[Julia]

I am from Pennsylvania and am not totally familiar with the New England hiking scene, however I am planning a one- to two- night backpacking trip at the end of June. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions that fit these parameters:
-I am now based in Middletown, CT (central CT, between New Haven and Hartford), and would only like to have to drive up to a few hours to reach the trailhead
-I have one car, so loops are preferred (can't drop off a vehicle)
-I am taking a first-time hiker along, so this will be his introduction to backpacking. He is strong so the route can be strenuous, but I would like him to have a good first experience, i.e not too many bugs, nice views, etc
Thanks!!

[The Rambler]

Julia, on 29 May 2010 - 02:42 PM, said:

I am from Pennsylvania and am not totally familiar with the New England hiking scene, however I am planning a one- to two- night backpacking trip at the end of June. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions that fit these parameters:
-I am now based in Middletown, CT (central CT, between New Haven and Hartford), and would only like to have to drive up to a few hours to reach the trailhead
-I have one car, so loops are preferred (can't drop off a vehicle)
-I am taking a first-time hiker along, so this will be his introduction to backpacking. He is strong so the route can be strenuous, but I would like him to have a good first experience, i.e not too many bugs, nice views, etc
Thanks!!

Hello Julia, welcome to CT! If you are looking for something local there are lots and lots of options. You can check the CT dep website, under outdoor recreation,camping, backpack camping. There are quite a few backpack camping locations in CT And more detailed information can be found in the CT walk book East or West editions. I currently live in Bristol, CT. Me and my wife just did the portion of the Tunxis Trail in Nepaug state forest. There is a backpack campsite off of the tipping rock blue/yellow blaze trail. It is a relatively easy trail with a few steep but short sections. Probally about 2.5 miles from the trailhead parking off of route 202 in new hartford. This was the first time my wife has gone backpacking so I wanted to start her off with something easy. The campsite itself is quite seculded, and there is a water source about 1/4 a mile away. It is also nearby to the farmington river if you like to fish. The campsite has an established fire ring, and is large enough to accompany 2 or 3 tents comfortably. You need to get a backpacking permit from the CT Dep, which is free, and usually only takes a few days to get it back in the mail. All sites within CT except for on AT require a permit. Instructions on how to get a permit are on the dep website under backpack camping. I have been to quite a few of the sites in CT so if you have any questions feel free to contact me. The Tunxis Trail itself is not a loop in most places, but starting at the Nepaug site there are two other campsites further north on the trail spaced approx 9 miles between each nepaug to roaring brook is about 10 miles, roaring brook to hurricane brook is about 9. Hope to see you on the trails! Like I said feel free to email me or post here and I can give you further details and information on sites in CT if you would like.

-Ken