Horse Guard Connecticut State Park

Table of Contents

Horse Guard Connecticut State Park :
A Hiking Spot

Hello Friends,

Hope all your moods are flying high today as we move towards the end of the year in style. Myself, I find it hard to believe that 2021 is coming to an end so quickly, but it is.

So, this is my fifth day back in the land of my birth, Connecticut, and I am getting back into the swing of CT life again. However, I am waking up at 3:30 am… so I guess that is not the best, I don’t know, jet lag? But it’s nice to get the work done in the pre-moring.

What’s nice being back is also going on some hikes, and yesterday I went on a hike with my sister and her kids to a place called “Horse Guard State Park”

If you’ll be in Connecticut in the next few months, and you’re in the mood for an easy quick hike, then Horse Guard is the perfect spot for you! It’s a park in northwestern Connecticut and rents the land to horse owners and has pretty sweet views too. The park is pretty old, about 400 years old, and, while it’s been redesigned, it still has a lot of the original trees. The park is a lot of fun for people of all ages, so don’t miss it!

Let’s get to looking at some photos from this great location.

Location: Horse Guard State Park

245 W Avon Rd, Avon, CT 06001
Google Map Link : https://goo.gl/maps/fsKj8BExzQDEJrwb7

The location is easy to miss and many people who even live close by don’t know about it, So it’s a nicely hidden place to explore and hike. When you are driving along West Avon Rd, you will see this sign. This is where you park and the starting point of the hiking trail.

Here is the sign that highlights the park and hiking trail of the 105 acre park. There are more places to explore in this area, but we only did the hike today.

Starting off at the bottom and you step into the woods, it is easy to forget that you are in a highly developed area. The woods just sort of hugs you.

Scattered all along the hike, there were many old trees and fungi on trees, like these that looked like little frozen butterflies.

Also, a lot of these little red berries are growing… while they looked tasty and a little voice in the back of my mind was shouting to eat them… I think these are poison, so it is best not to eat them today.

There was the bottom of the trail that was a little flooded and required some Mario Brothers like leaping skills to cross unscathed. One of the kid-o’s missed a step and took a face dive into the mud and water. Luckily, we had a change of pants and jacket for him. Hahaha.

Just look at that little icy water… it must have sucked face plant into it… but he was a trooper, popped up and was happy. (Until the end of the hike when he broke down).

A lot of little micro life is growing as well. It was a joy to get close to these places and capture the light on them… small magical moments I think.

Like this stuff as well… a whole world of strange things growing on the ground, spindly little fingers reaching up. I wonder what it would be like to walk among these, if I was their size, or if they were my size… hrm.

There was also a nice mix of little pines growing among the taller larger pine brothers and sisters.

The old roots of the woods, climbing across the ground, looked like the legs of people sleeping under the leaves.

In the woods, I also had a moment where I wanted to hug the forest, so I tried to do that. No trees hugged me back, but as I said, I had a moment, and that moment was good.

The main push in the hike was a light scramble up this rock face. I did it with my hand in my pockets, but the little ones had to do some light climbing… but it was nothing to wince about and easy to do.

Along the top of the rise, you find some real cool trees that have been twisted and turned by the wind and with age. They do look like they may still be alive… ish.

The view from the top of the hill was nice. You could hear the sounds of distant trucks and some cars, but you still get the feeling of being in the woods hugged by nature, and that is great.

This is all of us on the top of the hill heading down after the hike, The little one at the end with no pants is the one who did the mud dive. Such a trooper!

At the bottom again, there are other open fields where you can picnic or play, but today was not a day to go explore those places. We instead opted to pile into the car and go for some hot coco!

There are many hiking trails in Connecticut State Parks that range from easy to difficult. Horse Guard is one of the easier trails that features a short, gradually sloping hill and plenty of rest areas If you’re looking for a good place to get some fresh air and enjoy the outdoors, Horse Guard is a great spot!

Thanks for joining me today for this adventure, hope to see you back here tomorrow for more stories and photos.