Castle Craig and West Peak Trail

East Peak (Castle Craig Tower) [950 ft] West Peak (S. Overlook) [1,015 ft]

[Moderate, 3.9 mi, 1,080 ft total ascent, 3.0 hr] Starting at the road north of the picnic area, follow the white-blazed trail over I-691 [C] and up the hill over a high footbridge [F]. Turn right at the Beehive Spring [G], but do not follow the white blazes when they make a second sharp turn to the right. Continue straight on the red-blazed trail a short distance past the first blue-blazed trail that angles sharply back to the left toward West Peak. Follow the second blue-blazed trail that ascends steeply on the left toward East Peak. Just before the paved road, follow the blue blazes to the right, which will bring you to spectacular overlooks of Meriden. The trail passes straight across the parking lot for the 32 ft Castle Craig tower [L], which has an unobstructed view to the south. Continue east and follow the blue blazes down a ravine to the intersection with a steeply descending white-blazed trail. Continue straight on the blue-blazed trail for about a third of a mile to beautiful overlooks [I] of Merimere Reservoir, Mine Island [D] and South Mountain. Return to the white-blazed trail and descend steeply to the carriage road. Instead of turning right, which would take you back the way you came, turn left. Follow the whiteblazed road past the Halfway House [E], past the southern edge of Merimere Reservoir, and turn right on the paved road. Turn right on the next road (Notch Rd.) and pass under I-691. Turn right at Mirror Lake, pass the Spring House [B], and return to your starting point.