Becket Hill State Park Reserve

Becket Hill State Park Reserve
Connecticut state park
Country  United States
State  Connecticut
County New London
Town Lyme
Elevation 253 ft (77 m) [1]
Coordinates 41°22′20″N 72°17′58″W / 41.37222°N 72.29944°W / 41.37222; -72.29944Coordinates: 41°22′20″N 72°17′58″W / 41.37222°N 72.29944°W / 41.37222; -72.29944 [1]
Area 260 acres (105 ha) [2]
Established Unspecified
Management Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Location in Connecticut
Website: Becket Hill State Park Reserve

Becket Hill State Park Reserve, often misspelled as Beckett Hill, is an undeveloped Connecticut state park located in Lyme, Connecticut, United States. The 260 acre park was donated to the State of Connecticut in 1961 by the George Dudley Seymour Trust and became the state's 76th designated State Park. Becket Hill is listed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as a walk-in park, and its activities include hiking and picnicking.

History

Becket Hill State Park Reserve is named for an early settler of the area named Becket and the land was part of the Nehantic tribe's territory. This state park was acquired by the State of Connecticut in order to preserve the hill, but unlike the abutting Nehantic State Forest, Becket Hill has accessibility problems and is returning to its natural state. Becket Hill is located between the south side of Norwich Pond and the northern and northeastern side of Uncas Lake.[3] The Uncas Lake is named after Uncas, chief of the Mohegans.[3] A small brook known as Falls Brook on some maps is listed as making its way between Uncas lake and Norwich pond.[4] In 1961, the land for the Becket Hill State Park Reserve was given to the State of Connecticut by the George Dudley Seymour Trust.[5] Beckett Hill was first listed on the Connecticut Register and Manual for 1962 with its present 260 acres of undeveloped land.[6] The Becket Hill State Park Reserve is the 76th designated Connecticut State Park.[5]

Activities

Becket Hill State Park Reserve is an undeveloped walk-in park: that is has no facilities or specific activities according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.[2] The Oh Ranger website lists picnicking as an activity, but notes that visitors should "contact the park for information on hiking".[7] The Day notes that "[i]f all you want to do is hike, this undeveloped property is suitable."[8] The park is itself unmarked and undeveloped. Both Norwich Pond and Uncas Lake have boat launches from the Nehantic State Forest, but no motorized boats are allowed.[3] The waters are stocked with brook, brown and rainbow trout by the State of Connecticut, and other fish include largemouth bass, yellow perch and sunfish.[3]

According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Becket Hill is accessed off Connecticut Route 156, but this has been reported as the entrance to Nehantic State Forest.[2][9] The A to Z of CT State Parks website states that the site is all but inaccessible, and does not have a trail leading from Nehantic State Forest to the area that is marked on the park maps.[9] Oh Ranger's website provides different directions to the park off U.S. Route 1.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Becket Hill State Park Reserve". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Becket Hill State Park Reserve". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Leary, Joseph (2004). A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests. Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0974662909.
  4. ↑ "Beckett Hill State Park Reserve, CT". Itouchmap. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Good Ole Days". The Day. July 31, 1986. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Connecticut Register and Manual - 1962. State of Connecticut. 1962. p. 437.
  7. 1 2 "Beckett Hill State Park Reserve". Oh Ranger. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Cotter, Betty (August 15, 2013). "Centennial SoJourn spotlights state parks in an 11-day trek". The Day. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Beckett Hill State Park". The A to Z of CT State Parks. March 11, 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2014.

External links

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