Actually, it’s not hard to enjoy nature and be alone. 

But, you have to be open to experiences that are not pre-packaged. 

Tip 1: Get away from the parking lot. 

You are guaranteed to find more people within 5-10 minutes of a parking lot than anywhere else.

The solution to this is to look for trails that begin elsewhere, or opt for the more difficult paths when those options exist. You can do this research in advance just by using satellite map programs. (Obviously, not everyone has the physical ability to do this, but those who can ought to, if only to free up space for others on the broader, flatter, and more maintained paths) 

Another solution is to look for trails or parks that have meager parking options, such as those accommodating more than two cars. Generally speaking, people want convenience and will skip right over places that do not have suburban-looking parking lots. If the review of a place includes the complaint “I didn’t know where to park,” then there’s promise in that location. 

If you bike or walk in, rather than drive, you have far more flexibility about where to enter a park.    

Tip 2: If the parking lot is full, skip it. 

This is not a sign to park along the road when all those spots are taken. Paths are often narrow, making it a challenge to give everyone enough space. Having to stop every couple minutes to let someone pass can get annoying, but that’s likely to happen when you encounter a lot that is nearing or at capacity. 

Tip 3: Rethink when you want to go out. 

Even with many more people working from home these days, there are certain days and times when parks are likely to be more crowded — “work from home” does not mean flexible hours for all, sadly. 

You will find more people out on the weekend. This is especially true if the sun is out. 

The solution for this, if your schedule is not tied to M-F 9-5 is to do your exploring during the week and/or very early in the day. 

Going out when or after people tend to eat dinner is a suggestion I would make only in the short term, as once mosquito season starts, we have another health threat to consider: West Nile and EEE.  

Tip 4: If everyone you know has Instagrammed the spot, it’s too popular

You can’t be mad about West Hartford reservoir and the Heublein Tower trails being packed right now. They’re always busy! This is not new information.

In the case of the former, the popular trails are all paved, making this appealing to those strolling with or without strollers.

For the latter, there is a decent view after a very short hike.

They are both a short drive from densely populated areas. Really, there’s no surprise that either would be busy. 

In some instances, there are less taken paths. Even the reservoir has wooded trails that see less traffic. Talcott Mountain State Park, on the other hand, has alternatives that are very narrow and hard to use when trying to keep six feet of physical distance from other hikers. 

Opt to visit places with less name recognition. 

Land trusts are treasures . These are parcels that have been protected to prevent sprawl and overdevelopment. Not all land trusts have trails established on them. That’s not necessarily a problem.  

Although a few, like Sleeping Giant and McLean Game Refuge, are better known, most go under the radar. 

A few suggestions: 

You can get the complete list of regional and multi-town land trusts at the Connecticut Land Conservation Council website. 

Audubon Connecticut and Connecticut Audubon Society have sanctuaries statewide. The centers and face-to-face programs are closed at the moment, but the bird-watching areas are open. 

Always recommended: 

Once you accept that not every outdoor experience needs to include a breathtaking view or be obviously photographable for social media, you open yourself to far more opportunities. 

Town and regional parks are something else to consider. Not all have paths, but enough have wooded areas or open fields. Keney Park or Pope Park right in Hartford can look like a hot mess if you are driving by and glancing at the parking lots where folks are washing cars and hanging out.

Guess what? There’s more to both of those spots than the lots. A recent hour-long excursion into the woods/natural areas of both parks revealed no other people in Pope Park and only one in Keney Park, and that person was within one minute of a parking lot. At the Riverfront Recapture parks, there are typically few people once you get either off the paved paths or five minutes beyond the parking lots. There are even places to go in Newington that are not overrun with people. 

Batterson Park, not far from West Hartford reservoir, is another suggestion. This might not be the time to board a bus to get there, but if you were able to bike or walk to the reservoir, you are almost there anyway. 

If you are on the shoreline, look for alternatives to the popular spots. The landscape just down the road is often similar to what you thought you were after in the first place. 

There is risk in everything, and while this may not be the time to try out high risk activities like rock climbing, we are still allowed to live a little. Maybe the Connecticut Garnet Trail or a BioBlitz in your own region makes more sense than going to the other side of the state right now. 

The bottom line: respect other people, respect yourself, and respect the land.

 

For even more ideas about how to get outside responsibly, check out:

  • Going/Steady: Give episodes 8 and 20 a listen 
  • The Size of Connecticut: Start with the post linked to here, then go back to see her other posts, many of which are still currently relevant. 
  • CTMQ: Even life-long Connecticut residents can learn new things from this site. Just because something isn’t open right now, doesn’t mean you can’t learn about it and add it to your Post-DumpsterFire Wish List
  • Peter Marteka’s column: Get inspired by reading the archived accounts of his hikes

The photos in this post were taken during 15 mile roundtrip taken on bicycle. Towns visited: Hartford, Wethersfield, and Rocky Hill. The trip included no stops for gas (not required) or at any shops or restaurants. Those encountered showed respect by making extra room between us, and many even said or waved hello. Physical distance is not the same as social distance, and the CDC has not suggested that transmission can be prevented by averting one’s eyes to pretend the other person is not there.