Happy Trails Pet Stroller

Hitting the Trail in Fairfield County

Drivers along the Merritt Parkway can scan the scenic Fairfield County views through their windshields, but there’s a better way to appreciate the verdant countryside. If you venture off the Merritt, you can discover one of the parks or preserves tucked away in those hills, and opportunities abound to explore peaceful trails on foot. Soon, birdcalls and babbling brooks will soothe the weary and supplant the noise of cars and blaring horns. 

There are a multitude of easy day trip destinations for even a flip-flop clad novice seeking a tranquil nature walk. Here are five locations with options for experienced hikers as well as families with dogs, strollers, or mountain bikes.

Adjacent to the red barns of the Audubon Center in Fairfield is the Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary . For nonresidents there is a $2 fee for adults and $1 for children ages 12 to 18, but this is a fitting destination for families with very small children. Though there are numerous trails (maps available at kiosk), the well groomed and graded one-mile Chiboucas Trail is unique in that affords handicap access and is both stroller and wheelchair friendly. 

Lake Mohegan in Fairfield is an ideal place to hike with dogs. Though there is a fee to enter the sandy beach and sprinkler playground, the hiking trails around the man-made lake are free, and on a hot sunny day, the far corner of the ample parking lot becomes a marshalling yard for happy dogs and their owners hiking the lakeside trail to and from the designated dog beach. 

If you’re willing to leave Fido at home, you might head to Devil’s Den in Weston (no picnic, toilet, or other facilities. no pets or bikes on trails). Except for some evil mosquitoes, this preserve defies its name, and there is nothing man made about the pond, 1,700 acres of woods, swamps or rocky ridges, from which there are some spectacular vistas. 

The parking lot and kiosk are situated under a canopy of trees. Before you set out, consult the kiosk’s enlarged diagram of trails to note their lengths and take a copy of brochure, (thank you Nature Conservancy), which is full of suggestions and history, as well as a trail map, locations of swamps, streams, rivers, ponds, numbered posts and vistas. 

For the novice, note, this inexperienced flatlander completed the round trip hike through the hilly woods, past ancient stonewalls, to Godfrey Pond and back to the parking lot in under 30 minutes.

Cheap Pet Gear PG8100ST Happy Trails Pet Stroller, Cobalt Blue

Pet Gear strollers are a great way to take your pet with you on a long walk through the park, a walk around the block, or maybe even shopping at the mall. They safely contain and protect your pet wherever you go! The Happy Trails Plus stroller has a fashionable Euro-Canopy, removable weather guard, large storage basket, parent tray, waterproof interior pad, front swivel wheels, shock absorbers, and rear brakes. Ideal for pets up to 30-pounds.

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