Take a Walk – Westmoor Park Trails

Before Halloween and before the drama of “Snowtober”, I did a post on the Gentle Touch class at Westmoor Park.

Well, petting adorable farm animals and slithery reptiles isn’t the only action at Westmoor. The park also has some easy walking trails that are a great option if you want to get out of the house and enjoy the nice fall weather.

 

I met up at the park with a friend and her 16 month old daughter.  We took another quick tour of the farm animals and then headed over to the walking trails.

Parking was easy.  Plenty of spaces.

It was Bruiser and Sparkles’ nap time, so I bundled them up in their snugglies {that is what my husband and I call their winter outfits.  Don’t they look snuggly?} and loaded them in the jogging stroller.

They looked so cute and comfy.  I have to post a few more pics 🙂

We grabbed a trail map from the main office and took a look at the route options.  They actually looked pretty easy.  The longest one was not even a mile.  This was going to be a much shorter trip than our adventure at the Reservoir!

There was one route listed as handicap accessible {the one in red/pink below} and it was .99 miles.  The handicap accessible designation meant that I would be able to take my stroller.  Looks good to me!

As silly as this may sound, I wasn’t quite sure where the trail started.  I am just awful at reading maps and I was looking around for a big sign that said TRAILS START HERE. Nothing was to be found, but I did see a pathed walkway starting at the end of the parking lot and figured that had to be it.

There were also a few signs near this pathway warning us that you could not bring dogs, a picnic, or bikes on the path.  Hope they aren’t going to confiscate my kids’ cheerios!

We headed down the path a little uncertain as to if we were going in the right direction. We did pass a port-a-potty along the way.  I was actually surprised to see a bathroom in the woods, but happy to know it exists if we needed it.

As we followed the path, we came across a little log cabin and sitting area.  You couldn’t get into the cabin {we checked!}, but I’m guessing the sitting area is where they have some of the other nature classes.  Might be a good place to stop and feed the baby if you need to.

We went a bit further and found that the path split.  We checked our trail map and realized that it was just one big loop.  Either direction would work.  We also realized that there were numbers along the path that corresponded with the trail map.  Oh good.  This was now going to be a much easier trip for a non-map reading person like me.

Progress down the path was a bit slow at times, because the 16 month old had no interest in riding in her stroller.  I just kept thinking, oh boy am I in trouble when my kids are that age!

We passed by a pond and a stream.  There were benches along the way that would provide a great place to take a break.

As we got towards the end of the path, the sky looked beautiful.  It was such a nice day outside.

Before we got back to the car, my friend’s little girl did a little rolling in the meadow.

That was it.  Walks over.  Short and sweet.  Time to head back home.

Overall, it was an easy trip.  Easy parking, easy walk, pretty scenery.

If you are looking for rigorous exercise trails, these aren’t for you.  If you are just looking for a place to take a stroll and let the kids blow off some steam, this is perfect.

THE MOMSENSE:

Westmoor Park – Walking Trails

119 Flagg Road West Hartford, CT 06117
(860) 561-8260

www.westmoorpark.com

Get directions here:

Enter your starting address:

 

General Hours:

• Office Hours: 9:00am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday
• Weekend Building Hours:  9:00am – 4:00pm Saturday – Sunday
• Farm Hours: 9:00am – 4:00pm, daily
• Grounds Hours: dawn to dusk, daily

Cost:

• FREE

Facilities:

• Restroom: There are several inside the main building.  A few are near the Discovery room and one is near the greenhouse.  There is also a port-a-potty at the beginning of the trail.
• Changing station: No changing station, but the bathroom near the greenhouse has a long counter which could be used for changing.  {with so many kids visiting this place, hopefully a changing table will be made available in the future }

Tips/Things to Bring:

• A jogging stroller would probably work best for the path.  You could use a regular stroller as well.
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Print off the trail map here or grab one in the main office
• Make sure you are familiar with the Park Use Guidelines.

Why we like it:

• Easy walking path
• Pretty scenery
• FREE
• The kids can get a two-for-one with a farm animal visit and a trip down the trails.

COMING UP:

We will be visiting the Mandell JCC Great Children’s Read event this Sunday.  It’s Free!

Also, check back next week for a place where your little one can get get their hair cut while having fun at the same time.  Perfect opportunity to prep for those holiday photos. Also, we’ll get you ready for black Friday with some guidance on shopping with your kids!