Posted By auntie on October 15, 2015

3.5 miles; somers, ct

the shenipsit trail is a 41-mile-long connecticut forest and park association blue-blazed hiking trail that runs basically north-south from cobalt to somers connecticut. the northern end of this trail goes over soapstone mountain, which boasts an observation tower on its summit with fantastic views.

i drove out here and hiked to the top of soapstone mountain specifically to take in the view from the observation tower. granted, i knew that the deep website for this location said the observation tower was closed due to safety concerns. i knew that, but i also checked the website of another hiking blogger who posted on this spot in june, and he was able to easily use the tower in spite of the closure, so i figured i’d take a shot.

um, whoopsie

guess the state got tired of people ignoring their signs and simply removed the steps altogether. now i’m assuming that if i wasn’t a 4-foot, 10-inch, 60-year-old fat lady that i could have managed to get up there anyway… but i have to work with the body i’ve got, not the body i wish i had. so alas, all that walking (and driving!) for nothing. without the observation tower there were no views from up here.

mystery radar tower

there was another mysterious tower a bit further up the hill, but it was quite aggressively fenced off with barbed wire on top and scary signs about video surveillance by the connecticut state police, so no luck there either.

the trail

of course, all this is not to say that the hike today wasn’t absolutely gorgeous anyway. the foliage is at about peak right now, especially in northern connecticut.

more leaves

and it was an absolutely beautiful day. it was the kind of day that makes you glad to be out in the woods.

not all foliage is flashy

so maybe i didn’t get to see great, sweeping, breath-taking vistas. the woods have their own ways of compensating.

i have added this hike to the hikefinder. trailhead, trail map, courtesy the state of connecticut.

Categories: CFPA Trails, Connecticut, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2–5 miles, CT, Somers CT