Castle Craig and East Slope is a 2.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Meriden, Connecticut that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
birding
hiking
mountain biking
nature trips
road biking
rock climbing
scenic driving
trail running
walking
forest
lake
views
wild flowers
rocky
Trail loops from paved entry in Hubbard Park to pavilion overlooking Sleeping Giant. A branch of the white trail climbs eastern face to Castle Craig, then loops back to a foot bridge that crosses over route 691, then finally back into Hubbard Park.
Started at the park, walked over 691 and followed the white trail for a while, went right up the front and rocky part of the mountain, a bit slippery, watch out for snakes in large rocks. Trails could be marked out better, views are awesome.
A pleasant hike near the Southington/Meriden Border. Not easy to find the trailhead/start...but once on the trail, fairly well marked. A pleasant moderate sloping trail except for .2 or .3 directly to/from the top where where it is significantly steeper.
Some broken glass among the rocks along the trail... Nice view from the top...
the place is great and the view is awesome the only thing is the it doesn't have signs to guide you where the trails are. nice place to take fresh air and enjoy of the forest.
Great hiking trail and awesome views from Castle Craig! It was rocky in some areas, but it wasn't too bad. The map was very helpful! Definitely will come back and hike this trail again!
Easy to miss the start of the trail to head up the east slope, which is a bit more engaging of a hike than the paved trail. Light rocky scramble in portions, and can be steep at times. You can see New Haven and the Long Island Sound on clear days from the castle.
We hiked this trail back in October 2016 and I forgot to leave a review. I will say I think we took a different route than the map shown here. It was a bit confusing when we first arrived but we ran into a local hiker that showed us a good starting point, hint: follow the blue arrows painted on rocks and trees and you will eventually make your way up to the castle. Really great views of Meriden and the water. Especially in the fall with the leaves changing colors. We enjoyed this trail, and it's definitely moderate. Would maybe take a hiking stick next time.