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Microadventures in Fairfield County, Connecticut: Mill Hill Open Space

Last year, I read an article in The New York Times about NatGeo’s 2012 adventurer of the year, Alastair Humphreys and The Virtue of Microadventures. At the time, it struck me. It’s a lesson that took me too long to grasp: in pursuit of living a big, adventurous life, you don’t always have to go far from home.

Connecticut is perfect for microadventures. As I mentioned in my post about how settling in to CT, there is an abundance of open space areas to wander through & break away. On a run one day, I stumbled upon Mill Hill Open Space.

Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space April 30 May Sign

It’s 37.7 acres of hiking trails, water features, bridges, wildlife (though my dog and boy scared any signs of it away), and when you first walk down, there’s a huge area that is flat with only one tree in the center (not pictured). When I first found the space, I thought it was only the flat, open area. But I kept going to the right of where I entered and was very pleased with what I found.

I’ve made a habit of breaking away from my run to hike through it as it transforms during the spring, and I decided to bring my seven year old and my DSLR along this weekend, so I could share it.

Off the leash in Fairfield Connecticut, Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space May

Tobias took it upon himself to pee on a tree while I was messing with my camera settings.

His victim (urine not pictured, hah!:

Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space Spring

That’t when I had to teach him distance-from-the-trail peeing etiquette. Oh, boys.

Hiking with kids in Southport Connecticut Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space April 30Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space Hiking Spring May

As you can see, the trails are clearly marked. In some places, there are orange spray can dots, and in others, there are these nice little signs.

Hiking with kids near Westport and Fairfield CTTown of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space Hiking in SouthportHiking near Westport Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space April 30

The arrow signs lead you to and away from this body of water:

Hiking near Westport CT Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space AprilHiking in Fairfield Connecticut Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space Spring 2016Hiking with kids near Westport and Fairfield Connecticuthiking near wesport and fairfield, Mill Hill open spaceTobias found a soccer ball. Here he is, explaining to me that it is, in fact, a dragon egg.Hiking with kids Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space April 30Hiking with kids in Southport Connecticut Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space May 2016As the weather gets warmer and things are a-bloomin’, we’re loving CT more and more. Spring Flowers Town of Fairfield Mill Hill Open Space May

  1. This is great! We love micro-adventures. Fun, inexpensive, and always helps cure the case of wanderlust if you can’t go on a big adventure for awhile. We are going on a micro-adventure next weekend, actually. There are some really pretty waterfalls in southern Oklahoma (who knew?) that we are day-tripping to with our toddler. Should be fun!

  2. I’ve never heard of this term! Microadventures! I love it! Seems like the perfect place for it. And you’re not far from many things should you decide to venture out of CT! Different from Texas in that sense, right?! lol

  3. […] of waste, because this is a state park and not just a town open space, there are toilets! It has no plumbing, but it’s built into the ground and it’s an […]

  4. […] all had to have a nature feature. If it wasn’t a pond or a river, it needed to be next to an open space. A brook, a stream, anything. Nature in my […]

  5. […] The centerpiece I made from a dried vine and metal flowers from Terrain in Westport, and it, too, reminds me of hikes through Connecticut’s open spaces. […]

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