Hike to Castle Craig, April 2, 2014

It's really been a long winter here in southern New England, so when the thermometer went up into the 60's last week, I knew I needed to take advantage of the weather and get outside.  The days are getting longer but they aren't at their longest. I waffled at first as to where to hike.  I had been smart enough to pack my boots, socks, jeans, and even my red 1st Lone Scouts neckerchief, but overlooked bringing a map.  Then it occurred to me that any map that I had would be drastically out of date, as many of Central Connecticut's blue-blazed trails had been rerouted in recent years.... but there was an old standby that I knew would still be available and intact:  the trail up to Castle Craig at Hubbard Park in Meriden, CT.  I hastily changed my clothes and headed across town to take to the trail.

Hubbard Park is located just over the border from Southington in Meriden on West Main Street.  Interstate 691 goes right thru the park, so if you get off at Exit 4, you are not far.  The main road thru the park is one way.  Enter the park and keep to the left when the road turns right.  You will see a gravel parking area at the edge of the woods with a wooden sign indicating the put-in point for the trail.

 

Below the sign is a map of the park trails in case you need a visual reference.  Bear in mind, the only reason why I went without a map, is because I have done this trip many times... don't do what I did.  Be prepared: bring a map!

The first part of the trip is about a half mile along a badly disintegrating road.  If you look carefully at the gravel and sand below your feet, you can see bits of pavement from the original roadway.  You are walking along side I-691 until you get to the pedestrian bridge which takes you across the highway.  You will see it off to the right as you approach.  Turn right, and head over the bridge.

The above shot of the bridge is looking back across from the other side.  Get ready because the easy part is now behind you.  Most motorists can see the castle from the highway, about 1000 feet above the roadway.  That's the ridge you're going to climb up.  This next shot is looking up the trail after having just crossed the bridge.

Most of what you're climbing is shale or as we call it, trap rock.  It's a bit oxidized in nature but it has great commercial value when mined as drainage rock or for use as a gravel in asphalt mixtures.  Much of the state is made of alternating layers of trap rock and red sandstone, all tipped up on their sides a bit.  The tall ridges are trap rock and the lower areas are red sandstone.  The sandstone was more easily weathered down, leaving the trap rock ridges heading skyward.  Much of the sandstone dates from the Triassic period.  Take a visit to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill to get an idea about how old these rocks are.

Anywho... so most of your trip up the mountain will be on a white blazed trail.  The trail will head up from the bridge to the right, and then comes back around to the left.  You will see a wooden foot bridge that spans a brook, I believe it is called "Beehive Spring".  Your best bet is to hang a right BEFORE you hit the bridge.  Go up a bit of an incline... you may see some old faded white blazes on the way up.  In a short while, you will find yourself intesecting with the main white trail again.  Turn right.  The trail is going to bring you along a relatively level area until it bends to the left when you start climbing again.  At this time of year, there was still a lot of melting and runoff happening, so much that at one point, what looks like should be a muddy trail instead starts looking more like a flowing brook... this shot looking back behind me:

Eventually you will come to an intersection with a red blazed trail which will enter from the left.  The white trail will turn to the right.  Go right.  Proceed for several yards (not sure how far), until you get to another intersection.  The white trail continues forward AND left up the hill.  You are going to turn left.  Now it gets interesting as the terrain gets a bit more rugged.  You may notice, particularly in this area, a general lack of large trees.  In this area once stood several large hemlocks which were lost to the blight back in the 1990's.    You may find that a walking stick to be helpful as the terrain becomes very rocky and steep up ahead.  In warmer weather, be aware of rattlesnakes that may be sunning themselves on the warm rocks.

 

looking down the trail from the rocky part

You will pass thru an area that seems to resemble a bit of a ravine, until finally you will junction with the blue-blazed Metacomet trail.  Turn left onto the blue trail.  It will bring you quickly up out of the woods and onto a paved road, with the castle dead ahead in front of you.  Wander over.  Enjoy the views.  In the summertime, the castle should be open (I found it to be gated on this trip).  On a clear day, from the top of the tower, you can see New Haven in one direction and Hartford in the other.  I have been told this is the highest point along the entire eastern seaboard within 50 miles of the shore.

 

A view of the tower as you pop out of the woods.

 

Castle Craig

There are several trails that traverse the ridge, and several different paths you can take to get up to this point.  I walked pretty quick to get up there because I wanted to beat the sunset at around 7:15pm.  I left the parking lot at around 5:45pm and made it to the top in about 45 minutes.  I made it back down in another 45 or so, going back exactly the same way I came.  Rough guess, this hike was about 3 miles. The Meriden Land Trust brochure rates this hike as a moderate hike.  In the shape I'm in, I rate it as a strenuous walk for me!  But I made it, and I'm glad I did it.  My knees barked at me for about a day, but my legs are happy.

For more information, visit: http://www.meridenlandtrust.com/Hubbard_quad.pdf