A quick trip in the summer to see Saugatuck Falls which included the blooming Mountain Laurel, our state flower.
This past summer we had a chance to visit some old friends in the Newtown area. They also enjoy hiking and suggested we find a local trail to check out. Turns out, there is a little waterfall not to far from their home. Located in Redding CT, Saugatuck Falls Natural Area is a small series of trails with one of the lesser known waterfalls of the state. The set of trails we took was family friendly.
During the hike I took a number of photos but ended up accidentally clearing my memory car, so thanks to Sarah and Nina I have some of their photos to use. The beginning of the hike passes through an idyllic field and then alongside several small ponds. Birds were plentiful and we spotted a great blue heron. The falls appear shortly after the largest pond and the main view is from across the water.
With minimal effort you can find a side trail to get over to the top of the water fall. There are several other small plunges above the main fall but none are worth writing home about. If you were to hike out and back to just the falls this hike would take maybe 20 minutes. The other big draw to this area is the huge display of mountain laurel in the summer. We nailed the timing perfectly and had a wonderful hike back on a different trail.
This return trail begins mid way up the power line trail located just after the water fall viewing area. You can't really miss it. However, this trail ends in the middle of the woods and you'll have to take any of the other trails to return to your car. Speaking of, the parking for this trail is located in an elementary school parking lot, we were there on a weekend so I'm not sure how it works on weekdays.
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