Connecticut
Counties crossed: Litchfield County → Fairfield County
The 51.6 miles (83 km) of trail in Connecticut lie almost entirely along the ridges to the west above the Housatonic River Valley. The trail climbs ridges below the town of Kent, and then works its way past the Housatonic River to Falls Village, where it regains the heights. After the town of Salisbury, the trail ascends into the Taconic Range, in order: Lions Head, Riga Ridge, and Bear Mountain, after which the Massachusetts line is achieved at Sage's Ravine.
The trail passes within one mile (1.6 km) of the business district of Kent, a popular resupply point for long-distance hikers. In the town of Salisbury (which occupies the northwestern corner of the state), it skirts the town center before reaching the summit of Bear Mountain, the highest peak in Connecticut at 2,326 feet (709 m), descending, and entering Massachusetts. (The state's highest point, on the shoulder of Mount Frissell at the Massachusetts line, lies about 2 miles (3 km) off the AT, just east of the junction of those two states with New York. Such a side-trip is on the order of 5 miles (8 km) long and entails about 1,300 vertical feet (400 m) of climbing.)
Read more about this topic: Appalachian Trail By State