Bolton Notch is an awesome little park with incredible sights and connections to larger hiking trails nearby. Watch our video and read about the trip below:
There are two ways to approach this park, the actual lot for Bolton Notch State Park is only accessible heading west so we park instead at Freja Park. This park is less then a mile long and connects directly to Bolton Notch by a foot bridge. This route is interesting as it passes an abandoned old drive in movie theatre screen and the shoreline of Bolton Pond.
After crossing the bridge you'll be at an intersection. Heading north will take you to a more extensive trail system we will visit another time. South will follow along the old train line. The tracks are removed and this is now a popular jogging and walking path for locals. There was a beautiful wall of icicles along the cliff the day we went!
This is also a wonderful spot for dogs. I would like to think we saw more canines friends along this trail then any other spot in Connecticut. Water runs along the path all the way from the bridge and continues until you reach he train tunnel further on. The walls of this trail were blasted out long ago to make way for the train and the black rock makes for a beautiful photo.
Right as you reach the second parking lot, the main Bolton Notch Park lot, you will find the "Mohegan Trail" Entrance. While this is a nearly two mile trail, the popular Graffiti Cliffs are only about .15 miles from the trail head. These cliffs can be seen from the highway below, the huge American Flag being most prominent and the primary icon of the park. View our video to see the wide array of art along the top of the cliffs.
Luckily part of the cliff juts out at the perfect angle to take photos atop the flag. Don't be deceived, there's a 40-60 foot drop below me in this photo! While I can recommend the rest of the trail as a pretty hike, this is the real feature here and if you're making a quick stop you can head back down and continue on to the tunnel.
The train tunnel is really unique. Several old photos by the parking lot show how it was constructed and are worth a visit. The rocks left enclosed by the tunnel are really different and would be climbable if they weren't covered in ice when we visited. It's much larger then my photos make it appear!
Our final stop is Squaw cave. Looking at the first photo of the train tunnel, you would find a small trail to the left of the entrance. Follow that up and then walk along the highway. Keep your eye on the left and you'll soon fine a decently worn trail up the side of the cliffs. Although its only a few dozen feet up, we found the mud to be especially slick when we went. This cave is visible from the road when driving east and not at all from the west.
The entrance of the cave is fairly large, I was very comfortable standing up and I'm 6'. Graffiti again covers the cave, this time less artistic unfortunately. The rear of the cave is an ever tightening tunnel that seems to go back another 15-20 feet. I did not have a good light but based on other videos I've seen it's fairly long.
