Sleeping Giant, one of the most famous state parks in the state of Connecticut, has finally reopened. The park in Hamden closed for repairs following strong storms that damaged it in May 2018.
Several dozens of hikers spread out over the walking area during the weekend when grounds crews cut down grass and added all the final touches necessary for the park to be reopened. Walt Harris, one of the hikers, returned from the most popular trail in the park, the one that leads towards the stone tower on the mountaintop.
According to him, the repercussions of the tornadoes seem to be somewhat inconsistent. He continues by saying that the pine copse that used to be at the bottom is now gone but that only certain areas at the top have been damaged and that there are plants growing in their vicinity. He says that the lack of trees has made the impressive scenery of mountain laurel stand out.
Over 2,000 trees have been removed from the park following the tornadoes. According to Julie Hulten, who is working with the Sleeping Giant Park Association, there is more work that needs to be done.
She says the trails crew has been fixing the repercussions of fire as it caused many trees to fall and thus, made them useless.
Nevertheless, she is glad the park is reopening.
She calls the current situation a miracle and compares it to the sun emerging from behind the clouds. In her opinion, the park has come back to life thanks to all the people that have been visiting it lately.
The state of Connecticut has scheduled several public meetings for later this summer to look into the ways in which the park could be improved in the future.
Hulten stated she would have liked it if a nature center had been included in the park.
