Travels and Travails in Connecticut
So far, the best spot has been Sleeping Giant State Park, in Hamden, about 15 minutes from home. While featuring about 30 miles of trails of varying difficulty--wheelchair to don't care, I find that the blue and white trails (don't care) offer both entertaining rock clambering and stop and catch my breath climbs, including the blue trail's 580 foot climb in about 1/3 mile. The blue trail actually continues beyond the park, circles through the woods abutting Quinnipiac University, which the park overlooks, and eventually intersecting the Quinnipiac River, AND the Quinnipiac Trail, which I have yet to explore.
West Rock Ridge State Park, also in Hamden, but also in New Haven, home of Yale, has some decent overlooks, and a six mile hiking trail. The trail overlooks Hamden to the north, and New Haven to the South, with cliff views and overlooks. A few short steep ascents, but generally level, with rock "stepping". A paved park road also runs the ridge with the hiking trails, and is great for biking when the park is closed for the winter season.
However short it may be, the Connecticut Spring/Summer/Fall series is truly spectacular. The six month winters do truly create a negative pressure through a narrow orifice.
And we have waterfalls. Kent Falls is the best, with Lake Waramaug, scenic Route 7, and the Cornwall covered bridge all almost within walking distance. Devil's Hopyard State Park, about midway between Meriden and Norwich, but close to nothing, has probably the second best falls viewed to date--with accompanying trails following ridge, river, or both. Campbell falls, off of CT route 272 in far northwest part of the state, straddles the Massachusetts state line, and was beautiful in the dead of winter. Wadsworth Falls, between Middlefield and Middletown, though with a good volume of water, just seems to lack a setting, and is only mentioned, not recommended. Southford Falls can be saved for a rainy day (a very rainy day).