List of Connecticut state parks
This is a list of state parks and reserves in the Connecticut state park system, shown in three tables. The first table lists state parks, the second lists Connecticut state forests, and the third lists other state-owned, recreation-related areas.
Connecticut state parks
Name | Area[1] | Town | County | Estab- lished | River / lake / other | Image | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above All State Park | 31 acres (13 ha) | Warren | Litchfield | Former SAGE Air Defense Network site; undeveloped | |||
Air Line State Park Trail | 40 acres (16 ha) | East Hampton, Colchester, Hebron, Columbia, Lebanon, Windham, Chaplin, Hampton, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson |
Middlesex, New London, Tolland, Windham |
1969 | Nearly fifty miles of converted rail-trail | ||
Beaver Brook State Park | 401 acres (162 ha) | Chaplin, Windham | Windham | 1955 | Bibbins Pond | Fishing; abuts Air Line State Park Trail | |
Becket Hill State Park Reserve | 260 acres (110 ha) | Lyme | New London | Adjacent to Nehantic State Forest | |||
Beckley Furnace Industrial Monument | 12 acres (4.9 ha) | North Canaan | Litchfield | 1946 | Historic iron-making furnace dating from 1847 | ||
Bennett's Pond State Park | 460 acres (186 ha) | Ridgefield, Danbury | Fairfield | 2002 | Former estate and nursery called Outpost Farm | ||
Bigelow Hollow State Park | 516 acres (209 ha) | Union | Tolland | 1949 | Bigelow Pond, Mashapaug Lake |
Adjoins Nipmuck State Forest and borders Mashapaug Lake; boat launch, swimming | |
Black Rock State Park | 444 acres (180 ha) | Watertown | Litchfield | 1926 | Black Rock Pond | Camping, pond fishing, Mattatuck Trail | |
Bluff Point State Park | 806 acres (326 ha) | Groton | New London | 1963 | Long Island Sound | Ocean access, boat launch; near Haley Farm State Park | |
Bolton Notch State Park | 95 acres (38 ha) | Bolton | Tolland | Rock climbing | |||
Brainard Homestead State Park | 25 acres (10 ha) | East Haddam | Middlesex | Undeveloped | |||
Burr Pond State Park | 438 acres (177 ha) | Torrington | Litchfield | 1949 | Burr Pond | Boating, fishing, swimming | |
Camp Columbia State Park/State Forest | 600 acres (243 ha) | Morris | Litchfield | 2000 | Former rural campus of Columbia University Engineering Department | ||
Campbell Falls State Park Reserve | 102 acres (41 ha) | Norfolk | Litchfield | 1923 | Whiting River | On the Massachusetts border | |
Chatfield Hollow State Park | 355.6 acres (143.9 ha) | Killingworth | Middlesex | 1949 | Swimming, fishing | ||
Collis P. Huntington State Park | 878 acres (355 ha) | Redding, Newtown, Bethel | Fairfield | 1973 | Former estate with ponds for fishing and canoeing and multipurpose trails | ||
Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park | 136 acres (55 ha) | Essex | Middlesex | Essex Steam Train from Essex to Chester up the Connecticut River valley | |||
Dart Island State Park | 19 acres (8 ha) | Middletown | Middlesex | Connecticut River | Accessible by water only | ||
Day Pond State Park | 180 acres (73 ha) | Colchester | New London | 1949 | Day Pond | Swimming, pond fishing | |
Dennis Hill State Park | 240 acres (97 ha) | Norfolk | Litchfield | 1935 | Former estate with hiking, picnicking and scenic views | ||
Devil's Hopyard State Park | 860 acres (348 ha) | East Haddam | Middlesex | 1919 | Eightmile River | Historic millsite with camping, stream fishing, waterfall | |
Dinosaur State Park | 60 acres (24 ha) | Rocky Hill | Hartford | 1968 | Natural history museum, arboretum | ||
Eagle Landing State Park | 16 acres (6 ha) | Haddam | Middlesex | 2003 | Connecticut River | Boat dock, fishing pier, winter eagle viewing | |
Farm River State Park | 61 acres (25 ha) | East Haven | New Haven | 1998 | Farm River | Boat launch, fishing | |
Farmington Canal State Park Trail | Cheshire, Hamden | New Haven | Part of the Farmington Canal Trail | ||||
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park | 16 acres (6 ha) | Groton | New London | Thames River | Site of the 1781 massacre led by Benedict Arnold; American Revolutionary War museum and artifacts | ||
Fort Trumbull State Park | 16 acres (6 ha) | New London | New London | Long Island Sound | 19th-century fort with museum, fishing pier | ||
Gardner Lake State Park | 10 acres (4 ha) | Salem | New London | 2001 | Gardner Lake | Boating, fishing, swimming | |
Gay City State Park | 1,569 acres (635 ha) | Hebron | Tolland | 1944 | Blackledge River | Former mill-town ruins; pond fishing, swimming, youth group camping; bordered by Meshomasic State Forest | |
George Dudley Seymour State Park | 222 acres (90 ha) | Haddam | Middlesex | 1960 | Connecticut River | Abuts Hurd State Park and Higganum Meadows Wildlife Area; fishing, hunting | |
George Waldo State Park | 150 acres (61 ha) | Southbury | New Haven | 1960 | Lake Lillinonah | Undeveloped; multi-use trails | |
Gillette Castle State Park | 184 acres (74 ha) | East Haddam | Middlesex | 1943 | Connecticut River | Castle house museum; boat camping | |
Haddam Island State Park | 14 acres (6 ha) | Haddam | Middlesex | Connecticut River | Accessible only by boat | ||
Haddam Meadows State Park | 175 acres (71 ha) | Haddam | Middlesex | 1944 | Connecticut River | Boating, fishing | |
Haley Farm State Park | 198 acres (80 ha) | Groton | New London | 1970 | Bike trail, near Bluff Point State Park | ||
Hammonasset Beach State Park | 919 acres (372 ha) | Madison | New Haven | 1920 | Beach, swimming, fishing, camping, nature center, carry-in boating | ||
Harkness Memorial State Park | 116 acres (47 ha) | Waterford | New London | 1952 | Long Island Sound | 42-room mansion museum, formal gardens, fishing | |
Haystack Mountain State Park | 292 acres (118 ha) | Norfolk | Litchfield | Observation tower | |||
Higganum Reservoir State Park | 147 acres (59 ha) | Haddam | Middlesex | Higganum Reservoir | Car-top boating, fishing, hunting | ||
Hop River State Park Trail | 50 acres (20 ha) | Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Manchester, Vernon |
Hartford, Tolland | Nineteen miles of rail-trail from Manchester to Willimantic | |||
Hopemead State Park | 70 acres (28 ha) | Bozrah, Montville | New London | Gardner Lake | Fishing, hiking | ||
Hopeville Pond State Park | 544 acres (220 ha) | Griswold | New London | 1938 | Pachaug River | Camping, boating, swimming, pond fishing, field sports | |
Horse Guard State Park | 105 acres (42 ha) | Avon | Hartford | Undeveloped | |||
Housatonic Meadows State Park | 451 acres (183 ha) | Sharon | Litchfield | Housatonic River | Camping, canoeing, fly fishing | ||
Humaston Brook State Park | 141 acres (57 ha) | Litchfield | Litchfield | Fishing | |||
Hurd State Park | 991 acres (401 ha) | East Hampton | Middlesex | 1914 | Connecticut River | Boat camping, mountain biking, scenic views | |
Indian Well State Park | 153 acres (62 ha) | Shelton | Fairfield | 1928 | Lake Housatonic | Boating, swimming, fishing, waterfalls | |
John A. Minetto State Park | 715 acres (289 ha) | Torrington | Litchfield | Pond and stream fishing, cross-country skiing | |||
Kent Falls State Park | 307 acres (124 ha) | Kent | Litchfield | 1919 | Falls Brook | Waterfalls, replica covered bridge | |
Kettletown State Park | 599 acres (242 ha) | Southbury | New Haven | 1950 | Lake Zoar | Camping, swimming, fishing | |
Killingly Pond State Park | 162 acres (66 ha) | Killingly | Windham | Killingly Pond | Boating, fishing | ||
Lake Waramaug State Park | 95 acres (38 ha) | Kent | Litchfield | 1920 | Lake Waramaug | Camping, car-top boating, swimming, fishing | |
Lamentation Mountain State Park | 47 acres (19 ha) | Berlin | Hartford | Hiking, scenic vistas | |||
Larkin State Park Trail | 110 acres (45 ha) | Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury, Naugatuck |
New Haven | 1943 | Ten-mile-long rail-trail | ||
Lovers Leap State Park | 127 acres (51 ha) | New Milford | Litchfield | 1971 | Housatonic River | Scenic river vistas | |
Macedonia Brook State Park | 2,300 acres (930 ha) | Kent | Litchfield | Camping, stream fishing | |||
Machimoodus State Park | 300 acres (121 ha) | East Haddam | Middlesex | 1998 | Salmon River | Fishing, horseback riding | |
Mansfield Hollow State Park | 251 acres (102 ha) | Mansfield | Tolland | 1952 | Mansfield Hollow Lake | Boating, fishing, field sports, mountain biking, cross-country skiing | |
Mashamoquet Brook State Park | 917 acres (371 ha) | Pomfret | Windham | 1924 | Camping, swimming, stream fishing | ||
Mianus River State Park | 94 acres (38 ha) | Stamford | Fairfield | Mianus River | Biking, fishing, horseback riding | ||
Millers Pond State Park | 280 acres (113 ha) | Durham, Haddam | Middlesex | 1955 | Millers Pond | Fishing, hunting, mountain biking | |
Minnie Island State Park | 1 acre (0.4 ha) | Salem, Montville | New London | Gardner Lake | Boating, fishing, accessible only by boat | ||
Mohawk Forest/Mohawk Mountain State Park | 4,016 acres (1,625 ha) | Cornwall, Goshen, Litchfield | Litchfield | 1921 | Includes Mohawk Mountain Ski Area | ||
Mono Pond State Park Reserve | 218 acres (88 ha) | Columbia | Tolland | Mono Pond | Boating, fishing, hunting, cross-country skiing | ||
Moosup Valley State Park Trail | Plainfield, Sterling | Windham | 1987 | Six miles of rail-trail | |||
Mooween State Park | 577 acres (234 ha) | Lebanon | New London | Red Cedar Lake | Boating, fishing | ||
Mount Bushnell State Park | 214 acres (87 ha) | Washington | Litchfield | Hiking | |||
Mount Riga State Park | 276 acres (112 ha) | Salisbury | Litchfield | Hiking | |||
Mount Tom State Park | 231 acres (93 ha) | Litchfield, Washington, Morris | Litchfield | 1915 | Mount Tom Pond | Historic lookout tower | |
Old Furnace State Park | 367 acres (149 ha) | Killingly | Windham | 1918 | Ross Pond | Site of an 18th-century iron furnace; hiking, boating, fishing, hunting | |
Osbornedale State Park | 350 acres (142 ha) | Derby | New Haven | 1956 | Former Osbornedale Farms; hiking, pond fishing | ||
Penwood State Park | 787 acres (318 ha) | Bloomfield | Hartford | 1944 | Lake Louise | Metacomet Trail, hiking, cross-country skiing | |
Platt Hill State Park | 159 acres (64 ha) | Winchester | Litchfield | Scenic vistas | |||
Pomeroy State Park | 200 acres (81 ha) | Lebanon | New London | Undeveloped; hiking, hunting | |||
Putnam Memorial State Park | 183 acres (74 ha) | Bethel, Redding | Fairfield | 1887 | American Revolutionary War museum, interpretive trail, youth group camping | ||
Quaddick State Park | 116 acres (47 ha) | Thompson | Windham | 1951 | Quaddick Reservoir | Boat launch, swimming, fishing, field sports | |
Quinebaug Lake State Park | 181 acres (73 ha) | Killingly | Windham | Quinebaug Lake | Boating, fishing | ||
Quinnipiac River State Park | 323 acres (131 ha) | North Haven | New Haven | 1951 | Quinnipiac River | Car-top boating, fishing, hunting | |
River Highlands State Park | 177 acres (72 ha) | Cromwell | Middlesex | 2001 | Connecticut River | Boat camping | |
Rocky Glen State Park | 46 acres (19 ha) | Newtown | Fairfield | Pootatuck River | Hiking | ||
Rocky Neck State Park | 710 acres (287 ha) | East Lyme | New London | 1931 | Long Island Sound | Beach, swimming, camping, saltwater fishing | |
Ross Pond State Park | 314 acres (127 ha) | Killingly | Windham | Ross Pond | Boating, fishing, hunting | ||
Salt Rock State Campground | 149 acres (60 ha) | Sprague | New London | 2001 | Shetucket River | Camping, fishing, pool swimming, access to Shetucket River | |
Satan's Kingdom State Recreation Area | 1 acre (0.4 ha) | New Hartford | Litchfield | Farmington River | Canoeing, kayaking, tubing | ||
Scantic River State Park | 784 acres (317 ha) | Enfield, East Windsor, Somers | Hartford | 1967 | Scantic River | Fishing, hunting | |
Selden Neck State Park | 607 acres (246 ha) | Lyme | New London | Connecticut River | Accessible only by boat; camping, fishing, hunting | ||
Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve | 305 acres (123 ha) | Ridgefield | Fairfield | 1956 | Lake Naraneka | Car-top boating, fishing | |
Sherwood Island State Park | 238 acres (96 ha) | Westport | Fairfield | 1932 | Long Island Sound | Beach, swimming, nature center, field sports, saltwater fishing | |
Silver Sands State Park | 297 acres (120 ha) | Milford | New Haven | 1960 | Long Island Sound | Beach, swimming, saltwater fishing | |
Sleeping Giant State Park | 1,439 acres (582 ha) | Hamden | New Haven | 1924 | Quinnipiac Trail, lookout tower, stream fishing, youth group camping | ||
Southford Falls State Park | 126 acres (51 ha) | Oxford | New Haven | 1932 | Eightmile Brook | Waterfalls, covered bridge, pond and stream fishing, cross-country skiing, field sports | |
Squantz Pond State Park | 172 acres (70 ha) | New Fairfield | Fairfield | 1926 | Squantz Pond | Boating, swimming, pond fishing, scuba diving | |
Stillwater Pond State Park | 226 acres (91 ha) | Torrington | Litchfield | Stillwater Pond | Boating, fishing | ||
Stoddard Hill State Park | 55 acres (22 ha) | Ledyard | New London | Thames River | Boating, fishing | ||
Stratton Brook State Park | 145 acres (59 ha) | Simsbury | Hartford | 1949 | Stratton Brook | Swimming, fishing, biking, cross-country skiing | |
Sunnybrook State Park | 464 acres (188 ha) | Torrington | Litchfield | Naugatuck River | Fishing, hunting | ||
Sunrise Resort State Park | 143 acres (58 ha) | East Haddam | Middlesex | 2009 | Salmon River | Undeveloped | |
Talcott Mountain State Park | 574 acres (232 ha) | Simsbury, Avon, Bloomfield |
Hartford | 1965 | Observation tower, scenic vistas, Metacomet Trail | ||
Tri-Mountain State Park | 157 acres (64 ha) | Durham, Wallingford |
Middlesex, New Haven |
Hiking | |||
Trout Brook Valley State Park Reserve | 300 acres (121 ha) | Easton | Fairfield | 1999 | Hiking | ||
Wadsworth Falls State Park | 285 acres (115 ha) | Middlefield, Middletown |
Middlesex | 1942 | Coginchaug River | Waterfall, swimming, stream fishing, mountain biking | |
West Rock Ridge State Park | 1,691 acres (684 ha) | Hamden, New Haven, Woodbridge, Bethany |
New Haven | Lake Wintergreen | Features the Regicides Trail, scenic vistas, fishing, car-top boating, horseback riding | ||
Wharton Brook State Park | 96 acres (39 ha) | Wallingford, North Haven |
New Haven | 1918 | Allen Brook Pond | Fishing, swimming | |
Whittemore Glen State Park | 242 acres (98 ha) | Naugatuck, Middlebury | New Haven | Horseback riding, hiking | |||
Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail | Windsor Locks, Suffield | Hartford | Connecticut River | 4.5 mile bike trail, fishing along the canal | |||
Windsor Meadows State Park | 155 acres (63 ha) | Windsor | Hartford | Connecticut River | Boat launch, fishing, bicycling | ||
Wooster Mountain State Park | 444 acres (180 ha) | Danbury | Fairfield | Skeet, trap and target shooting, hunting |
Connecticut state forests
Name | Area[1] | Town | County | Estab- lished | River / lake / other | Image | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algonquin State Forest | 2,987 acres (1,209 ha) | Colebrook, Winchester | Litchfield | 1937 | Sandy Brook | Hiking, hunting, fishing, bird watching | |
American Legion State Forest | 893 acres (361 ha) | Barkhamsted | Litchfield | 1927 | Farmington River | Adjacent to Peoples State Forest; hiking, camping, boating, nature center | |
Camp Columbia State Park/State Forest | 601 acres (243 ha) | Morris | Litchfield | 2000 | Historic college campus; hiking, hunting | ||
Centennial Watershed State Forest | 15,370 acres (6,220 ha) | Redding, Easton, Newtown, Weston | Fairfield | 2002 | Saugatuck Reservoir | Hiking, hunting, fishing | |
Cockaponset State Forest | 17,186 acres (6,955 ha) | Haddam | Middlesex | 1926 | Pattaconk Lake | Swimming, fishing, trails | |
Enders State Forest | 2,105 acres (852 ha) | Granby | Hartford | Hiking, hunting | |||
Housatonic State Forest | 10,894 acres (4,409 ha) | Sharon | Litchfield | 1927 | Appalachian Trail | ||
James L. Goodwin State Forest | 2,003 acres (811 ha) | Hampton | Middlesex | 1964 | Pine Acres Pond | Air Line State Park Trail, boat launch, Conservation Education Center, youth group camping, Natchaug Trail | |
Massacoe State Forest | 503 acres (204 ha) | Simsbury | Hartford | Great Pond | Bike trail | ||
Mattatuck State Forest | 4,673 acres (1,891 ha) | Waterbury, Plymouth, Thomaston, Watertown, Litchfield, Harwinton | Litchfield | 1925 | Twenty different parcels; Hancock Brook Trail, Whitestone Cliffs Trail | ||
Meshomasic State Forest | 9,026 acres (3,653 ha) | East Hampton | Middlesex | 1903 | Fishing, hiking, hunting | ||
Mohawk State Forest | 3,743 acres (1,515 ha) | Cornwall, Goshen | Litchfield | 1921 | Mohawk Pond | Adjoins Mohawk Mountain State Park; lookout tower, pond and stream fishing, youth group camping, skiing | |
Mohegan State Forest | 956 acres (387 ha) | Scotland | Middlesex | 1960 | Hiking, hunting | ||
Nassahegon State Forest | 1,227 acres (497 ha) | Burlington | Hartford | 1942 | Fish hatchery; hunting, hiking, bird watching | ||
Natchaug State Forest | 13,438 acres (5,438 ha) | Eastford | Windham | 1917 | Natchaug River | Natchaug Trail; hiking, horseback riding, camping | |
Nathan Hale State Forest | 1,455 acres (589 ha) | Andover | Tolland | 1946 | Hiking, hunting | ||
Naugatuck State Forest | 4,153 acres (1,681 ha) | Cheshire, Hamden, Naugatuck, Oxford, Beacon Falls | New Haven | 1921 | Naugatuck River | Includes the Naugatuck Trail | |
Nehantic State Forest | 5,062 acres (2,049 ha) | Lyme | New London | 1925 | Norwich Pond, Uncas Lake | Boating, swimming, hiking | |
Nepaug State Forest | 1,373 acres (556 ha) | New Hartford | Litchfield | 1927 | Hiking, biking, fishing, camping | ||
Nipmuck State Forest | 9,209 acres (3,727 ha) | Union | Tolland | 1905 | Breakneck Pond | Adjoins Bigelow Hollow State Park, features Mountain Laurel Sanctuary, Nipmuck Trail | |
Nye-Holman State Forest | 787 acres (318 ha) | Tolland | Tolland | 1931 | Willimantic River | Fishing, hiking, youth group camping | |
Pachaug State Forest | 28,804 acres (11,657 ha) | Voluntown, Griswold, Plainfield, Sterling, North Stonington, Preston | New London | 1928 | Pachaug River | Camping, boating, horseback riding, youth group camping, motorcycle trail | |
Paugnut State Forest | 1,644 acres (665 ha) | Torrington, Winchester | Litchfield | 1929 | Spread out over four locations; abuts Burr Pond and Sunnybrook state parks | ||
Paugussett State Forest | 1,947 acres (788 ha) | Newtown | Fairfield | Housatonic River | Boat launch, fishing, hiking, mountain biking | ||
Peoples State Forest | 3,059 acres (1,238 ha) | Barkhamsted | Litchfield | 1924 | Farmington River | Adjacent to American Legion State Forest; Barkhamsted Lighthouse | |
Pootatuck State Forest | 1,103 acres (446 ha) | New Fairfield | Fairfield | Squantz Pond | Access is through Squantz Pond State Park | ||
Quaddick State Forest | 1,109 acres (449 ha) | Thompson | Windham | Quaddick Reservoir | Youth group camping | ||
Salmon River State Forest | 6,905 acres (2,794 ha) | Hebron, Marlborough, Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton | Middlesex, New London | 1934 | Salmon River | Features Comstock's Bridge | |
Shenipsit State Forest | 6,962 acres (2,817 ha) | Stafford, Somers, Ellington | Tolland | 1927 | Features 11 parcels spread over nearly 7,000 acres, Shenipsit Trail, Civilian Conservation Corps Museum | ||
Topsmead State Forest | 615 acres (249 ha) | Litchfield | Litchfield | 1972 | Features historic house museum estate of Edith Morton Chase | ||
Tunxis State Forest | 5,519 acres (2,233 ha) | East Hartland, Granby | Hartford | 1923 | Barkhamsted Reservoir | Meets Granville State Forest in Massachusetts | |
Wyantenock State Forest | 4,083 acres (1,652 ha) | Cornwall, Kent, Warren | Litchfield | 1925 | Nine different parcels, none developed for recreation |
Other state areas
Name | Town | County | Established | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Trout Hatchery | Burlington | Hartford | 1923 | website, information, located within Nassahegon State Forest |
Quinebaug Valley Trout Hatchery | Plainfield | Windham | website, information | |
Franklin Wildlife Management Area | North Franklin | New London | website | |
Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area | Burlington | Hartford | website, includes the Sessions Woods Conservation Education Center with an exhibit area and a meeting room, interpretive trails, habitat management demonstration areas, and a backyard wildlife habitat area, Friends site, Town of Burlington information |
See also
References
- 1 2 Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee (January 23, 2014). "State Parks and Forests: Funding" (PDF). Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. pp. A–1 – A–4. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to State parks of Connecticut. |
- Connecticut State Parks and Forests Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
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