3 Reasons Why Ridgefield is a Hiker’s Paradise
February 20th, 2008 categories: Buying Your House, Recreation & Sports, Ridgefield, Talking Real Estate
One of the biggest benefits to Ridgefield home buyers is our open space. Ridgefield is dedicated to maintaining these undeveloped forests, meadows, lakes and mountains for several reasons. In the Plan of Conservation and Development, our town leaders have declared a goal of permanently preserving 30% of Ridgefield’s land as open space.
Reasons for making open space such a priority include recreation, maintaining Ridgefield’s rural character, keeping ecological peace and long term economic value.
More and more, people moving to Ridgefield see the value in open space for passive recreation. They’re willing to pay more to live in a community that makes trail accessibility a priority. Today we’ll take a look at some of the incredible hiking opportunities offered in Ridgefield and see one of the reasons why so many people move here.
Hiking in Ridgefield
Currently, over 5300 acres of Ridgefield’s area is preserved as open space (23%). Folks travel from all over the region to enjoy our wonderful hiking trails. The Ridgefield Walk Book lists over 30 places to hike complete with directions, difficulty and features of each area. My favorites include:
Bennetts Pond - This state-owned parcel features 440 acres of lush forest with beautiful Bennetts Pond as the centerpiece. The trails are well marked and include everythign from flat to steep. The topo trailmap will help you steer clear of the steeps if that’s your preference. There’s also some great rock formations on the far side of the pond for any climbers out there. Bennetts Pond trails connect with the Lake Windwing, Pine Mountain and Hemlock Hills trail systems.
Pierrepont State Park - I love this park for it’s mountain top views from Barlow Mountain and I often spend hours here hiking with my yellow lab, Bentley. The trails start off flat along the lake and then, if you choose, you can climb up one of several routes. Barlow Mountain is particularly fun for the kids if you take a lunch or snacks and hang out at the summit for a while. It’s about 40 minutes to the top. Check out the Pierrepont trail map to plan your hike.
Pine Mountain - This is Ridgefield’s highest point, 1060 feet above sea level. The views are breathtaking from the top of Pine Mountain: you can see the Long Island Sound and all the surrounding ridges, mountains and hills to the north and west. There are over 360 acres of well marked trails. I’ve also come across a campsite or 2 while hiking across the higher elevations of Pine Mountain.
Can you believe what wilderness exists just an hour away from New York City! What else can I tell you about what awaits the outdoor enthusiast in Ridgefield?
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