Plants & Wildlife

The Old Cedar Mountain Highway Trail offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the outdoors by hiking through a rustic setting on Cedar Mountain. The trails have a blend of trees such as red maple, white ash, red oaks, black oaks, red cedar and birch. Encounters with local wildlife are also a treat. Animals that roam the area include an abundance of deer, raccoons, possums, rabbits, squirrels and an occasional coyote. Many beautiful birds also make their home on Cedar Mountain.

About the Trail

Located behind the Connecticut Humane Society on Russell Road in Newington, the trail is a great place to take man’s best friend for a walk. The trail has a sign at the front entrance and leads to a couple of connector trails that are outlined with heavy branches and covered with mulch. Continuing on the main trail will eventually lead to the "outlook." This outlook area offers a scenic view of the area for miles from Cedar Mountain. It is a great place to star gaze at night. In July, 1965 and the fall of 1966, there were published reports in the Hartford Times of UFO sightings over Cedar Mountain.

Four Corridors

The Old Cedar Mountain Highway Trail is part of the Cedar Mountain / Balf Park Ridgeline Vista Trail which makes up one of the four corridors of the Newington Greenway System. The other corridors are the Rock Hole Brook and Young’s Farm Greenway, the Twenty Rod Road and Candlewick Greenway, and the Piper Brook Flood Control Greenway. These areas provide opportunities for walking and other passive recreation areas well as protection natural resources and scenic views.