Talcott Mountain State Park in Simsbury closed Saturday, along with a handful of other state parks, because its parking lot reached the state's new capacity guidelines to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Once a park shuts its gates for the day, park officials don't plan on opening them up again that day. Find somewhere else to hike, according to a CT DEEP spokesperson.
The Hardy family spent some of Saturday hiking at Talcott Mountain State Park.
They were glad to get a parking spot before the park’s gates were closed around 1:30 in the afternoon.
"Just get outside when we can I mean, just get outside and play, ride bikes, do everything we can. Stay active," said Jennie Hardy, of South Windsor.
“It was hot, but it was good to get out of the house, said her 11-year-old daughter Sydney.
A sentiment shared by many of we spoke to on this beautiful Saturday.
Some say they've been going a little stir crazy after spending a couple of days cooped up because of the rain, or working or learning from home. The working or learning from home measures were enacted in Conn. in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“Not that good, I miss my friends.," said 7-year-old Derek Hardy, about missing going to school.
The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announcing this week that they’d be setting new limits on park capacity. Plus, they’d be stepping up enforcement of the gathering of large groups and prohibiting people walking into parks when lots are full.
DEEP officials say they were seeing good social distancing in state parks Saturday.
The Hardy family picked a less traveled trail and say it was great to spend time outside together safely.
"It’s been nice to have some extra family time. We’re just trying to make the best out of a really bad situation," said Skip Hardy.
DEEP says capacity depends on the state park location and can change depending on the day.
State officials recommend going to some of the state's less explored parks.
You can check for state park closures on Twitter @CTStateParks.
