The Castle Craig of my childhood is gone I used to love this hike but its gone so far downhill!!! Broken glass and trash all over the trail and people cant be bothered to clean up after their pets. Connecticut has so many beautiful hikes but, unfortunately, this is no longer one of them.

Great views from the castle and cliff side. Very picturesque. Plenty of parking available if you don’t want to do the hike up.

The castle at Castle Craig is a three-story tower. The area provides a beautiful westward view. Evidently on clear days, you can see from Long island in the South all the way up to Massachusetts in the.

Pretty park at the base with all the water features. Picturesque mid way up at the reservoir. Cool turret at the peak. Turret has stairs that are easy to climb to get even better views. Concerning that many people werent wearing masks for covid. Radio tower site had good views too but in different directions. Towers were ugly though.I wish there was some information available on site about the trails and places to park and access the trails.

Nice trail. About one hour walk to get to the castle. Can also drive up there.

It was very beautiful place for a hike and my muscles are sore after but it was worth of it

Went here the other day and had a great time with incredible views. This is a fun short day trip for any age. You can go up to the top of the tower for even better views.

I went there on a weekday and there were only a handful of people. You could drive upto the castle but I preferred to went for hike from Hubbard Park. It was a beautiful castle and would love to come back when it’s a sunny day. It was cloudy and rainy on the day j visited.

Most amazing views over the valley. Everyone shared history and experiences there. Nice drive up. Plenty of parking. Handicap accessible. Can also hike up road.

Great place to go, very clean public rest room is open by the pool. Great views from Castle bring your camera

Moderate hike, little steep and so beautiful. It also has a beautiful Hubbard park connected which has a lake surrounded by seagulls and different white birds. There’s a beautiful view from the summit which is the castle for this hike. Amazing!!

Good loop hike to the top and back down again. Good views from the top a d a beautiful lake on the way.

Pretty cool castle with nice views, you can also drive up here if you dont want to hike.

Blue trail: hiked close to 7 miles total on this trail. Parking is on the side of the road if you are following the hike off of AllTrails. Beautiful trail with lots of different lookout areas. Recommend bringing plenty of drinking water, snacks/lunch, and trekking poles. Hike consists of mainly dried up river bedrock so wear the proper shoes!Our group hiked about 4 miles to castle Craig, sat in the shade to eat lunch, then got back to it. When you first start hiking, the trail forks. On your left there is a walking path, on the right there is an opening. Go to the opening and walk past the water. That is the only part of the trail that isnt marked the greatest. The rest is perfectly marked.

Another great place to Hike In Meriden. Moderate level with almost 3.5 miles hike. The pathway is not marked correctly so would definitely recommend to use alltrails app for hiking map. The hike starts from Mirror lake and go to all the way to Caste Craig. The view from Observation deck is incredible. On a sunny day one can see long island shoreline from the Deck of Castle. On your way down from castle you can enjoy the calm & serene views of Merimere lake as well.

Stunning views from the ground. A single tower with stairs to see an even higher view. Towering over Hubbard Park which you have to drive through to get here.

From the parking lot to the tower is a nice walk most is on a paved road. The view is spectacular once you reach the tower. Not much but the tower and on a crowed day it gets congested

Nice place. A small Hill drive experience. Not a much items to cover. But, you can get a great view from the top. Worth 1 time visit.

Great hike up and wonderful views. Didnt realize you can just drive to the top. The castle is cool. It is only one turret. Very busy as a result but worth it!

Road gate closes at 4PM. Which means a 3 mile hike one way to get to the tower. Still worth it!

It is very nice place to see fall foliagein Connecticut... Gorgeous colours of fall...

Beautiful views from the castle! The drive up to the castle is scenic too, especially in the fall.

One of the nicest hiking place... going up we took road way which is around 3 miles.. it was amazing view from the top.. there are good spots for resting andb having good at the top. while coming down we chose the narrow tracks which was adventures and amazing experience.

Very nice views. You can walk or drive up, depends if you want a nice exercise.

Probably more people than most of the parks along the metacomet trail. But hey you can drive to it.

Its a castle tower. Beautiful views. Great place for pictures

Beautiful view from the top.I bet it will look awesome during the falls with all the tree leaves changing colour.

Yes! The Castle itself is open. Keep your mask on. Spectacular view from the top of the castle! The hike is a great cardio workout

Had a great time taking a December hike with my family after the holiday. Great view from the castle and got to see the lights in the park after hiking back down. We had four kids with us aged 6 to 11 and switched between the yellow and white trails. The last rocky part slowed us down, but we all made it!

We hiked to the tower from the mirror lake. We completed the 4.5 mile blue blazed trail. Tower is beautiful & there is option to drive up to the tower as well. Trail is little more difficult than moderate & water plus hiking shoes are important if hiking. We saw some few spiders & rat snakes on the top. View of the reservoir from top is awesome!!

This is a great hike. It’s paved and hilly. About 3 miles from the parking lot to the castle. Many people had children and dogs. There were some bikers as well. The scenery was pleasant even though I went in early spring before the trees bloomed. The view at the top is pretty spectacular. Things to note: there are no restrooms, it is hilly— you must have some physical aptitude, bring water, snacks are a good idea.

Great trails with 900 foot elevations. Hiking galore!

Such a beautiful park. Always love hiking and of course yoga there!

Beautiful park lots to see and do beautiful scenery great places to take pictures or sit by the small pond with the fountains and geese and ducks to see. They have all kinds of events thru out the year a daffodil festival a xmas drive thru extravaganza.Truly great to go by yourself for sone quiet time or bring the family for together fun.

Breathtaking views. Easy parking.

Worth a visit. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Long Island on the south and the Berkshire hills on the north.

Beautiful view, we were there on a clear but very hot day. At the top of the castle, the breeze was wonderful. Took some great pictures with my family

Beautiful spot. Castle isn’t usually open to climb into though.

I love hiking here. Theres a few options for trails, each differing in difficulty and each trail is marked fairly well. Ive gone here in all different kinds of weather and each time have enjoyed my hike.

Great hiking, biking spot.

Great hike for Intermediate to Difficult, structure was cool but nothing spectacular, except the views!

Its an awesome tower on top of a big mountain, and the views are unbeatable. Great place for taking photos, panaramics, and to go for picnics or hikes with friends or family. The road up is quite windy, narrow, and long, so go slow and watch out for hikers. Not sure if theres trails out of the way.

WAS AMAZING. MERIDEN, CT HAVE DIFFERENT PLACE TO EAT, SHOP AMD LEARN. I LOVE CASTLE CRAIG which is part of Hubbard Park. Is autumn and the view is amazing. The day I went with my friend was chilly but still gorgeous. I think you can see Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington and Middletown. I will appreciate if anybody from Meriden correct me.

This is a beautiful place always has been Ive been going here for over 30 years its tranquil you can see many cities that outline our city beautiful to see the foliage unfortunately due to trashy humans leaving all their trash everywhere its quite a mess right now we went up last week looking over the edge of the castle wall and theres garbage everywhere very very sad and depressing

This is one of my favorite places since I moved in conneticut.Usually when I go up, I take a shortcut which is the bottom of a cliff and when I come back, I come down to the lake side.Its kind of a little tough course for me.But I love to go there everyweek.

Who knew there was an 1800 acre Park in Meriden pretty awesome view from the top

Great hiking/running trails and a road option as well. The peak has rewarding views and the castle is pretty cool.

Alot of ppl were there so couldnt enjoy it as much as u would want to with my kids. I havent been there in years! Beautiful trails!

Great views and the hike was pretty challenging especially if the blue trail is followed

Great place for a nice hike

Nice walk amongst the trees to the top. Spectacular views of the countryside. More speedy way up has loose rocks, so be careful. (Off marked trail)

I liked this place a lot. Amazing views.I hiked the whole thing from the park, but you dont have to do this, you can drive all the way up. Its about 3 miles or so one way, if you plan on walking it. Theres beautiful views on the way if you walk it and dont just blast by in a car. On that note, the down side to hiking is, that people can blast by you in a car. You go from this tranquil moment to some assh*le speeding by blaring rap music.That being said, to me this is the one downside, and well worth enduring to see the views.The hike up is fairly steady and uphill most of the way, gradually going all the way up the the castle. Im a novice hiker and I didnt have a tough time with it.Things to look out for, there is a season in which the castle is not open. Check their website before going.

Was a nice little hike from Hubbard Park. When we got to the top, there was a guy taking his tinder profile pic with his car and it was a bit trashy but the overlook was nice

The views are unbelievable. It feels like you can see the whole state of Connecticut from up there. There are several easy to moderate hiking trails that lead from Hubbard Park to the castle. The only downside it that they having closed the actual castle so you can no longer go inside.

Cant drive all the way up in winter. But the view at the top is worth the walk.

Beautiful non-technical hike to the top of a ridge. The 3-4 mile loop is perfect for beginners and children. Unfortunately the castle was closed for winter but the kids enjoyed themselves and the view of the valley. There is also a road to the top that would be perfect for cyclists looking to practice hill climbing.

Great views! Fall foliage time is lovely to see from that place. Access to the top of the tower is open and free; went to the hill by car, and had to wait some time to get a parking spot as it was pretty crowded

Hiked 2x now easily marked if you want to climb however slopes are pretty steep and broken glass and loose rocks can create problems but once you reach the top its beautiful and worth it

The view at the top of castle is good.

Pretty cool little tower. Stunning views!! You can use the stair to the tower to see the views from up there as well.

Great place for a walk.

An absolutely beautiful location and the view alone is well worth the hike/drive up to the top!!! The view is very similar in range compared to the tower at Mohonk Mountain in New Paltz NY!

Nice paved walk, about 3 miles up, or shorter very steep one mile hike up rocky path.

Love this castle. Married my wife here back in September 2015. City needs to pave the road and trim back the brush on the road leading to the peak tho.

Really nice historical castle tower and surrounding visitors area for sweeping scenic views. People can opt to drive up or hike up from the park below, which features water fountains, public areas and Christmas lights/displays over the holiday. The tower can be climbed from inside for the highest viewpoint.

Really great park. Unfortunately many people were not wearing face masks and there is a swastika etched on the castle....

Walk around fun adventure

My girlfriend and I hiked up to here from Hubbard Park. Overall not too bad of a hike. Challenging at some parts with some great views along the way.

This is a great place to end up on a nice day. There are some great views from atop the castle. It is worth a ride up (it is a nice little ride) or you can hike your way up here if youre at Hubbard Park. The castle isnt huge, but being on the edge of the small mountain helps the view. You can climb the stairs to the top. As a kid, I remember being a little nervous going up because you can see through the metal grades to down below as you ascend.It does get a little crowded here on a nice summers day, so be aware. If it gets to busy, they have been known to turn non-Meriden residents away in the past.

Gorgeous! Amazing fall views, the trees are so colorful right now. The hike from the gate is quite long but worth it. There are a few spots you can park at in between the gate and the tower if you dont wanna walk the whole thing or you can drive right up. The lake leading up to it is beautiful as well and everybody we came across was very helpful and polite. Went on a Saturday and the crowd was much less than what was expected which was nice.

Great hike. Outstanding 360 degree view at the top. Not a hike for young kids. It gets pretty steep with lots of loose rocks at some points.

I kept switching between four and five stars. Ended up taking off one star due to overcrowding during the peak foliage season. Here’s why it really deserves five stars. The view from on top is incredible especially during the fall! It’s one of the widest views in central Connecticut and remarkably beautiful especially when looking past the stone tower. (It’s not a castle...) I recommend both hiking up and doing the drive, although the drive is only open for a very limited season and hours. If you have to pick between the hike and drive, I’d choose the drive. The winding road up the mountain is stunning, passing a picturesque reservoir that looks straight out of a more northern wilderness.

Some hard trails. Great views

Really cool spot with a view that makes it worth the trip from an hour and a half away.

WOW such an awesome view!! Castle Craig/Hubbard Park is an amazing time alone or with family! DONT drive up to the castle, take the hike...its so worth it! Youll encounter other friendly hikers that will help you with directions, taking pictures, food & water, or just some good old fashion company...

Dont hesitate to go .. you wont regret it

Friend and I went for a hike with the dogs, this place is so cool and the view was gorgeous.

What a view! Id say it rivals Heublein tower for views in CT, though not as elevated. Its a short drive up the road through Hubble park, and its free to park and climb the roughly 30ft tower. Cars must be back through the gate by evening (I think the gates close strictly at 4:45PM). You can walk, but its a long and steep road.

Fantastic views all around. Hike up from the pond for a great workout.

Beautiful view! Highest point in the area!

This is an amazing place to visit in the fall. Time it carefully, though. The access road closes for the season on 10/31 and its really a park for a ride through, unless you want to hike uphill for miles. Driving you reach the top in about 10 minutes (through beautiful forests and in view of lakes) - and then are treated to a stunning view (all the way to Long island sound and down into neighboring valleys) and, of course, this stacked rock castle turret sitting on top of a outcrop. Its strange and wonderful. You can walk up the creepy metal stairs. Its basic and dungeon-ish but cool.Easy way to have an adventure. Do it!

Ive always viewed this Castle driving along route 691. I finally made the hike up to it with the family and dog, through Hubbard Park. It took about an hour with a 6 year old and a 7 year old. I was proud of them, it was a challenging hike. Once at the castle, the views are of course incredible. You can see many towns over and on a clear day you can even see all the way to Long Island! I cant wait to do it again. We had a late lunch and hiked back down just in time for dinner when we got home. For anyone who would like to go to the castle but not on a hike... There is a way to get their by road also. Great day!

Beautiful, I will be back.

It’s ok to visit. Hiking to the top would be more rewarding though.

Castle and the view from the top is really impressive. I like this place.

Castle Craig has incredible scenic views from Long Island Sound of Connecticut to the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts! Enjoy a wonderful day at Castle Craig!

Hiking in the nature atmosphere lots of green .meeting people In the way while hiking and ehen you finally make it to the Top The View is Amazing, refreshing .Connected with Nature feels the presence of God in All his Creation .Priceless .Amazing..Love it.

Nice place for hikers to start.

Beautiful scenery. Great place to take pictures or videos.

Cute place...beautiful to see fall colors.

Great historical sight! Worth the drive up, even better taking a hike up! The sights are amazing and you can see for miles in all directions! Sleeping Giant can be seen also from the top of the castle! Amazing spot for a sunset . Walking to the top of the castle in breath taking!

Gorgeous view it hasYou should definitely go there

Great hiking trails of different levels, awesome views. Its quite busy, so theres a lot of litter along the trails, and there was a crowd around castle craig.

Beautiful site to see if your up for a hike or a drive to see an amazing view this is it!

One of my favorites place for hiking

Great place for both easy and moderate hikes. Plenty of trails between both peaks. Castle is pretty cool that you can go to the top and see out towards the LI Sound.

One of the best Park to take your family

Great views. Loved the hike. Tower was still closed though

Great vantage point to see a large portion of Connecticut! Nice little stop, beautiful in the fall. Not clear on where to park, make sure and use the park entrance at Hubbard Park as opposed to mapping to Castle Craig direct. You cant park there and have to drive l the way around.

This is a must visit for anyone in town or passing through. The highlight of Meridens Crown Jewel park, you have a variety of ways to get up to East Peak and take in fantastic views of the city. Choices include a paved road for cars sharing with bikers, walkers and motorcyclists or traversing part of the Metocommet Trail and hiking up to the summit. On clear days you have no trouble seeing the Hartford skyline as well as Long Island Sound. There are several flights of steps to the top of the castle, but the sights are well worth the trip to the top.