Source: AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut: Four-Season Guide to 50 of the Best Trails from the Highlands to the Coast

Winter Activities:

• Cross-country skiing

What you’ll see: Cat-Hole Pass has provided shelter to bobcats for centuries. If bobcats aren't enough of a trill, Cat-Hole Pass is also famous for its population of copperheads.

What you’ll experience:

• Distance: 4.6 miles
• Estimated Time: 3.0-3.5 hours
• Elevation Gain: 700 feet
• See Current Conditions Here
  

What’s in the area:

• Woods of black birch, maple, oak, and beech
  
• Elmere Reservoir
  

Getting there:

• From Interstate 691 eastbound, take Exit 5 to the Chamberlain Highway. Go north on Route 71 to a stoplight at the intersection with Kensington Avenue. Continue north on Route 71 for 0.4 mile to a pull-off on the right. A very small pull-off is sometimes available 0.2 mile farther north where the Metacomet Trail crosses the road. Westbound, take the Lewis Avenue exit, then turn left onto Lewis Avenue, and travel to its junction with Kensington Avenue. Turn left onto Kensington and continue to the Route 71 stoplight. Turn right onto Route 71 and continue 0.4 mile to a pull-off on the right.