Northwest Park

Soon after my morning coffee I received a text, “Good morning Sue, too cold for me today, sorry. Have a good time." And then a second cancellation through a phone call, “It’s frigid - the wind chill is 15!” I began to have my doubts, and the sofa and a second cup of coffee started to sound tempting. I texted Linda J - do you think it’s too cold? Her response was, “We know how to dress.” So I reluctantly layered up and got in my car, figuring my previously planned route of four miles might be cut short due to shivering.

Four of us were ready to explore Northwest Park in Windsor, and it turned out to be a lovely day and a lovely place.  We stopped in the Nature Center to visit the clean, up-to-date restrooms. There are many trails at the park - 12 miles worth. I showed two employees the route I had mapped out, and they suggested we add a side trip to the beaver pond. So instead of cutting it short, our four-mile route became almost five miles! We did a little bit of wandering, as we weren’t quite sure we were going in the right direction, turned around, and then had to backtrack. No beavers were out and about, but we did see evidence of their presence, and it was a pretty trail.

When then headed north on the yellow-blazed trail which meandered by the Farmington River. It was at this point that two of us were peeling our jackets because we were getting too warm. The sun was shining, the wind had died down, and although it was hovering around 30 degrees, the weather felt balmy.

One of our members, Cheryl J, had just returned from a medical missionary trip to Jordan, and we were privileged to hear about her experiences while ministering to Syrian refugees as we continued onto the pink-blazed Rainbow Reservoir trail.

After enjoying a nice view of the reservoir, we made our way back via the Open Forest, Softwood Forest, and Wetland Forest Trails which brought us back to the Nature Center. 

Upon our return, the park was bustling with activity, and the sweet scent of wood smoke and maple syrup was in the air. Children were enjoying the playground and the animal barn with it’s donkey, rabbits, sheep, and turkeys.

We made a brief stop in the maple sugar house where the process of sugaring was being explained and the sap boiled nearby.

The facilities are well maintained and offer a wide variety of activities - everything from pancake breakfasts to concerts to outdoor camps. Be sure to visit northwestpark.org for a list of events. We were very impressed!

Our route.  View map and stats in detail at
https://runkeeper.com/user/ValleyHikers/activity/744906489?tripIdBase36=cbhxix&activityList=false&
(requires free runkeeper account)

Address: 145 Lang Road, Windsor

Trail Map: http://www.northwestpark.org/pdf/New_NWP_Map.pdf

Length: 4.8 miles

Duration: 2 hours, 37 minutes

Calories burned: 652

Difficulty level: moderate

Climbs: