List of Connecticut state parks

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

• List of U.S. national parks

References

1. 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

• Connecticut State Parks and Forests Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection