Macedonia Brook State Park

places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Kent CT

The Park

The Scatacook Indians were the first to settle in the hills around the confluence of the Housatonic and Ten Mile rivers. Not much changed when the British founded Kent in 1738. In fact, when the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Scatacook volunteers operated a signal system up on the ridgetops. The valley around Macedonia evolved into an important early American iron center. Every tree for miles around was cut to fee the hungry forges of the Kent Iron Company. By 1848 there were none left. Not that it mattered since more productive iron mines were putting eastern forges out of business. Kent survived to the end of the Civil War before its forge went cold. The core lands for the state park came to Connecticut in 1918 from siblings Alain and May White, dispersing a family fortune made when Danbury was the fur hat capital of the world. Federal Conservation Corps workers during the Great Depression of the 1930s reforested and built the park.

The Walks

Any level of canine hiker will delight in Macedonia Brook State Park. Dogs looking for a ramble down a shady country lane can set out on dirt roads and grassy paths that run along and across Macedonia Brook. You can spend over an hour hiking in the valley and past the campground. The prize for adventurous dogs is Cobble Mountain with its splendid views to the west across the Hudson River to the Catskill Mountains. From the center of the park a short, rugged boulder scramble - maybe the state’s harshest - leads to the Cobble Mountain summit. If your dog can’t make it or you can’t lift him, retreat and access the blue-blazed Macedonia Ridge Trail that circles the park. This spirited route covers more than six miles and crosses four hilltops in a very rewarding circuit but can be shortened with connector trails if you notice your dog flagging.

Where The Paw Meets The Earth: The trails are well-marked and signed.

Workout For Your Dog - A sporty hour or so of hiking.

Swimming - Don’t bother the fly fishermen and your dog can cool off in Macedonia Brook.

Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike the park trails and snack in the sreamside picnic areas but can not stay in the campground.

Something Extra

Just north of the town of Kent on Route 7 is Kent Falls, a series of water cascades tumbling 250 feet over a quarter-mile. The tallest single drop is 70 feet, just ten feet from being the state’s highest. A short trail leads up and over the falls. Make it a stop-off on your trip to Macedonia Brook; there are multiple plunge pools where your dog can play.

Phone - (860) 927-3238

Website 

Admission Fee - None

Directions - Kent; from Route 7 in the center of town take Route 341 west to Macedonia Brook Road. Turn right and stay left to the park.

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Bear Mountain

places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Salisbury CT

The Park

Through much of the 19th century reference books stated confidently that no part of Connecticut was higher than 1,000 feet. No one living in the remote Litchfield Hills probably paid what was printed in books much mind but Robbins Battell of the prominent musical family of Norfolk wanted to set the record straight. He identified Bear Mountain as the highest point in the state, negotiated a long-term lease on the property and had it surveyed to make it official. But having set out in his quest for accuracy, Battell actually muddied the waters more. Long after the expert flutist, state senator and philanthropist died in 1894 modern surveying techniques identified the side of Mount Frissell, four miles away, as the highest point in Connecticut. Bear Mountain, however, is the state’s highest summit.

The Walks

Every Nutmeg state dog should get a chance to stand on the state’s highest summit. The most popular route is via the blue blazed Undermountain Trail to the Appalachian Trail, tagging the peak in just under three miles. Bear Mountain is an honest mountain - there is scarcely a downhill step on the ascent to the top - no depressing drops into saddles and ravines that set tails to drooping when you know you should be headed up. You are gaining over 1,500 feet in elevation on this canine hike but the serious panting does not begin until the final half-mile. Across Bear Mountain you’ll find view-blocking stretches of blueberry and huckleberry struggling with pitch pines and oaks in the stingy mountaintop soils. The views come soon enough, first to the west, then to the south and finally in all directions. You can continue across the summit and return on the 2.1-mile Paradise Lane Trail that crosses upland forests with small ups and downs. The drop down the north slope is steep, quick and rocky and will challenge the most cautious of dogs so take your time here. The full loop with a backtrack on the Undermountain Trail will cover about 6.6 miles.

Where The Paw Meets The Earth: After studying the map on the information board, the blazes will be sufficient to get you to the top and back.

Workout For Your Dog - Absolutely.

Swimming - Seasonal streams and a vernal pond are the best you can hope for.

Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome on these mountain trails.

Something Extra

Robbins Battell hired local mason Owen Travis to erect a tower on the roof of Connecticut in 1885. Without the aid of any roads, Travis spent the next three years hauling 350 tons of stone to the summit. He built a pyramid 20 feet square and 22.5 feet high in the rural tradition of New England stone fences with no mortar. A lightning rod extended another 17 feet above the surrounding countryside. Over the years the tower has crumbled but you and your dog can still scramble up ten feet of stabilized rubble and think about what it took to bring all these stones to the top of the state.

Phone Number - None

Website - None

Admission Fee - None

Directions - Salisbury; head north on Route 41 from the intersection with Route 44 in town. Go 3.5 miles to a large parking lot on the left for the Undermountain Trail (it is signed).

hikewithyourdog.com

The Hiking With Dogs group on Facebook is the place to post photos and info on your favorite canine hikes. Also get questions answered and find advice from members: join now