Sleeping Giant Master Hike #5 Hamden CT

SLEEPING GIANT STATE PARK - Eastern Blue with Green and Green/Yellow Connectors. (Giant Master hike #5) RIGOROUS

A 6.5 mile loop with 1000 feet of elevation covering the Eastern Part of the Blue Trail and parts of the Green Trail with the Green/Yellow Connectors. We will meet at the Chestnut Lane entrance of Sleeping Giant at 9:00 AM, circle up at 9:10 AM and start the hike promptly at 9:15 AM. (Be ready to start hiking at 9:15, incorporate extra time BEFORE for restroom stop - there are NO bathrooms at this entrance). Steady rain cancels. Please note that the trails at Sleeping Giant can be very rocky with some scrambling parts (both up & down). Sturdy hiking shoes with good grippy soles are a must. There is potential for some muddy and swampy sections. We plan to hike at a rigorous pace (2 mph) and these trails have uneven terrain with some challenging rocky sections. Bring water and snacks/lunch. No dogs. You can access trail maps at this link. (both pdf and GPS-enabled maps)

Please note that this hike will be rescheduled if there is a high probability of rainy weather. A notification will be sent to hikers who registered on meet-up and this event will be edited on the CT chapter AMC website.
Note: This is hike #5 in the Giant Master hike challenge that I will be leading over the next year. You don’t have to be participating in the challenge to attend this hike. If you are interested in the challenge - check out this link.

If you are doing the challenge, here is the information for your Giant Master Log: Today’s hike completes section VII of the Blue Trail, and Both Green/Yellow Connectors (it also covers parts of the Green and Yellow Trails which we did in full in previous hikes. On this hike we do half of section IV, all of section V, VI for both).

Driving directions: From route 10/Whitney Avenue in Hamden turn onto Mt. Carmel Avenue. Pass the main entrance to the park (it will be on your left). Continue for 2.1 miles from Whitney Ave and turn left onto Chestnut Lane. Follow Chestnut Lane for 0.7 miles to a small parking area with a trail kiosk (note the road curves around to the left at one point, keep following it). There is plenty of on-street parking.