We stopped at my hometown of Meriden Connecticut to hike up to Castle Craig from Hubbard Park. Watch our video then read about the trip below:
Castle Craig and the 1800 acre Hubbard Park were donated in 1900 by Meriden industrialist Walter Hubbard. The park was named after him by a thankful town and is still enjoyed by the locals. The park features a large pond with several shelters for the flocks of birds that live here. Since we began our adventure here I stopped to take some photos of the wild life. My grandmother used to bring me here when I was a toddler to feed them, but currently the water is a radioactive green!
There are several trails to follow and the major Metacomet Trail passes through here. While a 62 mile trail sounds fun we were able to hike up to the Castle tower in about 45 minutes! This left us with plenty of time for dinner ; ) The trail itself is begins with a simple dirt and rock road through damp woods along the side of the highway. You will hear the noise of traffic for the entire first quarter of your hike. At one point you will cross a bridge directly over the highway before you being the real ascent. [The bridge bounces noticeably, don't be alarmed]
While the hike is short you will pass by a few interesting features along the way. There is a nice bridge across a valley, what appears to be the ruins of a long forgotten drinking fountain, a number of cool rocks and even a tiny cave. The ascent gets very steep at the 2/3's mark and is composed of very loose rock. There are two small rock scrambles but nothing challenging. There were many dogs safely making the hike including ours. Sadly, someone created a small display of rocks on a shelf and the wind blew one off and right on to my foot while I was filming!
There is a small path to your right just before the final ascent to the tower and it provides a spectacular view of the city and tower from an angle you simply cant get from the top. This is not to be missed!
At the top you'll find the tower which you can climb up for a picturesque view. This can get packed since anyone can simply drive to up here May-October. A small dedication plaque and flag pole walkway give you further views of the west including a great looks at sleeping giants rarely photographed north side and downtown Meriden!
The Hike down is certainly a bit more slippery on all those loose rocks but goes by quickly. Since this is so short you can visit the sister peak of south mountain for views of the reservoir or head to the east side of the city and hike Mt Higby or Chauncy Peak and Guiffrida park.
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