trail maps connecticut

Cheshire residents have the good fortune to live in a town that is home to 2,000 acres of open space, much of which is accessible to the public. The Town maintains 10 properties where hiking is allowed. Trail maps of these properties are available at the library, on both the main and lower levels – as well as online at the Cheshire Planning Department web page . The non-profit Cheshire Land Trust also maintains properties in town with hiking trails.

Additionally, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) website features trail maps to state parks and forests, while on the national level, the National Park Service website offers hiking opportunities throughout the country.

Trail maps are available at the library for the following properties: Boulder Knoll, Casertano, Cheshire Park, DeDominicis, Dime Savings, Farmington Canal, Mixville Hills, Quinnipiac Park River Walk, Roaring Brook, and Ten Mile Lowlands. These maps are also available at the Town Hall Lobby.

Cheshire Public Library does offer many trail books about hiking in Connecticut, New England and across the U.S. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors, and here is a sampling of the books available at CPL.

The green guide to low-impact hiking and camping

America’s great hiking trails

Hiking through history : New England : exploring the region’s past by trail

AMC’s best day hikes in Connecticut : four-season guide to 50 of the best day hikes from the Highlands to the coast

Best hikes of the Appalachian Trail : New England

The National Parks Coast to Coast : 100 Best Hikes

Hiking Connecticut and Rhode Island

Happy trails!

The Cheshire Library has trail maps for four town owned properties. Copies are located on the Main Level on a stack end cap under a Hike Cheshire sign, and on the Lower Level next to the travel books. The maps are for:

Roaring Brook Property on Roaring Brook Drive. The second tallest waterfall in the state, Roaring Brook Falls also features several cascades below the main drop. The trail is well marked in blue and easy to follow. There is a steady uphill grade from the start and a few rocky downhill parts. The trail gets progressively steeper as you approach the falls.

Boulder Knoll Property on Boulder Road. The open terrain is comprised of flat to rolling fields and hills that climb to a minor basalt/traprock ridge. Portions of the open fields are wet meadow, which is the fastest declining type of wetland in New England.

Farmington Canal Linear Park. The Cheshire portion of the Farmington Canal Trail – which some day will connect New Haven to Northampton, MA – extends from Cornwall Avenue, south to the Hamden town line, then continuing into Hamden.

The DeDominicis Property on Old Lane Road. Streams and wetlands are scattered throughout this 185 acres of unfragmented forest that features a rich assortment of plant and animal life. The significant acreage and the close proximity to existing open space parcels also make it a desirable habitat for wildlife. Hawks, deer, owls, and other animals can be regularly seen on the property.