Take a walk on the Appalachian Trail

( STEPHEN DUNN, HARTFORD COURANT / October 18, 2012 )

As fun as it might be to briskly climb a mountain trail, a hike need be neither strenuous nor steep to satisfy the psyche. There is something to be said for a long walk in the woods over gentle terrain, especially when the leaves are luminescent and temperatures tolerable. Add a river to the scene, and it can be a very special day.

In Kent, the wilderness road is the Housatonic River, and paralleling it for more than five miles is a section of the Appalachian Trail and a latter-day roadway, River Road, a dirt road. Here you can not only have woods and water both, but decide for yourself exactly how much of them you'd like to fit into your outing. Whether you want to wade and get your feet wet is up to you, too.

Getting There: Route 4 west to Route 7 south to Route 341. Take 341 west across the Housatonic River and take an immediate right onto Skiff Mountain Road. Follow Skiff Mountain 1.1 miles to River Road, a right. A small dirt parking area is at the end of River Road, 2.5 miles.