I am here to let you in on a secret…

…you do not need to have children to visit Westmoor Park. I have yet to see attractions proudly wearing a label like “Middle-Aged and Child-Free Friendly,” but maybe they should.

First of all, if you are living in Hartford and are car-free but able to walk a few miles, this is an ideal place for soaking up nature without having to overthink the transportation plans. If not entirely self-powered, then take a bus to Bishop’s Corner, load up your bag with snacks — there are numerous grocery stores and restaurants to choose from — and then walk up Flagg Road, a rolling hill for .8 of a mile, all of which has a sidewalk except for the farm property. This approach is used less frequently by visitors, most of whom drive, so you will likely have lots of space to yourself while watching the sheep and cows grazing in the meadow. If you biked, there is a rack on the left side of the driveway, against a barn.

At time of publication, due to COVID restrictions, one section of the farm is closed to the public, but you are still able to see most of the animals — just stay outside the fence. The ducks and other poultry are as chatty as ever. Olaf, the alpaca, might eat his breakfast close to the fence, where you can admire his Fraggle Rock hairdo.

The more distance you get from the farm animals, the fewer people you will likely be near, though something strange has happened this year. In the past, I could go onto the trails and through the meadow and see almost nobody (unless I happened to show up when they hosted summer camp). At most, I would see two people walking through the woods per visit, but whole families of deer.

Then, because people woke up this year and more readily embraced nature, parks that were normally places of solitude became much less so.

Westmoor has not been overrun with people, especially when compared to the Reservoir or Elizabeth Park, but on a recent visit here there were easily as many people in the woods as hanging out by the barns. My positive spin on this is that young people are being exposed to the wonders of nature and may carry that with them their whole lives. What it means in this moment though is that if you want to get away from human voices, it’s not as possible as before.

Still, you can do it if you are able to walk on slightly uneven surfaces and if you don’t tire easily. Put on water-resistant footwear and head into the meadow, taking the paths that go way back. You’ll get to the quiet again, where you can hear the call of the red-bellied woodpecker and the chirps of crickets. There are bird houses along the way and it’s easy to forget (unless some neighbor fires up their leaf blower, ugh) that you are smack in the middle of suburbia.

The same is true for the wooded trails. As you move from the more accessible paths to those with a few roots sticking up, you’ll encounter fewer humans and more animals.

I love me some park sprawl. Like how Hartford’s Keney Park rolls into Windsor’s Matianuck Sand Dunes Natural Area Preserve, Westmoor Park neatly blends into Bugbee Reservoir (not to be confused with The Reservoir). The latter may not be the most impressive thing you’ll ever see, but it’s a decent after party.

Right now, and at least for another few days, Westmoor Park’s woods are excellent for standing still and simply watching the leaves fall.

There are signs warning visitors that picnicking is not allowed. I don’t know if sitting on a bench drinking coffee and eating a snack counts as picnicking, but I will admit to doing that on most of my visits. I also carry a bag and drag my garbage out with me. If I drop any food, I pick it up so that the chipmunks don’t develop a taste for blueberry muffins.

(Unfortunately, not everyone understands the concept of pack it in, pack it out, and during the pandemic, the increase in litter has been a problem virtually everywhere — masks, water bottles, chip wrappers, you name it. Environmental stewardship, I hope, will increase in the next four years — everywhere.)

What I think they mean is don’t be throwing down a blanket and setting up a meal with wine, and definitely don’t bring food or beverages into the farm area. We can have a letter of the law versus spirit of the law debate, and I know which side I fall on: be respectful of other people, of the animals, and of the land. While I did not notice any signs in the parking lot, I will boldly suggest that visitors stop idling vehicles, as they are feeding those cute animals nasty exhaust fumes.

Anyway, part of this park’s attraction is that it has everything. Well, most things. There are ponds and streams, a bridge, benches, wildflowers, a cabin, gardens, and when not closed because of a pandemic, an indoor space with snakes and turtles. Also, indoor restrooms are normally available, but because of the COVID closure, the park has offered multiple portapotties instead, which is the smart thing for organizations to do when they don’t want people relieving themselves outdoors.

What else can I say? There are 162 acres, some of which the public can only access visually, and that’s fine. The goats deserve their personal space.

Westmoor Park is located at 119 Flagg Road in West Hartford; the park is open from 7 AM until sunset. If you feel like mixing it up, you can enter through Bugbee Reservoir on Pioneer Drive. See http://westmoorpark.com for more information.