Cross-Country Skiing

The trails of Huntington State Park-relatively flat-out once you descend from the entrance area off Sunset Hill Road-are mecca to cross-country skiers. Given good snow cover, skiers come to the park by the scores and from throughout the region. Elsewhere, the cross-country opportunities are somewhat limited, unless you can get to one of the unpaved rural roads before the snowplows do (Poverty Hollow is kept open for safety reasons). Many trails in the Redding system traverse terrain unforgiving to all but the most advanced skier; even the experienced would be well advised to substitute snowshoes for skis when venturing into such up-and-down rocky places as Gallows Hill Natural Area or the Scott Preserve.
Notwithstanding narrow trails and tough terrain, the judicious skier may still find good runs in some of the following areas:
• The Little River North Trail, between John Read Road and Cross Highway
• The red-blazed horse trails (described below) in Little River Preserve, Limekiln Natural Area, and the Brinckerhoff Preserve
• The Pond and Saddleback trails at Topstone Park
• Knapp Way and the Powerline Trail at Saugatuck Falls Natural Area
• Racoon Lane, The Halo and The Harp at Stormfield
• The Bruzelius Trail in the Dayton Tract
• Devil's Den Preserve (consult signs posted at trailheads).