Common Ground | For the Community

West Rock Family Hikes

All hikes depart from Common Ground (358 Springside Ave, New Haven) at 10:30 AM. Meet on the farmhouse patio (by the chicken yard). Come at 10:00 if you want to help care for the farm animals before we depart! Hikes are free, donations welcomed.

Hikes are intended to be family friendly - young children and babies in backpacks are welcome! Please see hike descriptions to see which hikes are a good fit for your family. Note that some of these are relatively long hikes, but we will plan to rest and keep the pace fun and relaxed. We do some of these hikes with children as young as 4 in our summer camps. Friendly dogs welcome too! Please call (203) 389 - 4333 ext 1213 with any questions.

Sunday, September 25

Judges Cave, returning via the Green Trail

We will take a hike from Common Ground up to Judge's Cave, looping back to Common Ground on the Green Trail (where we often see really cool sculptural rock cairns built by hikers as they pass through)! In the fall, there are delicious ripe Autumn Olive berries at Judges Cave, too. This loop will take about 90 minutes, and has a combination of uphill climbs and downhill descents. The Green Trail can be slippery if it has rained recently, so wear good hiking shoes! This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help).

Monday, October 10 (Columbus Day)

Red to Green Trail, up to Judges Cave, down Blue and Yellow Trail and back to school.

We will depart from Common Ground and take the Red Trail out to its intersection with the Green Trail. Be ready for a slow, steady climb up the Green Trail to Judges Cave! We will rest, relax, and enjoy the view from Judges Cave before heading back via the Blue and Yellow Trail The hike will probably take about one and a half hours round-trip and is good for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help!).

Sunday, October 16

Lake Wintergreen

We will venture out to Lake Wintergreen via the Red Trail! The lake is beautiful in the fall, surrounded by evergreens mixed with bright fall colors on the deciduous trees...bring a camera! We will take the trail around the lake before heading back to Common Ground. This is a bit of a longer hike, but it is mostly flat, especially going around the lake. It will take about an hour and a half roundtrip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help).

Sunday, October 23

West Rock Summit via Red Trail

We will depart from Common Ground and head up to the Summit of West Rock for views of the city before making our way back down to the farm. We will go up the Red Trail, which is the most direct route, and is also very steep! Coming back down goes quickly, and round-trip, this hike will take just over an hour. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up and probably fine for 4 and 5 year olds with good hiking energy (or younger with parental help!).

Sunday, October 30

Judges Cave - Short route

We will take the most direct route from Common Ground to Judges Cave, connecting parts of the Old Oak Nature Trail, the Red Trail, the park road, and the Blue Trail. The hike is about 25 minutes of alternating uphill and flat stretches to reach Judges Cave, where we will stop to hang out and play before descending back to Common Ground. Roundtrip, including stopping at Judges Cave, this hike will take about one hour and is great for ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help!).

Sunday, November 6

Low road to Amhryn Field, high road back

We will take the Red Trail from Common Ground to Amhryn Field, going via the "high road" - a lesser traveled trail that includes an old set of stone steps built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. Amhryn Field has a great view looking back up at the red cliff face of West Rock. We will take the shortest trail from Amhryn Field back to Common Ground - if you live in Westville, this is a trail you should know! It connects Westville/Amhryn Field with the starting points for many West Rock adventures. The whole loop should take about an hour. The terrain has lots of ups and downs, and some of them are steep, but none are very long. This is a great hike for children ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help).

Friday, November 11 (Veteran’s Day)

Judges cave, along ridge on Blue to Baldwin Drive, down Orange to Lake Wintergreen, Red back to CGHS

We will hike up to Judge's Cave and then take the Blue Trail along the ridge out to Baldwin Drive. This stretch of the blue trail has great views! Baldwin Drive is the road that runs the length of West Rock Ridge and it has been closed to vehicle traffic since the 1970's. We will walk on Baldwin Drive for a bit (flat and paved), and then take the Orange Trail down to the lake (lots of downhill!). From the lake, we will take the Red Trail back to Common Ground (up and down at first, and then flat or downhill for the rest of the way). This is a fairly big hike - probably the longest we will do all year. Most of the uphill is in the first half, and the whole thing will take us between 2 and 3 hours. Children as young as 8 joined us last year for this hike and did just fine (and folks of all ages with good energy are welcome). Bring a water bottle and come out for a big fall hike!

Sunday, November 13

West Rock Summit via Red trail, road to Judges Cave, trail to CG

We will take the steep Red Trail, ascending quickly to the Summit of West Rock. After we reach the Summit, the rest of the hike is flat or downhill, including a long, easy walk on the paved park road from the Summit to Judge’s Cave. From Judge’s Cave, we will take the trail back to Common Ground for a roundtrip hike of about one and a half hours (including some time to rest and enjoy the view from the Summit). This hike is good for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help!).

Sunday, November 20

Judges Cave down to Amhryn Field via the Blue and Yellow Trail

We will hike up to Judge's Cave and then take the Blue and Yellow Trail down to Amhryn Field before looping back to Common Ground. The Blue and Yellow Trail is the best spot in West Rock for finding pink quartz - you can find some big, beautiful, bright pink chunks, so we will keep an eye out for treasures along the way! This hike has a lot of ups and downs, but the longest stretch is downhill - it will take a bit over an hour round trip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help).

Friday, November 25 (Thanksgiving Break)

Lake Wintergreen

We will venture out to Lake Wintergreen via the Red Trail! We will take the trail around the lake before heading back to Common Ground. This is a bit of a longer hike, but it is mostly flat, especially going around the lake. It will take about an hour and a half roundtrip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help).

Sunday, November 27

Judges Cave - Short route

Sunday, December 4

Low road to Amhryn Field, high road back

Sunday, December 11

Judges Cave, returning via the Green Trail

Sunday, December 18

West Rock Summit via Red Trail

Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day)

Park Road to Baldwin Drive

The park road (closed to cars) is plowed all winter from the park entrance up to Baldwin Drive, so it is a great place to go for a walk even if it is snowy on the trails. There are usually really cool ice flows on the cliff walls and it is quiet and pretty once you get up the road into the woods.

We will meet at the parking lot for West Rock Nature Center (1020 Wintergreen Avenue, Hamden, CT 06514) at 10 AM. From there, we can walk across the road to access the plowed park road. It takes about an hour to walk up to the top and back down. Friendly dogs welcome! This is a great hike for children ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help).

Sunday, April 8

Red trail to lake, out to the dam and back on road/Red Trail

We will head out on the Red Trail where the skunk cabbage has just started unfurling - a great sign that spring is here! Our destination is Lake Wintergreen - likely still covered in ice, so we will see how the thaw is going. We will hike along the Lake as far as the dam and then loop back to the Red Trail for a roundtrip of about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. This is a relatively flat trail and is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help).

Sunday, April 15

Judges Cave, Blue Trail along ridge (towards lake), back via Green to Red Trails

This is a very scenic hike, with views all along the ridge of the Blue Trail before descending to the Green and Red Trails to return to Common Ground. This hike is somewhat long and covers some rocky terrain, however we have completed it with kids as young as 6 years old in about 2 hours. All ages welcome.

Sunday, April 22

West Rock Summit via Red trail, road to Judges Cave, trail to CG

Sunday, April 29

Judges Cave - Short route

Sunday, May 6

Low road to Amhryn Field, high road back

Sunday, May 13

West Rock Summit via Red Trail

Sunday, May 20

Judges Cave, returning via the Green Trail

We will take a hike from Common Ground up to Judge's Cave, looping back to Common Ground on the Green Trail (where we often see really cool sculptural rock cairns built by hikers as they pass through)! This loop will take about 90 minutes, and has a combination of uphill climbs and downhill descents. The Green Trail can be slippery if it has rained recently, so wear good hiking shoes! This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help).

Sunday, May 27

Lake Wintergreen

Sunday, June 3

Judges Cave, Blue Trail along ridge (towards lake), back via Green to Red Trails


	Family Hiking Family Hiking West Rock Family Hikes All hikes depart from Common Ground (358 Springside Ave, New Haven) at 10:30 AM. Meet on the farmhouse patio (by the chicken yard). Come at 10:00 if you want to help care for the farm animals before we depart! Hikes are free, donations welcomed. Hikes are intended to be family friendly - young children and babies in backpacks are welcome! Please see hike descriptions to see which hikes are a good fit for your family. Note that some of these are relatively long hikes, but we will plan to rest and keep the pace fun and relaxed. We do some of these hikes with children as young as 4 in our summer camps. Friendly dogs welcome too! Please call (203) 389 - 4333 ext 1213 with any questions. Sunday, September 25 Judges Cave, returning via the Green Trail We will take a hike from Common Ground up to Judge's Cave, looping back to Common Ground on the Green Trail (where we often see really cool sculptural rock cairns built by hikers as they pass through)! In the fall, there are delicious ripe Autumn Olive berries at Judges Cave, too. This loop will take about 90 minutes, and has a combination of uphill climbs and downhill descents. The Green Trail can be slippery if it has rained recently, so wear good hiking shoes! This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Monday, October 10 (Columbus Day) Red to Green Trail, up to Judges Cave, down Blue and Yellow Trail and back to school. We will depart from Common Ground and take the Red Trail out to its intersection with the Green Trail. Be ready for a slow, steady climb up the Green Trail to Judges Cave! We will rest, relax, and enjoy the view from Judges Cave before heading back via the Blue and Yellow Trail The hike will probably take about one and a half hours round-trip and is good for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, October 16 Lake Wintergreen We will venture out to Lake Wintergreen via the Red Trail! The lake is beautiful in the fall, surrounded by evergreens mixed with bright fall colors on the deciduous trees...bring a camera! We will take the trail around the lake before heading back to Common Ground. This is a bit of a longer hike, but it is mostly flat, especially going around the lake. It will take about an hour and a half roundtrip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, October 23 West Rock Summit via Red Trail We will depart from Common Ground and head up to the Summit of West Rock for views of the city before making our way back down to the farm. We will go up the Red Trail, which is the most direct route, and is also very steep! Coming back down goes quickly, and round-trip, this hike will take just over an hour. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up and probably fine for 4 and 5 year olds with good hiking energy (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, October 30 Judges Cave - Short route We will take the most direct route from Common Ground to Judges Cave, connecting parts of the Old Oak Nature Trail, the Red Trail, the park road, and the Blue Trail. The hike is about 25 minutes of alternating uphill and flat stretches to reach Judges Cave, where we will stop to hang out and play before descending back to Common Ground. Roundtrip, including stopping at Judges Cave, this hike will take about one hour and is great for ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, November 6 Low road to Amhryn Field, high road back We will take the Red Trail from Common Ground to Amhryn Field, going via the "high road" - a lesser traveled trail that includes an old set of stone steps built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. Amhryn Field has a great view looking back up at the red cliff face of West Rock. We will take the shortest trail from Amhryn Field back to Common Ground - if you live in Westville, this is a trail you should know! It connects Westville/Amhryn Field with the starting points for many West Rock adventures. The whole loop should take about an hour. The terrain has lots of ups and downs, and some of them are steep, but none are very long. This is a great hike for children ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help). Friday, November 11 (Veteran’s Day) Judges cave, along ridge on Blue to Baldwin Drive, down Orange to Lake Wintergreen, Red back to CGHS We will hike up to Judge's Cave and then take the Blue Trail along the ridge out to Baldwin Drive. This stretch of the blue trail has great views! Baldwin Drive is the road that runs the length of West Rock Ridge and it has been closed to vehicle traffic since the 1970's. We will walk on Baldwin Drive for a bit (flat and paved), and then take the Orange Trail down to the lake (lots of downhill!). From the lake, we will take the Red Trail back to Common Ground (up and down at first, and then flat or downhill for the rest of the way). This is a fairly big hike - probably the longest we will do all year. Most of the uphill is in the first half, and the whole thing will take us between 2 and 3 hours. Children as young as 8 joined us last year for this hike and did just fine (and folks of all ages with good energy are welcome). Bring a water bottle and come out for a big fall hike! Sunday, November 13 West Rock Summit via Red trail, road to Judges Cave, trail to CG We will take the steep Red Trail, ascending quickly to the Summit of West Rock. After we reach the Summit, the rest of the hike is flat or downhill, including a long, easy walk on the paved park road from the Summit to Judge’s Cave. From Judge’s Cave, we will take the trail back to Common Ground for a roundtrip hike of about one and a half hours (including some time to rest and enjoy the view from the Summit). This hike is good for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, November 20 Judges Cave down to Amhryn Field via the Blue and Yellow Trail We will hike up to Judge's Cave and then take the Blue and Yellow Trail down to Amhryn Field before looping back to Common Ground. The Blue and Yellow Trail is the best spot in West Rock for finding pink quartz - you can find some big, beautiful, bright pink chunks, so we will keep an eye out for treasures along the way! This hike has a lot of ups and downs, but the longest stretch is downhill - it will take a bit over an hour round trip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Friday, November 25 (Thanksgiving Break) Lake Wintergreen We will venture out to Lake Wintergreen via the Red Trail! We will take the trail around the lake before heading back to Common Ground. This is a bit of a longer hike, but it is mostly flat, especially going around the lake. It will take about an hour and a half roundtrip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, November 27 Judges Cave - Short route We will take the most direct route from Common Ground to Judges Cave, connecting parts of the Old Oak Nature Trail, the Red Trail, the park road, and the Blue Trail. The hike is about 25 minutes of alternating uphill and flat stretches to reach Judges Cave, where we will stop to hang out and play before descending back to Common Ground. Roundtrip, including stopping at Judges Cave, this hike will take about one hour and is great for ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, December 4 Low road to Amhryn Field, high road back We will take the Red Trail from Common Ground to Amhryn Field, going via the "high road" - a lesser traveled trail that includes an old set of stone steps built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. Amhryn Field has a great view looking back up at the red cliff face of West Rock. We will take the shortest trail from Amhryn Field back to Common Ground - if you live in Westville, this is a trail you should know! It connects Westville/Amhryn Field with the starting points for many West Rock adventures. The whole loop should take about an hour. The terrain has lots of ups and downs, and some of them are steep, but none are very long. This is a great hike for children ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, December 11 Judges Cave, returning via the Green Trail We will take a hike from Common Ground up to Judge's Cave, looping back to Common Ground on the Green Trail (where we often see really cool sculptural rock cairns built by hikers as they pass through)! In the fall, there are delicious ripe Autumn Olive berries at Judges Cave, too. This loop will take about 90 minutes, and has a combination of uphill climbs and downhill descents. The Green Trail can be slippery if it has rained recently, so wear good hiking shoes! This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, December 18 West Rock Summit via Red Trail We will depart from Common Ground and head up to the Summit of West Rock for views of the city before making our way back down to the farm. We will go up the Red Trail, which is the most direct route, and is also very steep! Coming back down goes quickly, and round-trip, this hike will take just over an hour. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up and probably fine for 4 and 5 year olds with good hiking energy (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day) Park Road to Baldwin Drive The park road (closed to cars) is plowed all winter from the park entrance up to Baldwin Drive, so it is a great place to go for a walk even if it is snowy on the trails. There are usually really cool ice flows on the cliff walls and it is quiet and pretty once you get up the road into the woods. We will meet at the parking lot for West Rock Nature Center (1020 Wintergreen Avenue, Hamden, CT 06514) at 10 AM. From there, we can walk across the road to access the plowed park road. It takes about an hour to walk up to the top and back down. Friendly dogs welcome! This is a great hike for children ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, April 8 Red trail to lake, out to the dam and back on road/Red Trail We will head out on the Red Trail where the skunk cabbage has just started unfurling - a great sign that spring is here! Our destination is Lake Wintergreen - likely still covered in ice, so we will see how the thaw is going. We will hike along the Lake as far as the dam and then loop back to the Red Trail for a roundtrip of about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. This is a relatively flat trail and is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, April 15 Judges Cave, Blue Trail along ridge (towards lake), back via Green to Red Trails This is a very scenic hike, with views all along the ridge of the Blue Trail before descending to the Green and Red Trails to return to Common Ground. This hike is somewhat long and covers some rocky terrain, however we have completed it with kids as young as 6 years old in about 2 hours. All ages welcome. Sunday, April 22 West Rock Summit via Red trail, road to Judges Cave, trail to CG We will take the steep Red Trail, ascending quickly to the Summit of West Rock. After we reach the Summit, the rest of the hike is flat or downhill, including a long, easy walk on the paved park road from the Summit to Judge’s Cave. From Judge’s Cave, we will take the trail back to Common Ground for a roundtrip hike of about one and a half hours (including some time to rest and enjoy the view from the Summit). This hike is good for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, April 29 Judges Cave - Short route We will take the most direct route from Common Ground to Judges Cave, connecting parts of the Old Oak Nature Trail, the Red Trail, the park road, and the Blue Trail. The hike is about 25 minutes of alternating uphill and flat stretches to reach Judges Cave, where we will stop to hang out and play before descending back to Common Ground. Roundtrip, including stopping at Judges Cave, this hike will take about one hour and is great for ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, May 6 Low road to Amhryn Field, high road back We will take the Red Trail from Common Ground to Amhryn Field, going via the "high road" - a lesser traveled trail that includes an old set of stone steps built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. Amhryn Field has a great view looking back up at the red cliff face of West Rock. We will take the shortest trail from Amhryn Field back to Common Ground - if you live in Westville, this is a trail you should know! It connects Westville/Amhryn Field with the starting points for many West Rock adventures. The whole loop should take about an hour. The terrain has lots of ups and downs, and some of them are steep, but none are very long. This is a great hike for children ages 4 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, May 13 West Rock Summit via Red Trail We will depart from Common Ground and head up to the Summit of West Rock for views of the city before making our way back down to the farm. We will go up the Red Trail, which is the most direct route, and is also very steep! Coming back down goes quickly, and round-trip, this hike will take just over an hour. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up and probably fine for 4 and 5 year olds with good hiking energy (or younger with parental help!). Sunday, May 20 Judges Cave, returning via the Green Trail We will take a hike from Common Ground up to Judge's Cave, looping back to Common Ground on the Green Trail (where we often see really cool sculptural rock cairns built by hikers as they pass through)! This loop will take about 90 minutes, and has a combination of uphill climbs and downhill descents. The Green Trail can be slippery if it has rained recently, so wear good hiking shoes! This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, May 27 Lake Wintergreen We will venture out to Lake Wintergreen via the Red Trail! We will take the trail around the lake before heading back to Common Ground. This is a bit of a longer hike, but it is mostly flat, especially going around the lake. It will take about an hour and a half roundtrip. This is a great hike for children ages 6 and up (or younger with parental help). Sunday, June 3 Judges Cave, Blue Trail along ridge (towards lake), back via Green to Red Trails This is a very scenic hike, with views all along the ridge of the Blue Trail before descending to the Green and Red Trails to return to Common Ground. This hike is somewhat long and covers some rocky terrain, however we have completed it with kids as young as 6 years old in about 2 hours. All ages welcome.