There are so many great hiking trails in Connecticut that it's understandable you might one with that special "oomph" factor. After all, we each only have so much energy and so much free time. One trail that's an easy 1.1-mile hike and features some fascinating scenery is the Tidal Marsh Trail in North Haven. It's not far from a commercial area, so you may not expect too much, but this is a really neat trail, especially to be so short. It leads to an abandoned train yard with a giant bear sculpture, and also has some lovely marsh views.
The trail is right behind a Target, so you might not think there's much nature to be seen, but you'll actually get some lovely marsh views.
You'll come across remnants of an old train yard. The Cedar Hill Yard once handled more than 5,000 railroad cars a day, but shut down as railroad transport of freight fell out of favor.
The tunnel is now covered in graffiti, and it's wild to imagine that this was once a thriving place of rail yard integral to product transport of the area.
There are plenty of spots along the trail that will give you great views of the marsh and river.
One newer addition to the trail is a giant polar bear sculpture. The bear was created by a local artist out of materials from a dilapidated building on site.
At 14 feet in height, he's quite an unexpected sight to see while hiking in Connecticut!
Parts of the trail can be overgrown after rain, so keep an eye out for poison ivy. Because the hike is in an industrial area of a city, it may be a good idea to go with a companion for safety purposes.
For more information about this great easy hike, including directions on how to reach the bear sculpture, check out Alltrails!
Have you hiked the Tidal Marsh Trail in Connecticut? Share your experiences in the comments!
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