Hike the Giant for Mental Health
September 6, 2025
Sleeping Giant State Park
Hamden, CT
The “Sleeping Giant” is a rugged traprock mountain located 8 miles north of New Haven; it is a prominent landscape feature visible for miles. The Park offers over 32 miles of hiking trails, including 5 miles of the 23-mile Quinnipiac Trail. Trails offer distant views from rocky crags, remote quiet woods and mountain brooks with mossy cascades.
This hike for mental health features three different hiking options, depending on your taste:
Tower Trail (Easy): This 3.1 mile out and back trail features great forest settings and is good for all skill levels. It’s kid friendly and dogs on leash are welcome. The trail ends at a 4-story stone observation tower with plenty of room for a picnic.
Option 2 (Moderate): Violet Trail to the Red Triangle (take a right), meeting up with either the Tower Trail or Blue, and ending at the Tower. This moderately difficult trail will take you through the old quarry works and around the back of the Giant. Watch for pileated woodpeckers as you traverse the right shoulder of the mountain on your way to the Tower and its views of Long Island Sound. You can return the same way or take the Tower Trail back.
Option 3 (Hard- weather dependent due to the technical nature of the hike): Blue Trail to Violet Loop. Plan for over 6 miles of rock mixed with woods. Starting up the Blue Trail, you’ll continue past the Tower, meeting up with Red Circle and returning on Violet. The Violet trail takes you back over the far side of the mountain, past the old quarry works and ending with a stroll along the Mill River.
These are just a few of the attractions in Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, Connecticut.
If you are traveling in for the hike and looking for a place to stay in Hamden, try the Clarion Hotel & Suites, 2260 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT. The telephone number is 203-288-3831.
Hamden also hosts a number of restaurants – everything from fine dining at Luce to hot dogs at Glenwood. Also, check out the microbreweries in town.
Meet new friends and enjoy the natural beauty of autumn, just minutes from New Haven.
Registration closes on September 4 , 2025 at 6:00 PM.Registration Is Free
Instead of charging a fee, we ask your help raising funds for mental health research and trail maintenance.
It’s fast and easy! When you register, you will be able to personalize a sponsorship page and share it through email and your favorite social media such as Facebook or Instagram.
Every little bit helps, and there is no minimum to raise – we just ask that you help us spread the word, then come join us on the trail.
Get a Free Hiking Shirt
Our quick-dry shirts look and feel great, on or off the trail.
Every registered hiker who raises at least $250 will receive a HIKE for Mental Health shirt as a token of our appreciation.
Available in men’s or women’s sizes from Small – XXL.
When you register, we will ask your size preference. Once you reach $250 in donations to your fundraising page, we will get your shirt to you.
If you hit the $250 mark at least ten days before the hike, your hike leader will have your shirt for you on hike day. Otherwise, we will mail it to you after the hike.
So help us raise money and awareness for this great cause.
For a Good Cause
HIKE for Mental Health is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
All contributions are tax deductible, and 100% of the hike donations support our mission.
Eighty cents of every dollar funds mental health programs, including break-through scientific research into PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar spectrum disorders, depression and other major mental illnesses. Through research we can find better ways to alleviate the suffering that affects 1 in 4 American families.
The remaining twenty cents maintains wilderness trails across the U.S. By supporting non-profit, volunteer groups that care for our trails, we help preserve wilderness experiences for generations to come.
Hike Details
| Location: | Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, CT |
| Date: | September 6, 2025. |
| Time: | Approximately 9 am – 3 pm. Exact times and locations with directions provided to registered hikers only. |
| Distance: | 3 to 7 miles, depending on the hiking option you choose. |
| Difficulty level: | Easy to difficult, depending on the hiking option you choose. |
| Suitable for beginners? | Yes, there are three options for hiking difficulty so choose the hike that suits your ability! |
| Registration fee: | Registration is free. The State park, however, will charge $15 parking for vehicles with out-of-state license plates. Best to bring cash for that fee. |
| Pet friendly? | Well-behaved dogs are welcome on a 6 ft lead. |
| Sponsorship amount: | The hike goal is $5,000. There is no minimum required to join the hike, but if every hiker raises $250 we will get very close to our goal. |
| Free shirt: | Hikers who raise $250 or more will receive a free HIKE for Mental Health quick-dry hiking shirt. |
| Hike director: |  |
Trail Map
Every HIKE for Mental Health is an opportunity to:
- get away from the hustle and bustle of work-a-day life and enjoy the beauty of Nature
- renew old friendships and make new ones
- have a great time hiking with a good group of people
- stand up against the stigma of mental illness
- discover your new favorite get-away
- raise money for a great cause
Come on out and join us!
Goal is $5,000
$0 donated
Questions
If you have any questions or ideas, please contact us.
We are glad to talk with you about your hike and how you can help HIKE for Mental Health.
We hope you will make HIKE for Mental Health a part of your hike.
