CONNECTICUT

Reference books of the 19th century did not think much of the Connecticut highlands. It was confidently stated no hills higher than 1,000 feet were to be found in the state. In fact, the Connecticut highpoint on Mount Frissell in the northwest corner of the state reaches 2,379 feet - that is actually on the side of the peak which summits across the state line in Massachusetts. Bear Mountain, four miles away, at 2,323 feet is the highest mountain entirely in Connecticut and rewards hikers with views in every direction. Dogs can tag both landmarks, as they can most every trail in the Constitution State. It did not take long for Colonial settlers to abandon the futility of banging their plows against the rocky Connecticut soils and those outcroppings feature prominently in your dog’s adventures here - Ragged Mountain, the Miles of Ledges, the Pauchaug State Forest, the Westwoods, Devil’s Hopyard, the Tunxis Trail and many more. Only about 14 percent of Connecticut’s 618 miles of shoreline are sand beaches and most of those are controlled by towns for residents, primarily of the two-legged variety. No dogs allowed at Hammonasset Beach State Park, the state's largest shoreline park. Bluff Point is the last remaining undeveloped public land of any size along the Connecticut coastline and dogs are permitted to poke around the tide pools of the coastal reserve. This is America’s richest state by a good chunk of change and several of those old estates are now open for your dog to hike. These include stage actor William Gillette’s fieldstone castle, liquor impressario Gilbert Hublein’s tower on Talcott Mountain, and the Stanerigg estate that was built with Collis Huntington’s Transcontinental Railroad money. No state in the Lower 48 has a higher percentage of its land covered by state parks and they are universally dog-friendly - as long as you don’t want to rest weary paws in a campground.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In Connecticut

Undermountain Trail/Appalachian Trail
Bear Mountain • Salisbury

The highpoint of Connecticut is on the slopes of Mount Frissell, whose summit is across the state line in Massachusetts. Bear Mountain, four miles away, is the highest summit in the Nutmeg State. Also a better adventure for your dog.

The blue-blazed Undermountain Trail links to the Appalachian Trail, to tag the peak in just under three miles. Bear Mountain is an honest mountain - there is scarcely a downhill step on the ascent to the top - no depressing drops into saddles and ravines that set tails to drooping when Seaman knows he should be headed up. You are gaining over 1,500 feet in elevation on this canine hike but the serious panting does not begin until the final half-mile.

Without the aid of any roads in 1885, Owen Travis spent three years haul- ing 350 tons of stone to the summit to build a pyramid 20 feet square and 22.5 feet high. The tower has crumbled but Seaman can still scramble up ten feet of stabilized rubble and think about what it took to bring all these rocks to the roof of Connecticut.

A return option is across the summit and down the 2.1-mile Paradise Lane Trail that crosses upland forests. The plunge on the north slope is steep, quick and rocky and will challenge the most cautious of dogs so take your time here. The full loop with a backtrack on the Undermountain Trail will cover about 6.6 miles.

HIKING TIME: 2-3 hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)