Perfect Litchfield Hikes to Welcome Fall 2025

The Lake Trail is a 1.2-mile, yellow-blazed loop trail that starts from the Conservation Center and Nature Museum parking lot and offers great views of Bantam Lake from an observation platform overlooking North Bay. It also connects with the Ice House Ruins Trail, which brings you past supports for a conveyor system that was part of an historic ice house operation, as well as a canal used to float blocks of ice to the ice house.

The Granniss Pond Trail is a relatively easy loop that circles the pond, offering scenic views of the water in a section of the Litchfield Land Trust’s Prospect Mountain Preserve. Trails in the preserve have varying levels of difficulty and include trails that lead to the summit with western vistas. The trails also pass remnants of old nickel mining operations. There is trailhead parking near on Prospect Mountain Road.

Topsmead State Forest, located in East Litchfield, is known for its serene, manicured grounds, meadows, and gentle woodlands. This creates a peaceful atmosphere that is ideal for a relaxing walk. The trails are mostly level and easy to navigate, making them suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Topsmead features more than five miles of trails, including wide, mowed paths through open fields and narrower trails through the woods.

A major draw of Topsmead is the historical significance of the property. The park was the former summer home of Edith Morton Chase, and visitors can admire her historic English Tudor-style cottage and formal gardens. The cottage is open for tours on the second and fourth weekends of the month into October, with the next tour dates being Sept. 28 and 29. https://www.friendsoftopsmead.org

The state park spans the towns of Litchfield, Morris, and Washington and is known for the hike to the summit of Mt. Tom. The trail is less than a mile long and rises about 500 feet in elevation. The highlight of the hike is the 34-foot-tall stone observation tower at the summit built in 1921. The views extend over the Litchfield hills and to distant landmarks like Mount Everett in Massachusetts, the Catskill Mountains in New York. https://ctparks.com/parks/mount-tom-state-park

The Litchfield Community Greenway is a great option for a flat, scenic walk or bike ride. The greenway follows the route of the historic Shepaug Valley Railroad, which operated from 1878 to 1948. A significant portion of the greenway overlays existing trails within White Memorial, and the northernmost section of the trail, which passes behind St. Anthony Cemetery, is known by some as The Ghost Trail, making it a perfect autumn walk. https://litchfieldcommunitygreenway.org

The Apple Hill Trail in neighboring Morris features panoramic views of Bantam Lake and the hills to the south/southwest. Apple Hill has two trailheads located along East Shore Road. The one closer to Litchfield (the northern entrance) leads hikers on a 1.5-mile ramble through Cat Swamp and then up to the summit of Apple Hill (1,200 feet in elevation). From the second trailhead, closer to the junction with Route 109 in Morris (the southern entrance), it’s just a half mile up to the summit, so a one mile round trip. https://whitememorialcc.org/trail/apple-hill-trail/

The Little Pond Boardwalk Trail is so popular it draws visitors from all over the state and beyond. A 1.2-mile wooden walkway elevates hikers above the wetland environment around Little Pond, which crosses the Bantam River in two spots. Walking it in the fall is like being immersed in an explosion of autumn colors. Making access easier than in the past, there’s a large parking area off Whites Woods Road, just north of the intersection with Bissell Road, though many visitors prefer to take a longer hike by starting at The White Memorial Conservation Center after consulting the trail maps. https://whitememorialcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Boardwalk-Directions-Final.pdf