We love hiking, so we were excited to try Haystack Mountain, a 1,716-foot-high mountain in Norfolk, Connecticut. Haystack Mountain is part of the Haystack Mountain State Park, which has a road or a trail that leads to the top. We opted for the trail, and it was a great choice as it lead us to encounter a beautiful owl!

The trail was about 1.5 miles long and took us about an hour to finish. The trail was easy to follow and had different levels of difficulty, from gentle to moderate to steep. Along the way, we admired the views of the hills and woods, and the beauty of the mountain laurel in bloom. The trail also went by some cool rock formations and a small pond.

The best part of the hike was getting to the summit, where we saw a stone observation tower that was built in 1929. The tower was open to the public, so we went up the stairs and got a stunning view of the countryside along with some snowflake fun! There was an incoming storm and we had a blast watching it and filming snowflakes melt. Additionally, from the tower, we could see three states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. It was amazing.

We stayed at the top for a while, taking photos and enjoying the scenery but then we went down a different route from which we came up! We even had a bit of a scare when we heard a tree cracking! Nevertheless, it was a wonderful way to spend a morning. If you’re looking for a fun and rewarding hike in Connecticut, we suggest Haystack Mountain. And don’t forget your camera!

If you’d like to get a glimpse of what you can expect, check out our video below:

Happy hiking!