Distance

1.3 mi to summit

3.0 mi total

Elevation

1,856 ft start

2,422 ft max

Vertical

978 ft gain

Time

1 hr 6 min to summit

2 hr 21 min total

Well! The trip to Connecticut's state high point certainly requires some driving, to say the least. The road was accessible with low clearance, but it was very muddy and rutted, so I'm glad my rental was high clearance with 4WD (but I didn't actually engage it, so... *shrugs*). Mt. Riga Road and the approach from the south (so heading north to the CT/MA state line) appears to no longer be maintained, so I came from the north (heading south on East Road from MA to the CT/MA state line). The last several miles of the road are "closed except to local traffic", but as we ran into three other groups on the trail, I'd take that sign with a grain of salt. We parked at the "Parking for Trail Head to NW Camp", which is right on the state line between MA/CT. The trail is to the west, next to the parking area, and marked with bright red blazes. Because it's very early spring, there was a ton of snow-melt that turned the first part of the trail into a stream, so we got a bit wet. Still plenty of snow/ice on north-facing slopes and shaded areas of the trail. The trail has steep sections climbing up the granite and quartz-sided slopes of Round Mountain and Mount Frissell (definitely class 2 minimum, perhaps low class 3). Each one of them only has about 300-400' prominence, but you lose a lot of elevation between each of them - up and down, up and down. From the summit of Mount Frissell, you head further west and down (and lose elevation again) to get to the CT state line, where the high point is marked by a large sort-of-cairn (someone kicked it over, sigh) and a metal pin. There is a summit register, but not much of a log when we visited. We then continued further west on the trail to the tri-state marker: where Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York all meet. From there you can continue to follow the trail south and it will turn east and make its way to Mt Riga Road, which you would walk along to get back to the trailhead as a loop hike, or you can turn around as we did and retrace your steps. Thankfully the ups and downs didn't feel as bad on the way back. So - the challenge is getting to the trailhead, but the trail itself is very well marked and easy to follow. State highpoint #15 for me and #2 for my incredibly kind companion who followed me out into the wilderness and backwoods of CT/MA for this adventure!

Obstacles

road/access issues, rockfall/loose rock, snow on route

Key gear

GPS device

Other peaks climbed on this trip