Wadsworth Falls State Park
Big and little waterfalls on family friendly trails
There are two parking lots for this park. If you park at 25 Cherry Hill Rd in Rockfall, CT, you'll be at the big falls. You can see them from the parking lot and can walk down to the river along the base of the falls and walk out on a fenced viewing spot that overlooks the top of the falls. None of the trails directly connect to this viewing spot or parking lot - you need to walk on the road a bit if you want to start your hike from here.
We parked at 770 Wadsworth St. in Middletown, CT, which is the main entrance, about a 3 minute drive from the Big Falls parking lot. From there, you can choose the trails that match the distance you want to walk. Most loops are around 3 miles.
Some notes from my family's experience:
The trails were incredibly icy and slippery when we went, so much that we shortened our original planned route. From the main lot on Wadsworth Street, we took the orange trail to the blue trail to see the Little Falls, and then headed back to the car on orange again, and ended by driving over to the Cherry Hill lot to see the Big Falls.
The orange trail would have been a very easy, family friendly walk if it was not for all the ice! It is wide, well marked, and there are no big hills. The blue trail to the Little Falls had a short, steep descent and then ascent again back to orange.
We will definitely come back on a less icy day to explore more of the trails and see the waterfalls change with the seasons!
More information:
A trail map is HERE, and the trails were well marked and easy to follow.