Climbing a mountain and then a knob: Hiking Simsbury’s Onion Mountain Park, Granby’s Western Barndoor Hill
- Peter Marteka
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
By Peter Marteka
Editor
Onion Mountain Park is one of those places that doesn’t have an overlook. At least when trees are fully leafed out. So you travel up the road to neighboring Granby and check out Western Barndoor Hill to get your view fix.
That was my solution when Onion Mountain, which is still a great hike, offered no view. The 190-acre park on the West Simsbury/Canton border offers several miles of trails up the eastern side of the mountain. The yellow and blue trails at the base of the mountain run north/south. There’s a picturesque pond on the northern side of the parking area known as the Stoddard Reservoir.
The red trail is an adventure as it loops through rugged terrain around the northern portion of the property and back down to the blue trail. Hikers can continue their adventure as the blue trail connects to the 200-acre Onion Mountain Park Preserve in Canton.
If it’s a view you want, the Granby Land Trust’s Western Barndoor Hill is only a few miles up the road. The trap rock knob emerges from the western fringes of the Metacomet Ridge – a swath of volcanic basalt and sedimentary rock that runs from Long Island Sound to the New Hampshire and Vermont borders.
The trail to the top of the 671-foot-high hill is a little over a mile. Its sister – Eastern Barndoor Hill - is located nearby within the 4,300-acre McLean Game Refuge. But Western Barndoor Hill is the one with the view out to northern Connecticut and the hills and mountains of Massachusetts.
The Granby Land Trust’s map of Western Barndoor Hill simply states the hike is “a short climb to a beautiful view.” And what a view it is.
Directions: Onion Mountain: West Mountain Road. Parking lot is across the street from Madin Lane. Visit https://cantonlandtrust.org/onion-mountain-preserve/ for a map of the park. Western Barndoor Hill: Route 20 west through Granby Center. Take a left on Barndoor Hills Road and look for the parking area across from Kettle Pond Lane. Walk about a quarter-mile up the road and look for the trailhead on the left. Visit https://granbylandtrust.org/western-barndoor-hill-preserve/ for a map.
Mileage and Difficulty: Onion Mountain:
Western Barndoor Hill: The trail out and back is a little more than two miles. The climb to the top is gradual.
Pets: Leashed pets are allowed but must be cleaned up after.
Signs of Civilization: Onion Mountain: Not much. A fairly wooded adventure. Western Barndoor Hill: A horse farm, a subdivision and not much else.
