Hiking Mine Hill Preserve in Connecticut Again
This was such a great revisit to Mine Hill Preserve in Connecticut! Last time we stopped by this preserve was in August or September of 2016 and was a tad bit warmer and greener. 🙂
If you want to check that video out (before I started to make blog posts) click here –> Mine Hill Preserve 2016 <–. It was around when we first started filming our adventures, so I apologize for the shaky footage haha.
SLIPPERY WHEN ICY
So we managed to leave our YakTrax back at home on pretty much the most slippery trail we have been on yet! However we did manage to make it all around this park without making any spills on the ground.
–> MINE HILL PRESERVE TRAIL MAP <–
With that being said, for the most part the trails are easy to moderate, but as you make your way up to the “bat cages” it does get a bit steep. So I would probably rate the main loop around the trail moderate to difficult. It is only about a 3.5 mile loop if you hike all the way around. 🙂
SWEET MINE ENTRANCES
There are so many cool little sites to see along the trail! As Deanna explained during the video, the main loop was part of the “donkey trail” where they use to bring the ore back to the furnace area of the historic area.
So as you can see in some of the photos above there are some raised areas where it almost seems as if a train could have gone through. It is so neat thinking how these trails were used in the past during the mining operations!
During this particular hike, a nearby river had flooded and frozen over the trail so we turned this into a down and back rather than a loop. However, we also took a quick tour of where the furnace ruins still remain today! I definitely recommend you all visit this park and check out the tons of plaques of information surrounding the area.
BAT CAGES!
Speaking of those bat cages, Deanna got a couple awesome pictures of them. These were actually the air shafts going down to the mine below. I’m not really sure how deep they go down, but it looked pretty deep when looking over the edge. 🙂
On this particular hike we could hear some water dripping down the sides and on some of the walls there were some really neat frozen water features!
RUINS OF THE BLAST FURNACE
The ruins are actually right near the entrance/parking lot of Mine Hill Preserve and it is probably one of my favorite parts of the park. It is was really makes this unique with these incredible still standing structures. Deanna goes a bit more into the history of these ruins during the video so definitely check that out if you get the chance!
SUMMARY
If you are in or around Danbury, CT I would definitely recommend taking a stroll through this park. Make sure to bring some water and some snacks as you will probably work up an appetite while hiking. You’ll take a bit of a history lesson home with you guaranteed though if you take the main loop!
OTHER NEARBY HIKES
NOTE FROM WRITER
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Adventure On!
