Starting at Amrhyn Field, West Rock Ave, New Haven and ending at 121 Brooks Rd, Bethany, CT ~ 8.12 miles and 4hrs 27mins

The Regicides Trail is a great trail except for its location. Depending on where you park you have to take feeder trails to get to and from the trail which requires back tracking or skipping small sections. We took the Westville Feeder Trail in and the Sanford Feeder Trail out which caused us to miss a little. If you are a completest, like I am, you may also be bothered by the idea of skipping sections, so you will understand that I will be going back to do the beginning when I return to do the Quinnipiac trail. The parking at Amryn Field is sketchy to say the least. There was a ton of litter in the park and it continued on the trail — mostly in the form of broken glass. (Grumble, grumble!) The view and the sounds for the first part of the trail were also disappointing: highway noise, sirens and ugly buildings.

Okay so complaints out of the way, the trail is FUN! It is full of rocks, stones, boulders and more rocks. Most of the hike is a ridge walk consisting of exposed trap rock with several lookout points. There are some forest floor sections too, and lots of cedar trees. Dana is convinced cedar is my favorite tree and I just don’ know it. Probably because I say, “ooh,” almost every time I see one and love the little blue berries they drop.

We experienced some strange weather including cold, sun, a little drizzle, wind, and tiny hail. I would advise going on a dry day as wet basalt is extremely slippery. Also try to avoid going on a windy day. There are many overlooks where the winds could be a hindrance and the many dead branches could also be dangerous.

Notables on the trail:

• Judges Cave- it includes a little history lesson
• Multiple look out points over water- Lake Dawson, West River and Lake Watrous
• The faces in the rocks- so many profiles
• The heavily guarded hula hoops- seriously there is razor wire on the ground inside a chain link fence to protect them 😉
• All the giant boulders- especially the one that ate Dana

Overall this is a great trail and I look forward to hiking more of this ridgeline.

Adventurers included: Jes, Bryan, Dana & Dogo