THE BURLINGTON LAND TRUST
Welcome to the Great Outdoors
Nature supplies us with a sense of calm.
Below are some places where you can walk/hike in Burlington.
Click on this link for a scavenger hunt that caregivers and kids can do together while walking the trails. We recommend our Red Trail on the Burlington Land Trust Brower property. See the description below.
If you’re new to hiking, here are some options:
Clear Brook Road walk from the end of Barnes Hill Rd.
This picturesque walk or hike along an old asphalt road is basically flat for a mile before it goes up a steep hill. The road goes along the shore of the Nepaug Reservoir so you can catch some water views. It also is a great place to go bike riding with the kids. You can walk round trip from the gate off of Barnes Hill Road all the way up to Hotchkiss Rd gate for a 4.2 round trip. The great feature about this walk is that you can make it as long or as short as you want.
Directions: From Route 4, go all the way to the top of Barnes Hill Rd. and turn left onto Clear Brook Rd. Put this GPS direction into Google Maps for the start location: 41.795452, -72.932590
Take the Tunxis Trail North from Hotchkiss Rd.
This is a beautiful trail that goes along many MDC roads and it’s an easy trail to follow. It has some gentle hills and one section of the trail goes off into the woods and has some steeper inclines and declines, but the trail returns to the MDC roads. You can make this hike as long or as short as you would like.
Directions: Park on Hotchkiss Rd and access the Blue/White Dot Trail. Put this GPS direction into Google Maps for the start location: 41°47'06.5"N 72°57'60.0"W
Walk .1 miles on the Blue/White Dot Trail and arrive at the intersection of the Tunxis Trail. Head right or north on the Tunxis Blue Blazed Trail. Walk for as far as you want and then turn around and come out the same way you went in. You can hike any amount you want.
The Red Trail on the Burlington Land Trust Brower Property.
This is a one mile loop on the Burlington Land Trust property donated by Michael Brower. There are some inclines and declines, but you’ll have beautiful views of the pond and walk through different types of forest. Do a nature scavenger hunt with the the kids. Click here for the BLT scavenger hunt PDF file.
Directions: Enter Greer Rd. and watch for the pond on your left. Immediately after the pond you will find a parking lot, park here. Walk back on Greer Rd to the other side of the pond. Begin the Red Trail here, by climbing the rock. Put this GPS direction into Google Maps for the start location: 41°43'30.3"N 72°59'05.3"W. Go to this link for a property map: https://www.burlingtonlandtrust.org/properties
The Tunxis Trail South (Blue Blazes) from the end of Johnnycake Mountain Rd.
This is a lovely trail that is basically flat. You can hike in for as long as you want and turn around and come out the same way you went in. You can hike in 1.5 miles one way before you hit some inclines.
Directions: Park at the end of Johnnycake Mountain Rd. and follow the Tunxis Trail Blue Blazes south on the dirt road portion of Johnnycake Mtn. Rd. Put this GPS direction into Google Maps for the start location: 41°44'48.2"N 72°59'30.3"W
Harry C. Barnes Memorial Nature Center on 175 Shrub Rd. in Bristol.
The BNC has a variety of trails that are family friendly. Here’s a link to a trail map: https://elcct.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/barnes-map-3.pdf No Dogs allowed. Directions: Here are the GPS Coordinates for BNC: 41°42'51.5"N 72°56'20.9"W
Are you looking for more of an adventure????
The Burlington Land Trust Taine Mountain Property and Perry’s Lookout.
This 1.8 mile trail has some steep inclines and declines, but is well worth the effort for the view you see from Perry’s Lookout.
Click on the link below for directions and a map:
https://www.burlingtonct.us/sites/burlingtonct/files/uploads/perrys_lookout__0.pdf
The Burlington Land Trust Taine Mtn. Double Loop Hike.
This hike includes Perry’s Lookout as well, but is 2.9 miles with some steep inclines and declines.
Would you like a SUPER HIKING CHALLENGE????
How about the BLT Vertical Mile Challenge?
Hike 5,280 vertical feet and earn a patch and a certificate. Here’s the link to the info on the Vertical Mile Challenge: https://www.burlingtonlandtrust.org/vertical-mile.
Here is the link to all the trails you can do. You decide which ones you’d like to do:
https://www.burlingtonct.us/parks-recreation/pages/hiking-and-walking-trails
Would you like an extra super-duper challenge?
Try the Connecticut Century Corps!
Hike one hundred miles in Burlington, Farmington and Barkhamsted.
Earn a certificate for the CCC.
For information click on the link below.
https://www.burlingtonlandtrust.org/vertical-mile
A list of all 46 trail maps can be found here. You can choose between a 0.6 walk all the way up to 16 miles.