Saturday, November 22, 2008

TRAVELLIN' TURTLE - 2 DAYS, 4 STATES, Part 2
(Albany, NY to New Haven, CT)
1.6 Mile Hike at Kent Falls State Park
2.2 Mile Hike at Southford Falls State Park
No Hikes at West Rock or East Rock Parks
Saturday, November 22, 2008

Parts of today's drive made for a major trip down memory lane, since I drove some of these roads many times during my grad school days. Of course, that was one of the reasons I decided to loop down through New Haven on my way to New London, even though it ended up adding over 90 minutes to the driving. (The other reason, of course, was the opportunity to see some friends I haven't seen in a couple of years.) The chance to stop at some parks I'd never visted before was an added bonus.

Kent Falls State Park

map of Kent Falls State Park (PDF)

There were more cars in the lot than I expected to see on a very cold, grey November day... but one plus to visiting sites like this during the off-season is avoiding the crowds that I suspect are there during the summer. The ice in the stream and on the rocks was a very visible reminder of how cold it's been.

I hiked up one side of the waterfall gorge along the main trail, stopping at various points along the way to admire the variety of waterfalls and just listen to the running water. The final waterfall at the top was really spectacular - a plunge through a narrow gap in the rocks. After wandering around the area above the falls for a bit I decided to take a trail back down on the other side of the gorge - the views of the stream and waterfalls weren't as good, but it was nice to see another part of the park.

In some ways, this park reminded me of a mini version of Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca. The lower part of the falls is visible from the parking lot (and from the road) and then there's a hike uphill along the stream with views of lots of other waterfalls. Kent Falls isn't as long and the gorge isn't as dramatic as the one out in central NY... but it's still a really nice spot that I'd like to visit again in warmer weather.

Southford Falls State Park

map of Southford Falls State Park (PDF)

All of my guidebooks said that the waterfall here is realtively small but still fairly scenic, and right near the parking lot... so I really wasn't expecting to spend much time here. When I arrived I found a nice waterfall at an old mill site, with a cascade running down to a small covered bridge (a popular feature of the parks I visted this weekend - every one had one!) Looking at the park map, it looked like the loop trail into the woods and up to a fire tower wasn't too long, so I decided to do a bit of hiking here too, first along the stream and then up the ridge to the top of a hill and over to the tower. Nothing too difficult, though the path was fairly technical and I found myself wishing I'd worn my trail shoes.

The view from the top of the tower was nice but nothing spectacular, and since I wanted to try to visit at least one more park before dark I didn't stay long. Startled a deer in the woods on the way back to the trailhead - one of the few wildlife sightings I had this weekend, unfortunately. The sun came out for a bit as I came back to the falls, so I took a few moments to get more photos and then hopped back in the car to continue the drive to New Haven.

West Rock State Park and East Rock Park

map of West Rock State Park (PDF)
map of East Rock Park (PDF)

As I got closer to New Haven it became very clear that I wasn't going to have time to visit both West Rock and East Rock before dark... and since I knew I'd have quite a hike to get up onto the ridge at West Rock (the access road is closed November through April) I decided to head to East Rock, where I'd have to park in the lower lot but might be able to hike up to the ridge and back before it got too dark.

Unfortunately, the signs there indicated that the park would be closed at sunset, and I doubted I could get to the top and back down before then... so rather than risk having my car locked in for the night (or worse, towed!) I reluctantly decided to save a return visit to East Rock for another time. Maybe next time I can bring my bike and ride up to the top of the ridge.

JMH
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