Fall, which starts this Sunday, is America’s favorite season, and I understand why, with the moderate temperatures and the changing foliage. But it’s also, I think, the busiest time of the year, when getting out there and enjoying those qualities can feel tough to manage.
Here are a few nearby nature walks that make it look easy.
Starting at Yale Avenue (where you should park) and Route 34 (where you’ll have to play Frogger), Marginal Drive is the easiest hike of the bunch, a flat, mile-long, there-and-back shot on an abandoned paved road whose gentle curves track the neighboring West River. You can go a little—and I do mean a little—off-road, most notably at Horseshoe Lagoon. Otherwise, enjoy the birds, the bugs, the bits of urban debris and the breaks in the foliage (offering keyhole views across the river) from the safety and solidity of asphalt.
The Mill River Loop—that’s what I’m calling it, anyway—is easier than it’ll sound. Park on Orange Street near the canoe launch, then walk west along the Mill River, where you’ll get a nice view of East Rock’s western cliff face. Ascend the steps to College Woods, then hug the park’s upper edge, taking a path that curves northward along Livingston Street. At East Rock Road, find another path near the western end of the bridge, then follow it north to the East Rock Park Footbridge, where a southward trail on the other side of the river brings you right back to where you parked. About a mile and a quarter in total, it’s never strenuous and its many charms are varied. Plus, right after, you can easily stop to get pizza or beer or something else the neighborhood is good for.
A 15-minute drive east from downtown New Haven, Branford Supply Pond Park is effectively right off I-95. But it feels a world away. The trails, which wend around and between the ponds as well as Pisgah Brook—and offer well-maintained bridges when you need them—are easy, and so is the vibe. Parking is plentiful, and my favorite spot to walk is so accessible it’s easy to miss: a duck-billed spit of land just off the entry road, with a carpet of soft pine needles and water views on three sides.
Now go take a hike.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Images 1 and 2 feature scenes along Marginal Drive. Image 3 features the western face of East Rock over a bend in the Mill River. Image 4 features a view at Branford Supply Pond Park.
