This is a list of state parks, reserves, forests and wildlife management areas (WMAs) in the Connecticut state park and forest system, shown in five tables. The first table lists state parks and reserves, the second lists state park trails, the third lists state forests, the fourth lists Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and the fifth lists other state-owned, recreation-related areas. It is possible to faintly view the Milky Way in 10 state parks. [1]
Name | Town | County | Area [2] | Estab- lished | River / lake / other | Image | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
acres | ha | |||||||
Above All State Park | Warren | Litchfield | 31 | 13 | 1927 | Undeveloped site with Cold War defense installation remnants | ||
Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve | Bloomfield | Hartford | 40 | 16 | 2015 | Farmland gifted to state | ||
Beaver Brook State Park | Chaplin, Windham | Windham | 401 | 162 | 1955 | Bibbins Pond | Fishing; abuts Air Line State Park Trail | |
Becket Hill State Park Reserve | Lyme | New London | 260 | 110 | 1961 | Uncas Pond | Adjacent to Nehantic State Forest | |
Beckley Furnace Industrial Monument | North Canaan | Litchfield | 12 | 4.9 | 1946 | Historic iron-making furnace dating from 1847 | ||
Bennett's Pond State Park | Ridgefield, Danbury | Fairfield | 460 | 190 | 2002 | Former estate and nursery called Outpost Farm | ||
Bigelow Hollow State Park | Union | Tolland | 516 | 209 | 1949 | Bigelow Pond, Mashapaug Lake | Adjoins Nipmuck State Forest and borders Mashapaug Lake; boat launch, swimming | |
Black Rock State Park | Watertown | Litchfield | 444 | 180 | 1926 | Black Rock Pond | Camping, pond fishing, Mattatuck Trail | |
Bluff Point State Park | Groton | New London | 806 | 326 | 1963 | Long Island Sound | Ocean access, boat launch; near Haley Farm State Park | |
Bolton Notch State Park | Bolton | Tolland | 95 | 38 | 1918 | Rock climbing | ||
Brainard Homestead State Park | East Haddam | Middlesex | 25 | 10 | 1929 | Undeveloped | ||
Burr Pond State Park | Torrington | Litchfield | 438 | 177 | 1949 | Burr Pond | Boating, fishing, swimming | |
Camp Columbia State Park/State Forest | Morris | Litchfield | 600 | 240 | 2000 | Former rural campus of Columbia University Engineering Department | ||
Campbell Falls State Park Reserve | Norfolk | Litchfield | 102 | 41 | 1923 | Whiting River | On the Massachusetts border | |
Chatfield Hollow State Park | Killingworth | Middlesex | 412 | 167 | 1949 | Swimming, fishing | ||
Collis P. Huntington State Park | Redding, Newtown, Bethel | Fairfield | 878 | 355 | 1973 | Former estate with ponds for fishing and canoeing and multipurpose trails | ||
Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park | Essex | Middlesex | 136 | 55 | 1969 | Essex Steam Train from Essex to Chester up the Connecticut River valley | ||
Dart Island State Park | Middletown | Middlesex | 19 | 7.7 | 1918 | Connecticut River | Accessible by water only | |
Day Pond State Park | Colchester | New London | 180 | 73 | 1949 | Day Pond | Swimming, pond fishing | |
Dennis Hill State Park | Norfolk | Litchfield | 240 | 97 | 1935 | Former estate with hiking, picnicking and scenic views | ||
Devil's Hopyard State Park | East Haddam | Middlesex | 860 | 350 | 1919 | Eightmile River | Historic millsite with camping, stream fishing, waterfall | |
Dinosaur State Park | Rocky Hill | Hartford | 60 | 24 | 1968 | Natural history museum, arboretum | ||
Eagle Landing State Park | Haddam | Middlesex | 16 | 6.5 | 2003 | Connecticut River | Boat dock, fishing pier, winter eagle viewing | |
Farm River State Park | East Haven | New Haven | 61 | 25 | 1998 | Farm River | Boat launch, fishing | |
Ferry Landing State Park | Old Lyme | New London | 1 | 0.40 | Unknown | Connecticut River | Boat launch, fishing, Crabbing | |
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park | Groton | New London | 16 | 6.5 | 1953 | Thames River | Site of the 1781 massacre led by Benedict Arnold; American Revolutionary War museum and artifacts | |
Fort Trumbull State Park | New London | New London | 16 | 6.5 | 2000 | Long Island Sound | 19th-century fort with museum, fishing pier | |
Gardner Lake State Park | Salem | New London | 10 | 4.0 | 2001 | Gardner Lake | Boating, fishing, swimming | |
Gay City State Park | Hebron | Tolland | 1,569 | 635 | 1944 | Blackledge River | Former mill-town ruins; pond fishing, swimming, youth group camping; bordered by Meshomasic State Forest | |
George Dudley Seymour State Park | Haddam | Middlesex | 222 | 90 | 1960 | Connecticut River | Abuts Hurd State Park and Higganum Meadows Wildlife Area; fishing, hunting | |
George Waldo State Park | Southbury | New Haven | 150 | 61 | 1960 | Lake Lillinonah | Undeveloped; multi-use trails | |
Gillette Castle State Park | East Haddam | Middlesex | 184 | 74 | 1943 | Connecticut River | Castle house museum; boat camping | |
Haddam Island State Park | Haddam | Middlesex | 14 | 5.7 | 1944 | Connecticut River | Accessible only by boat | |
Haddam Meadows State Park | Haddam | Middlesex | 175 | 71 | 1944 | Connecticut River | Boating, fishing | |
Haley Farm State Park | Groton | New London | 198 | 80 | 1970 | Bike trail, near Bluff Point State Park | ||
Hammonasset Beach State Park | Madison | New Haven | 919 | 372 | 1920 | Beach, swimming, fishing, camping, nature center, carry-in boating | ||
Harkness Memorial State Park | Waterford | New London | 116 | 47 | 1952 | Long Island Sound | 42-room mansion museum, formal gardens, fishing | |
Haystack Mountain State Park | Norfolk | Litchfield | 292 | 118 | 1917 | Observation tower | ||
Higganum Reservoir State Park | Haddam | Middlesex | 147 | 59 | 1955 | Higganum Reservoir | Car-top boating, fishing, hunting | |
Hopemead State Park | Bozrah, Montville | New London | 70 | 28 | 1954 | Gardner Lake | Fishing, hiking | |
Hopeville Pond State Park | Griswold | New London | 544 | 220 | 1938 | Pachaug River | Camping, boating, swimming, pond fishing, field sports | |
Horse Guard State Park | Avon | Hartford | 105 | 42 | 1964 | Undeveloped | ||
Housatonic Meadows State Park | Sharon | Litchfield | 451 | 183 | 1927 | Housatonic River | Camping, canoeing, fly fishing | |
Humaston Brook State Park | Litchfield | Litchfield | 141 | 57 | 1920 | Fishing | ||
Hurd State Park | East Hampton | Middlesex | 991 | 401 | 1914 | Connecticut River | Boat camping, mountain biking, scenic views | |
Indian Well State Park | Shelton | Fairfield | 153 | 62 | 1928 | Lake Housatonic | Boating, swimming, fishing, waterfalls | |
John A. Minetto State Park | Torrington | Litchfield | 715 | 289 | 1965 | Pond and stream fishing, cross-country skiing | ||
Kent Falls State Park | Kent | Litchfield | 307 | 124 | 1919 | Falls Brook | Waterfalls, replica covered bridge | |
Kettletown State Park | Southbury | New Haven | 599 | 242 | 1950 | Lake Zoar | Camping, swimming, fishing | |
Killingly Pond State Park | Killingly | Windham | 162 | 66 | Killingly Pond | Boating, fishing | ||
Lake Waramaug State Park | Kent | Litchfield | 95 | 38 | 1920 | Lake Waramaug | Camping, car-top boating, swimming, fishing | |
Lamentation Mountain State Park | Berlin | Hartford | 47 | 19 | 1936 | Hiking, scenic vistas | ||
Lovers Leap State Park | New Milford | Litchfield | 127 | 51 | 1971 | Housatonic River | Scenic river vistas | |
Macedonia Brook State Park | Kent | Litchfield | 2,300 | 930 | 1918 | Camping, stream fishing | ||
Machimoodus State Park | East Haddam | Middlesex | 300 | 120 | 1998 | Salmon River | Fishing, horseback riding | |
Mansfield Hollow State Park | Mansfield | Tolland | 251 | 102 | 1952 | Mansfield Hollow Lake | Boating, fishing, field sports, mountain biking, cross-country skiing | |
Mashamoquet Brook State Park | Pomfret | Windham | 917 | 371 | 1924 | Camping, swimming, stream fishing | ||
Mianus River State Park | Stamford | Fairfield | 94 | 38 | 2001 | Mianus River | Biking, fishing, horseback riding | |
Millers Pond State Park | Durham, Haddam | Middlesex | 280 | 110 | 1955 | Millers Pond | Fishing, hunting, mountain biking | |
Minnie Island State Park | Salem, Montville | New London | 1 | 0.40 | 1925 | Gardner Lake | Boating, fishing, accessible only by boat | |
Mohawk Forest/Mohawk Mountain State Park | Cornwall, Goshen, Litchfield | Litchfield | 4,016 | 1,625 | 1921 | Includes Mohawk Mountain Ski Area | ||
Mono Pond State Park Reserve | Columbia | Tolland | 218 | 88 | 2008 | Mono Pond | Boating, fishing, hunting, cross-country skiing | |
Mooween State Park | Lebanon | New London | 577 | 234 | 1989 | Red Cedar Lake | Boating, fishing | |
Mount Bushnell State Park | Washington | Litchfield | 214 | 87 | 1916 | Hiking | ||
Mount Riga State Park | Salisbury | Litchfield | 276 | 112 | 1954 | Hiking | ||
Mount Tom State Park | Litchfield, Washington, Morris | Litchfield | 231 | 93 | 1915 | Mount Tom Pond | Historic lookout tower | |
Nathaniel Lyon Memorial State Park | Eastford | Windham | 1920 | Located in Natchaug State Forest | ||||
Old Furnace State Park | Killingly | Windham | 367 | 149 | 1918 | Ross Pond | Site of an 18th-century iron furnace; hiking, boating, fishing, hunting | |
Osbornedale State Park | Derby | New Haven | 350 | 140 | 1956 | Former Osbornedale Farms; hiking, pond fishing | ||
Penwood State Park | Bloomfield | Hartford | 787 | 318 | 1944 | Lake Louise | Metacomet Trail, hiking, cross-country skiing | |
Platt Hill State Park | Winchester | Litchfield | 159 | 64 | 1960 | Scenic vistas | ||
Pomeroy State Park | Lebanon | New London | 200 | 81 | 1953 | Undeveloped; hiking, hunting | ||
Putnam Memorial State Park | Bethel, Redding | Fairfield | 183 | 74 | 1887 | Lake MdDougall | American Revolutionary War museum, interpretive trail, youth group camping | |
Quaddick State Park | Thompson | Windham | 116 | 47 | 1951 | Quaddick Reservoir | Boat launch, swimming, fishing, field sports | |
Quinebaug Lake State Park | Killingly | Windham | 181 | 73 | 1964 | Quinebaug Lake | Boating, fishing | |
Quinnipiac River State Park | North Haven | New Haven | 323 | 131 | 1951 | Quinnipiac River | Car-top boating, fishing, hunting | |
River Highlands State Park | Cromwell | Middlesex | 177 | 72 | 2001 | Connecticut River | Boat camping | |
Rocky Glen State Park | Newtown | Fairfield | 46 | 19 | 1943 | Pootatuck River | Hiking | |
Rocky Neck State Park | East Lyme | New London | 710 | 290 | 1931 | Long Island Sound | Beach, swimming, camping, saltwater fishing | |
Ross Pond State Park | Killingly | Windham | 314 | 127 | 1964 | Ross Pond | Boating, fishing, hunting | |
Salt Rock State Campground | Sprague | New London | 149 | 60 | 2001 | Shetucket River | Camping, fishing, pool swimming, access to Shetucket River | |
Satan's Kingdom State Recreation Area | New Hartford | Litchfield | 1 | 0.40 | 2012 | Farmington River | Canoeing, kayaking, tubing | |
Scantic River State Park | Enfield, East Windsor, Somers | Hartford | 784 | 317 | 1967 | Scantic River | Fishing, hunting | |
Selden Neck State Park | Lyme | New London | 607 | 246 | 1917 | Connecticut River | Accessible only by boat; camping, fishing, hunting | |
Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve | Ridgefield | Fairfield | 305 | 123 | 1956 | Lake Naraneka | Car-top boating, fishing | |
Seaside State Park | Waterford | New London | 36 | 15 | 2014 | Long Island Sound | Sanatorium remains, fishing | |
Sherwood Island State Park | Westport | Fairfield | 238 | 96 | 1932 | Long Island Sound | Beach, swimming, nature center, field sports, saltwater fishing | |
Silver Sands State Park | Milford | New Haven | 297 | 120 | 1960 | Long Island Sound | Beach, swimming, saltwater fishing | |
Sleeping Giant State Park | Hamden | New Haven | 1,439 | 582 | 1924 | Quinnipiac Trail, lookout tower, stream fishing, youth group camping | ||
Southford Falls State Park | Oxford | New Haven | 126 | 51 | 1932 | Eightmile Brook | Waterfalls, covered bridge, pond and stream fishing, cross-country skiing, field sports | |
Squantz Pond State Park | New Fairfield | Fairfield | 172 | 70 | 1926 | Squantz Pond | Boating, swimming, pond fishing, scuba diving | |
Stillwater Pond State Park | Torrington | Litchfield | 226 | 91 | Stillwater Pond | Boating, fishing | ||
Stoddard Hill State Park | Ledyard | New London | 55 | 22 | 1954 | Thames River | Boating, fishing | |
Stratton Brook State Park | Simsbury | Hartford | 145 | 59 | 1949 | Stratton Brook | Swimming, fishing, biking, cross-country skiing | |
Sunnybrook State Park | Torrington | Litchfield | 464 | 188 | 1970 | Naugatuck River | Fishing, hunting | |
Sunrise State Park | East Haddam | Middlesex | 143 | 58 | 2009 | Salmon River | Undeveloped | |
Talcott Mountain State Park | Simsbury, Avon, Bloomfield | Hartford | 574 | 232 | 1965 | Observation tower, scenic vistas, Metacomet Trail | ||
Tri-Mountain State Park | Durham, Wallingford | Middlesex, New Haven | 157 | 64 | 1925 | Hiking | ||
Trout Brook Valley State Park Reserve | Easton | Fairfield | 300 | 120 | 1999 | Hiking | ||
Wadsworth Falls State Park | Middlefield, Middletown | Middlesex | 285 | 115 | 1942 | Coginchaug River | Waterfall, swimming, stream fishing, mountain biking | |
West Rock Ridge State Park | Hamden, New Haven, Woodbridge, Bethany | New Haven | 1,691 | 684 | 1975 | Lake Wintergreen | Features the Regicides Trail, scenic vistas, fishing, car-top boating, horseback riding | |
Wharton Brook State Park | Wallingford, North Haven | New Haven | 96 | 39 | 1918 | Allen Brook Pond | Fishing, swimming | |
Whittemore Glen State Park | Naugatuck, Middlebury | New Haven | 242 | 98 | 1945 | Horseback riding, hiking | ||
Windsor Meadows State Park | Windsor | Hartford | 155 | 63 | 1968 | Connecticut River | Boat launch, fishing, bicycling | |
Wooster Mountain State Park | Danbury | Fairfield | 444 | 180 | 1920 | Skeet, trap and target shooting, hunting |
Name | Towns | Counties | Length | Estab- lished | Image | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mi | km | ||||||
Air Line State Park Trail | East Hampton, Colchester, Hebron, Columbia, Lebanon, Windham, Chaplin, Hampton, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson | Middlesex, New London, Tolland, Windham | 50 | 80 | 1969 | Nearly fifty miles of converted rail-trail | |
Farmington Canal State Park Trail | Cheshire, Hamden | New Haven | 5.5 | 8.9 | Part of the Farmington Canal Trail | ||
Hop River State Park Trail | Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Manchester, Vernon | Hartford, Tolland | 19 | 31 | Nineteen miles of rail-trail from Manchester to Willimantic | ||
Larkin State Park Trail | Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury, Naugatuck | New Haven | 10 | 16 | 1943 | Ten-mile-long rail-trail | |
Moosup Valley State Park Trail | Plainfield, Sterling | Windham | 6 | 9.7 | 1987 | Six miles of rail-trail | |
Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail | Windsor Locks, Suffield | Hartford | 4.5 | 7.2 | 4.5 mile bike trail, fishing along the canal | ||
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 | |
The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering 54,400 square miles (141,000 km2) of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and oak. Historically the most dense part of this forest region was the Big Thicket though the lumber industry dramatically reduced the forest concentration in this area and throughout the Piney Woods during the 19th and 20th centuries. The World Wide Fund for Nature considers the Piney Woods to be one of the critically endangered ecoregions of the United States. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines most of this ecoregion as the South Central Plains.
The Goethe State Forest is in the U.S. state of Florida. The 53,398-acre (216 km2) forest is located near the gulf coast, northwest of Dunnellon. Four trailheads are located on County Road 337. The main trail usage is equestrian, both riders and carts. Goethe is known for its population of red cockaded woodpeckers, a rare bird endemic to the longleaf pine forests of the southeastern coastal plain.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers are managers, researchers, and support personnel, and perform law enforcement in the course of their duties.
The Salmon River is formed at the confluence of the Blackledge and Jeremy rivers about one mile west of North Westchester, Connecticut. It drains 96,000 acres and courses for 10.4 miles (16.7 km) to Salmon Cove near Moodus where it flows into the Connecticut River. The Salmon River is probably the largest stream and watershed whose sources and mouth are entirely within the limits of Connecticut.
New York State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are conservation areas managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) primarily for the benefit of wildlife, and used extensively by the public for hunting, fishing, and trapping. As of 2016, the NYSDEC owns and maintains 113 WMAs, with a total area of approximately 197,000 acres. The Wildlife Management Areas program is administered by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources of the NYSDEC.
Black Pond Wildlife Management Area is a 526-acre (213 ha) New York State Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that lies on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, and at the northern limit of an unusual region of sandy barrier beaches and lagoons. Much of the barrier beach in Black Pond WMA has forested sand dunes that are about 60 feet (18 m) high; these are the highest sand dunes in the northeast United States excepting Cape Cod. Immediately north of the WMA is the 360-acre (150 ha) El Dorado Beach Preserve, which is a bird refuge owned by The Nature Conservancy. North of the outlet from Black Pond to Lake Ontario, the shoreline is a weathered, flat bedrock shelf that is "calcareous" instead of sandy.
A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife.
Stumptown Wildlife Management Area is located in both Calhoun and Gilmer Counties near the community of Stumptown, West Virginia. Stumptown WMA is located on 1,675 acres (678 ha) of hilly terrain, mostly covered with mixed oak and pine forest, with stands of mixed hardwoods.
Dart Island State Park is a public recreation area comprising an undeveloped 19-acre (7.7 ha) sandbar island in the Connecticut River that is only accessible by boat. The island is within the corporate boundaries of the city of Middletown, Connecticut, its nearest neighbors being the Middletown Generating Station and Pratt and Whitney plant on the river's west bank. The island is wooded with "typical river trees like willow, poplar and red maple." It is managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which lists boating, fishing, and bird watching as activities for visitors.
Belmore State Forest is located in Clay County, Florida.
Virginia Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are state-managed protected areas that exist primarily for the benefit of wildlife. Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, 46 tracts of land have been protected as WMAs, covering a total of over 216,000 acres. They are managed and maintained by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Mattaponi Wildlife Management Area is a 2,542-acre (10.29 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Caroline County, Virginia. Located west of Bowling Green, the area protects a mixture of wetlands and upland forests at the confluence of the Mattaponi and South rivers.
Big Woods Wildlife Management Area is a 4,173-acre (16.89 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Sussex County, Virginia. It comprises two tracts of land; the 2,208-acre (8.94 km2) main tract, located immediately adjacent Big Woods State Forest, and the 1,965-acre (7.95 km2) Parker's Branch tract, located nearby.
Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area is a 771-acre (312 ha) nature preserve owned by the state of Connecticut located in Burlington, Connecticut. Operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the preserve focuses on conservation education and features the Sessions Woods Conservation Education Center with displays about area wildlife and a large meeting room. The WMA offers educational programs, demonstrations, and workshops about wildlife and natural resource management. Outside there are demonstration sites, self-guided hiking trails, and displays. Hunting is allowed with permits.
The Cornish Wildlife Management Area is one of 124 New Hampshire State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). It is located in Cornish and covers 29 acres.
Huntington Gap Wildlife Management Area is a wildlife management area in the U.S. state of Vermont. It consists of 1,602 acres (648 ha) in the towns of Huntington, Buels Gore, and Fayston. The area is owned by the State of Vermont and administered by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.
Charles E. Wheeler Wildlife Management Area is a 625-acre (253 ha) brackish tidal marsh, nature preserve and hunting area owned by the state of Connecticut located in Devon (village), Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut.