Macedonia
State Park in Kent, CT.
is the spot where my love
of hiking began. That was in the
mid-70's when I visited for first
time as a little boy. I fell in
love with the overviews and
because of that boyhood memory,
I've been to Macedonia at least
one hundred times throughout my
life. In 1994 while trying to
learn HTML and Javascript, I built
a one page website using the web
space given to me by an
up-and-coming company called AOL
(I really wish I had been smart
enough to buy some of their
stock). Macedonia State Park was
that first website and although I
didn't know it at the time,
Macedonia really was the
inspiration behind
BerkshireHiking.com. In 1998 as
the web became more prominent I
decided to revisit the one page
website. From 1998-2000 I added
about 20 hikes. I then decided to
take it to the next level and
build a "real" website. In 2000 I
bought the name
BerkshireHiking.com and started
building out.
I can't trace the exact calendar
day or year, but I can remember
the exact day and moment in my
mind where I fell in love with
overviews. Cobble Mountain, which
really is just a good sized hill
with nice western views, may not
be a big deal to you, but to me it
will always be a grand place. Back
in the 70's as a boy around 5 - 7
years old, I was able to tag along
one day with my eldest brothers
and their pile of friends to
Macedonia. Usually, I'd watch them
drive off...giving them big, sad
eyes trying to guilt them into
taking me. For what seemed like
the longest time, the best I got
was a "see you in a little while"
or "next time". But one day the
puppy eyes work. Perhaps they felt
bad for always leaving me or maybe
they finally realized that I
wasn't a threat to divulge
information they wouldn't want
"the old man and old lady" to be
privy to. The car stopped and
someone shouted "hop in, little
man!". I bolted to the car and a
conveyor belt of hands and arms
pulled me through the back seat
passenger-side window and placed
me in the middle of the back seat,
buried in an old station wagon
with brothers and their friends.
Getting ten people into a car back
then was routine stuff. Seat
belts? Oh, yeah... those annoying
things you shove out of the way
and under the seats. (More proof
that as the generations pass,
society gets smarter.) I would
never again be the little guy left
behind...I was in! The fact that I
was given the worst seat didn't
phase me a bit. The thrill of
being "one of the guys" combined
with the excitement of finally
knowing where they took off to was
all that I needed.
To make a long story short...the
rock n' roll, open windows, and
loud chatter up Route 7 to
Macedonia was totally cool as far
as I was concerned. Climbing
Cobble Mt. was tough for my little
legs and if I wasn't keenly aware
of what the bigger guys were
thinking of me, I would have
probably become a little cranky
and whiny. But as we neared the
top, I got excited and a second
wind took over. I was proud I'd
made my first "mountain" climb.
Then something unexpected
happened. The views just hit me in
a big way. The crystal clear skies
and rolling hills that seemed to
go on and on were other-wordly or
cinematic. I zoned out into
another dimension like only a
little child can. It's one of
those things you can't explain - I
became fixated by the rolling
hills, fluffy clouds, mountaintop
breeze, hawks, rocks, and smaller
trees. It was just so different
from everyday life. From that day
on I was officially a hiker and
still am today.
Back in the '70's, Macedonia was a
hangout. Beer drinking,
sunbathing, and "fires" of all
sorts were burning regularly.
Teenagers or college kids ruled.
That changed a long time ago.
Today, Macedonia is a very nice,
clean, well maintained family type
state park. No-alcohol policy is
strictly enforced and campfires
aren't allowed except in
designated campfire pits. It's a
great place to hike, fly fish in
the stream that cuts through the
entire length of the park, picnic,
walk, camp, or ride a mountain
bike along the dirt road. The
trail to Cobble is still there,
and as good as ever. There's also
a long 6.8 mile blue trail loop
around the entire park that
encompasses Cobble so if you're in
good shape you should take that on
instead of the short but very
steep Cobble trail.
It's best to start at the ranger's
station and grab a copy of the
park's trail system. Besides the
blue trail, there are shorter
trails that hook up with the blue
trail. You can take easy strolls
along an old utility road or get a
workout by heading up into the
hills. All of the different color
trails offer great vistas and
beautiful natural surroundings.
Macedonia is the type of place
where senior citizens can get out
for a stroll and pass right by
experienced hikers who are testing
their mettle on the very strenuous
6.8 mile blue trail. It takes a
hearty soul to finish the blue
trail as it passes over four peaks
that are 1,200 feet, 750 feet,
1,300 feet, and 800 feet in
height. Some of the terrain is
quite rocky and requires a hand up
or a bottom to slide down. The
main area of the park is snuggled
between these peaks and the other
smaller trails usually lead to one
of mountain tops. For those not
into climbing, there are flat dirt
and grass roads that are great to
explore.
I recommend the western part of
the blue trail if you decide to
tackle a medium hike. It has the
best scenery and also is a little
more rugged than the western part.
When you enter the park via Kent
look to the left for blue trail
markers a short distance after the
road turns to dirt. This is the
start of the east side hike. For a
short but steep climb, Cobble Mt.
trail starts at the wooden foot
bridge in the main parking area
just up the road from the ranger's
station...but don't underestimate
the trail...it packs a mighty
punch for something short. You'll
be suckin' wind in no time if
you're not in good shape so just
take it slow and rest along the
way if you're feeling tired (and
don't let anyone in the group
pressure you into keep
going...stand your ground and
enjoy the day!). As you approach
the top the views east will come
into play. Though not the Rocky
Mountains, it's a really nice
scene with cozy spots to relax and
take it all in. Keep walking over
to the right as some folks don't
realize there are additional
viewing points a few yards up the
trial. Cobble Mt. offers a
spectacular view of New York state
with the Catskills looming in the
distance on a clear day.
In the past few years forest
fires have hit Macedonia and a
few large tracts of woods
destroyed. The cause of one of
the largest fires was a
discarded cigarette. Others,
improper campfire use. Please
you some common sense and put
out your cigarette if your a
smoker. Don't just flick it off
to the side and assume it'll go
out - if you're a smoker and you
know won't be able to go
without, when you're done put it
out on a rock and then make sure
it's buried completely in the
dirt/sand. If not for the long
hard hours put in by local
firemen (some of them were
overcome by smoke and heat
exhaustion), surrounding homes
could have easily been destroyed
as well as a larger swath of
forest. Macedonia State Park is
a great place and really unique.
Help keep it clean and free from
all the nonsense that we
encounter in the hustle and
bustle of modern day life.
Macedonia is a five minute drive
to Kent center which has all the
modern conveniences.
Directions: From
Route 7 in Kent center, take a
left (or right if you're coming
from the north) onto Route 341 and
head west past the Kent School.
You'll go past the white trail
markings of the Appalachian Trail
at Schagticoke
Mountain and about
1.5 miles from Kent center is the
entrance to Macedonia State Park.
Follow the road in for abot 2
miles until you get to the ranger
station where you will find lots
of information about the park. Macedonia
official website
Printable
version of the Macedonia
State Park page
If you have any trail updates to
share or have feedback/questions
please click
here to send email or call
203.788.7665
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