With nearly 140 state parks and forests to visit, Connecticut offers no shortage of outdoor places to explore. Following a boom in visitation to outdoor spaces, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection recently launched a new state parks website.
“Outdoor recreation is booming in Connecticut,” said CT DEEP Deputy Commissioner Mason Trumble, speaking on Connecticut Public's “Where We Live.”
“When we look at visitation to our state parks over the few years around the pandemic, we went from 9 million visitors to 17 million visitors in our state parks and forests,” Trumble said.
Outdoor enthusiasts can filter parks by location and activity using the site’s Park Finder feature, and keep up with local park events. For camping enthusiasts, Connecticut State Parks offer more than 1,400 campsites statewide with information available on the website.
For the hiker looking to visit all four corners of Connecticut, the Sky's the Limit Hiking and Walking Challenge is a great way to explore Connecticut’s State Parks and Forests.
For the ambitious hiker, consider checking out the New England Trail; it's a 235-mile long-distance hiking trail that begins at the Long Island Sound in Connecticut and goes to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border. This trail is best completed in sections, as there are few places to camp. And to make it extra fun, check out the NET Hike Challenge, where anyone who hikes 50 or 100 miles on the trail during the year can receive a patch and certificate.
Jay Levy, author of "Hiking Indigenous Lands of Connecticut and Massachusetts," told “Where We Live” that getting outdoors is a great way to learn about the state's native lands. He serves as tribal consultant for the New England Trail and an archaeologist for the Mohegan Tribe.
"Where We Live" guests also recommend their favorite state parks, shouting out Talcott Mountain State Park, Penwood State Park and Hurd State Park.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
