Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

The state of Connecticut declared Housatonic Meadows a State Park in 1927. The park encompasses 452 acres in northwestern CT. The Housatonic River runs through it. Trails climb the heavily wooded hills up from the Housatonic Valley.

We visited Housatonic Meadows to hike the Pine Knob Loop Trail with our dogs. This trail is about two and a half miles long. Pine Knob Loop shares a little less than a mile with the Appalachian Trail.

We decided to try this hike when our plans to walk the accessible Connecticut portion of the AT were thwarted. We’d arrived at the Great Falls section to find the trail head cordoned off with crime scene tape. The town wanted to discourage crowds due to Covid-19.

The Pine Knob trail head is about a half-hour south of Great Falls on a rural road. We found it to be a moderate hike (which means easy for my husband and Trudy and difficult for me and Lily.) The trail climbs steeply up to a ridge where it meets up with the Appalachian Trail.

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Once at the top, we rested and enjoyed the view. We took a picture for a thru-hiking couple with the panorama in the background.

Then we continued around the loop. When the Pine Knob Trail split from the AT, the descent began over a rocky path. This is a popular trail because it’s short with a nice view, but it was still peaceful enough for us to enjoy nature.

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Location: 90 US-7, Sharon, CT 06069
Designation: State Park
Date Designated/Established: 1927
Date of my visit: September 2020