Great stuff about Brownstone Park and rowing on the Connecticut River. Most people don’t realize it but the Connecticut River south of Middletown to Long Island Sound is designated as one of the “40 last great places” in the Western Hemisphere by the Nature Conservancy. Not only because of its scenic value but because it is protected from development by statute.
I’ve canoed that section of the River a lot. A nice weekend camping trip is to leave from Middletown by canoe or kayak on a Friday after school or work, camp at Hurd Park in Middle Haddam the first night, paddle on Saturday down to either Gillette’s Castle State Park or Selden Island to camp Saturday night, and then finish the trip on Sunday, taking out at any of the multiple access points between Essex and Saybrook Point or Old Lyme (on the East bank). There are 2 cautions. First, check the tides because the river is tidal up to Hartford and second, stay out of the channel where bigger boats go if you don’t want to be swamped. The river is beautiful all the way to the sound with lots of public land on both banks for rest stops and a lunch break.
There are lots of places to camp out in Connecticut. For long distance camping most like the Adirondacks, the best option is the Adirondack Trail which is about a 1.5 hour drive from Wes. The trail runs close to the CT border on the NY side and cuts through the NW corner of CT for about 50 miles before it continues into Massachusetts. There are multiple access points in all 3 states.
One other opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts is any of a number of rail trails in CT. One of the best begins right across the river from Middletown in Portland. It has a crushed cinder surface and much of it goes through state forest land 60+ miles all the way to the tri-state border in the NE corner. Motorized vehicles are banned but it is otherwise a multi-use trail for those on foot as well as those on bikes or horseback. No overnight camping at this point but great for day-hikes or bike-hikes. Also great for snowshoeing and X-country skiing in winter.