Talcott Mtn.

Overview

Talcott Mountain named after Revolutionary War hero John Talcott, is a classic hiking destination in central Connecticut. Location and scenic views are two of the main reasons why this mountain is so popular to hike in Connecticut. The mountain is a classic urban summit that is on the same scale of the Weston Obervatory (Manchester, NH) , A Mountain (Tucson, AZ), and Great Blue Hill (Boston, MA).The views be scenic especially on the class 1 Tower Trail from Talcott Moutain State Park . The classic views toward the west make the mountain worthy of repeat visits.

Located on top of Talcott Mountain is the historic Hublein Tower . If the views toward the west along the tower trail do not impress you the view from the top of this 165 foot historic tower will definite impress you. This tower was built as a summer home in 1914 to Gilbert Heublein. This tower packs impressive panoramic views of Hartford and the Connecticut hills. On a clear day Mt. Monadnock is visible from the tower.

There are two routes to the summit of Talcott Mountain. The first route, Tower Trail is a very easy class one trail that is wide enough for running and is many places almost a dirt road. This trail first climbs to the top of the Talcott mountain ridge before traversing the ridge to the Heublein Tower.

The second route ,The Metacomet Trail, is much more of a hiker trail. It does not feature quiet as many scenic views at the Tower Trail. However the trail though still a true class 1 is much more rugged than the Tower Trail. It does feature a steep pitch before reaching the summit of Talcott Mountain.

Getting There

VIA TOWER TRAIL: From downtown Hartford take Route 44 west stay on Route 44 roughly 12 miles (including two miles after going over Talcott Mountain from the road. Once you reah the town of Avon make right onto 10-202 north take roughly five miles (Heublein Tower is visible is distance on your right. Make a right on Route 185 and head to the height of land. Make a right on the Talcott Mountain State Park. The trail will be 300 yards on your left with parking on the right.

VIA METACOMET TRAIL: From downtown Hartford take Route 44 west stay on Route 44 roughly 12 miles (including two miles after going over Talcott Mountain from the road. Once you reah the town of Avon make right onto 10-202 north take roughly five miles (Heublein Tower is visible is distance on your right. Make a right on Route 185 and head to the height of land. The trail will be about a mile past the height of land on your right.

Red Tape

There are no fees on the trailhead. However Talcott State Park closes at dusk.

Also as of July 2005, The Hublein Tower is open Thursday thru Sunday 10 am to 5 pm Late Spring until Labor Day. From Labor Day until the last week in October it is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm

When To Climb

The mountain can be climbed at anytime. However if you want to go to the top of the tower look at the preceding section.

Camping

Camp is prohibited on the summit of Talcott Mountain. Talcott Mountain State Park closes at sundown.

Mountain Conditions

Talcott Moutain State Park .

Hublein Tower .

Weather

Here is a link to weather around Talcott Mountain

Summit Picture Log

All hero pictures go here

Link to more pictures

Here is a link to some pictures of Talcott Mountain.

Images

View Talcott Mtn. Image Gallery - 9 Images