Windham County High Point Trip Report
Snow Hill (1,200+ ft)
Date: June 30, 2002
Author: Dan Case
This is one that can easily be done as a short detour from a nearby interstate while on a long road trip.
Exit I-84 at Exit 72 and go a short distance north on CT 89 to CT 190 (this might also be where you want
to get off for Tolland County if coming from Boston or points east. Turn left, then take the immediate next
left into the Nipmuck State Forest Mountain Laurel Sanctuary (closes at dusk daily). I had expected that
because this involves driving on a dirt road to a tower, it would be rather touchy and steep at some points,
but it isn't. The Mountain Laurel Sanctuary is a popular place to visit, and worth it, especially at this time of
year when they're still reasonably in bloom, and as such the road is pretty level and wide. There's very little
climb involved. Right after the sanctuary ends, the road reaches its height of land and there's the turnoff to
the left. Please note that these are just radio towers, not fire towers (although I grant that it's possible that
there might have once been one there).
You can park in front of the locked gate. The high ground is indeed right behind the northeast corner of the fence,
near some pine trees, and is marked by a cairn. It's a couple of hundred feet at best from your car.
You can hear the sound of traffic on I-84 quite clearly through the trees to the south, and indeed the location
of this CoHP begs the possibility of an approach via bushwhack up from the interstate itself, which would
make it the only one I know of that could be directly accessed from an interstate.