For our second hike on Sunday, July 4, 2021, we picked Haystack Mountain State Park, not far from Campbell Falls. It is known for a memorial tower that sits on its summit:
The state park was established in 1917 when the land was purchased by the state for $1,200 from the widow of Carl Stoeckel. The kiosk outside the tower tells the story of Robbins Battell who took issue with the Encyclopedia Britannica claim (at the time in the late 1800s) that Connecticut had no elevations over 1,000ft. He hired a surveyor and found several.
The trail is moderate but climbs steadily up the hill, following an old road that had been constructed in the 1930's by the CCC. We chose a direct route up to the summit, and then circled back down via a longer, more gently graded trail:
The CCC stonework for the old road is visible at one spot and is quite remarkable for its durability:
The tower is built from massive granite slabs, evident here in the stairs leading up to the tower entrance:
The massive entrance reminded us of medeival castles:
The tower is about 50 feet tall and 22 feet in diameter, and is built primarily of dark grey granite that was quarried at the site. The stone is randomly laid, with deeply recessed mortaring. The interior has concrete steps leading upward to intermediate landings, with wooden stairs leading from the second landing up to a metal observation platform, which is set under a conical roof.
From the tower, on a clear day you can see three states as well as Long Island Sound:
We couldn't resist taking this video of our walk around the top of the tower, looking out on 360 degrees of the Connecticut Berkshires landscape.
The thickness of the walls are evident as you look out one of the windows over the Connecticut landscape:
We had some trouble finding the alternate path down the mountain, but, after circling the tower, found the trail's yellow blazes and wound our way down the mountain, back to our trailhead.
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