Mt. Higby

Mt. Higby Hike, Blue trail Is a great local hike. The trail is pretty steep right off the bat but once you get up the first steep part the terrain evens out while meandering along the cliff edge and becomes quite enjoyable.
It's located in Meriden CT, Parking area off of Rt. 66. Very easy to get to and great for a quick afternoon or sunset hike. When you get up the steep and wind along the cliff edge you can see pretty far. Hartford to the north, Meriden toward the west, and a good view to the south, including Beseck Mountain, with Black Pond right under it. On clear days Long Island Sound and New Haven are visible.
The Connecticut State Police Academy, memorial tower and shooting range can be seen at the base of the mountain, its pretty cool- perhaps you may see some police shooting machine guns.
Here's a view of the cliffs that you walk along, a little intimidating but awesome at the same time.
The trail along the edge of the cliff is fun with big rocks and boulders to climb around.
Here is a little wiki quote "Higby Mountain is known for its high cliff faces, unique microclimate ecosystems, and rare plant communities. It rises steeply 600 feet (180 m) above the Quinnipiac River valley and the city of Meriden to the west as a continuous 2-mile (3 km) long ledge. The mountain is traversed by the 50-mile (80 km) Mattabesett Trail.<sup>"

So overall this is a great quick local hike, and you still get a nice workout. I recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet local hike.</sup>