By Kim J. Harmon

The vernal equinox arrived at 8:31 on Tuesday morning, heralding the first chilly moments of spring, but for the millions of people who love the outdoors, the true warmth of spring is probably just a week or two away.

Then it will time to saddle up the horse and go riding. While Newtown offers its share of trails – much like the Holcombe Hill property off Great Hill Road (pictured above) – to lumber along, anyone willing to take a short trip to New York or to Massachusetts can discover many, many state parks and trail systems.

A visit to www.horseandmuletrails.com can link you to information about campgrounds and trail riding all across the country. A visit to the Connecticut site finds information about Pauchaug State Forest, Hopeville Pond State Park, Natchaug State Forest, Mohawk Mountain, Steep Rock, Terry Wile Park, Putnam Park, Huntingdon State Park, Larkin State Bridle Trail in Southford, and White Memorial in Litchfield.

Huntingdon Park off Sunset Hill Road in Redding is about 700 acres of rocky, out-of-the-way trails. If a heavily-used park is not to your liking, then Larkin State Bridle Trail in Southford offers about eight miles or more of trails.

On the New York site, there is information the Brookfield Trail System, the Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area trail system, the Sleepy Hollow trail system, the Otter Creek trail system, Finger Lakes National Forest, Six Nations Horse Trail, and the Pocantico Preserve in Tarrytown.

And on the Massachusetts site, information on 12 different state forests – from Beartown State Park to the Myles Standish State Forest (which offers 15,000 acres of riding through pine forest and blueberry barrens) – can be found.