds of the park are vast and plentiful as every adventurer may envision.
Talcott Mountain State Park In Connecticut
Located in Bloomfield, Connecticut, Talcott Mountain state park is home to hiking trails and a unique observatory tower. The park is located on 557 acres of public land. Part of the Metacomet Trail, a 51 mile hiking trail, runs through the grounds. One of the most unique features of this park is the observation tower. The Heublein Tower is a 165 foot tower with a lookout that offers spectacular views of the surrounding area. It was built by Gilbert Heublein, who is best known for the food products his company manufactured: A1 Steak sauce and Smirnoff vodka. It originally served as the Heublein family’s summer home. The tower was built in 1914, but it has been reconstructed several times. The tower passed into public ownership during the 1960s. After you climb the 110 steps to the top, you can even the skyline of Hartford from the tower, as well as the Farmington River Valley. Talcott Mountain state park is open all year, but the observation tower is only open seasonally. Heulien Tower is a popular destination during the fall, as it provides a beautiful view of Connecticut’s seasonal foliage. If plan to visit Talcott Mountain state park during the popular fall months, try to arrive early in the season while the attendance is still sparse and parking is still ample.
Southford Falls State Park
Residents of Connecticut and travelers alike are sure to find the Southford Falls State Park a great place to visit. The beautiful scenery and lake make it a perfect way to spend the day alone or with family and friends. There are a number of trails as well, making this a prime location for walkers and runners alike. Entrance is free, allowing even those on a tight budget to enjoy the beautiful park that the state of Connecticut has established. With no cost of entry, people are able to enjoy visiting this park time and time again.
Seldon Neck State Park, one of the Last Great Places on Earth
You can’t get to Seldon Neck State Park without a boat, unless you are a heck of a swimmer. When John Seldon bought his property in 1695, between Deep River and Lyme, Connecticut, the land was indeed a neck of the mainland. A freshet following severe weather in the 1850’s cut a sizeable channel through it and, since then, Seldon Neck has been the largest island rising from the Connecticut River. The island is one and a half miles long and a half mile wide. Its 600+ uninhabited acres are thickly wooded but, thanks to the island’s history as a quarry, studded by rock cliffs 600 million years old, from which the views up and down river are spectacular.