Blurb from the CT DEEP below. Pictures from Sleeping Giant show the entire picnic area where the pavilion is completely flattened. All those big pines. On the plus side, there's a view of the mountain from the picnic area now.
~~~~~~~~~~
DEEP Statement:
There is extensive storm damage to a number of Connecticut State Parks and Forests throughout the most affected areas of the state.

Those Parks will remain closed until an assessment can be made of damage. We strongly urge the public to stay out of these parks and any other area with obvious tree damage until this assessment and hazard mitigation can take place. Additional parks may be added to this list as assessments continue.

Those Parks include:
Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden
Chatfield Hollow State Park in Killingworth
Kettletown State Park in Southbury
Southford Falls State Park in Oxford
Squantz Pond State Park in New Fairfield
Putnam Memorial State Park in Redding
Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford

Thank you for the info! Wallingford & Killingworth were really decimated.

Did you see the photos from the tower of the storm rolling in? I never saw anything like it, it was an incredible storm!
There's going to be a lot of box checking to do in the coming weeks, we should have a gathering at Sleeping Giant when it reopens!

Did you see the photos from the tower of the storm rolling in?

Yes, it's incredible. Some hiker was up at the top and shot the approaching super cell. I wonder how their car made out. A number of cars were in the parking areas and had trees fall on them (where were the owners??)

Here's that picture from the top.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DdVBoKXV4AA8pEp.jpg:large

Thanks! I couldn't figure out how to add the link. Just amazing!

The NWS just confirmed there was an EF1 tornado in that big storm headed right for the hiker in the tower. Wow.

that was an EF1? Yipes!

I wasn't on the Giant, but not far from Wharton Brook during the event.

I had to drive past Wharton Brook today. so sad.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi26CnXHsZO/

That could be fun...

we should have a gathering at Sleeping Giant when it reopens!

With a tornado theme? Like the Wizard of Oz or the movie Twister? That could be fun.

Dibs on Thd Big Bad Wolf

There's a really impressive drone film of Sleeping Giant showing the storm damage along with some neat footage of the head and chin and quarry. The downed trees all seem to be facing the same direction, so I was a little confused, believing a tornado had struck, but the NWS has clarified that the tornado damage transition to microburst damage at Sleeping Giant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trN7pxjbkyA&t=18s

NWS report: "Based on a National Weather Service storm survey, it has been determined that the earlier Beacon Falls-Hamden tornado transitioned
to a microburst with maximum wind speeds of 100 mph, and impacted a
swath about 1/2 mile in width and 7.25 miles in length, from near
Sleeping Giant State Park and Quinnipiac University, across Wharton
Brook State Park, to just east of Tyler Mill in Wallingford.
Extensive damage occurred, with numerous pine trees uprooted and
snapped."

thanks for the pics and the video connection. you are always so informative

According to Fox News, Sleeping Giant will not reopen until the Fall. I don't know what that means for the 'quiet side' of the park off of Chestnut Lane. Fox is also still reporting it as tornado damage, so I'm not sure how accurate it is.

As I understand it, all trails are closed until the park is declared open and safe. What I want to know is if during clean up they’ll have a special barrel to collect and save any letterboxes they come across.