City: New Haven, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (203) 287-5658 (c/o Sleeping G

Description: Driving up Wintergreen Avenue, just before you cross under the Merritt Parkway where it tunnels through the cliffs, you can turn left and head up a long, winding road to great views over 600 feet above the city of New Haven. Across the city you’ll see East Rock Park, a much smaller park run by the town (www.cityofnewhaven.com), which you can also drive up for great views. A spur road will also take you to the Judges Cave (or you can hike there along the blue-blazed trail), where in 1661 Edward Whalley and William Goffe hid from bounty hunters searching for them for their part in the execution of Charles I. West Rock is actually shared by Hamden and Woodbridge as well, and stretches north for 7 miles, full of hiking trails. The old asphalt Baldwin Parkway along the top, now closed to cars, is an excellent place for bicycling. Lake Wintergreen farther up the road in Hamden is a great place to start hiking or to fish. Near the entrance to the park road, just by the Merritt, is the West Rock Nature Center, the oldest urban nature center in the nation and a great place to take the kids.