Metacomet trail - Part 13

This hike occurred on January 19, 2014

Trail Heads:
Talcott Notch Rd., Farmington, CT - by the intersection of Metacomet Rd and Talcott Notch Rd, there is side-of-the-road parking available for 3-4 cars by the electric lines access road. 

2867 Albany Ave., West Hartford, CT - on Albany Ave, there is a parking lot by the Metacomet trail head with space for 5-7 cars.

Length/Distance: According the Connecticut Walk book, the route between the trail heads on Talcott Notch Rd and Albany Ave was 4.7 miles. According to my GPS tracking program, our route was 5.4 miles. 


Summary: We hiked from Albany Ave towards Talcott Notch Rd. It was a brisk day (20°s) but sunny. We passed by Welles Pond. 

The view from the pond of the parking area on Albany Ave. 

We followed the trail markers across a wide area of open space and then off the beaten trail to the right. The trail crossed over a stream which thoughtfully had a bridge. 

We hiked through woods for quite a while. We passed underneath the power lines a few times. 

 

There was a fair amount of ice around the trail since it snowed the day before our hike. 

The trail led back towards the West Hartford Reservoirs recreation area off of Farmington Ave. We passed a little Charlie Brown tree with blue trail markings. 

The trail climbed up and around a small cliff. 

There was a view from the top but it was mostly hampered by the trees. 

From here, the trail headed downward and out of the Reservoir land by way of a gap in the fence. We walked along Old Mountain Rd to connect to the next woods section. After a brief walk in the woods between houses, the trail emerged onto Talcott Notch Rd.  

Overall, the hike was an easy walk through the woods. While it was a bit chilly, the physical activity (along with multiple layers) kept us warm enough. Hopefully, we'll be doing a hike each weekend throughout the winter.