Pootatuck State Forest

Last updated
Pootatuck State Forest
Squantz Pond and Candlewood Lake from scenic outlook on Pootatuck State Forest Blue Trail.jpg
Pond Mountain, Squantz Pond and Candlewood Lake from the scenic overlook on Pootatuck State Forest's Blue Trail.
Relief map USA Connecticut.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Connecticut
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Pootatuck State Forest (the United States)
Location New Fairfield, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates 41°30′55″N73°29′53″W / 41.51528°N 73.49806°W / 41.51528; -73.49806 Coordinates: 41°30′55″N73°29′53″W / 41.51528°N 73.49806°W / 41.51528; -73.49806 [1]
Area1,103 acres (4.46 km2) [2]
Elevation1,093 ft (333 m) [1]
Established1920s [3]
Governing bodyConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Website Pootatuck State Forest

Pootatuck State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located mainly in the town of New Fairfield with a small fraction in Sherman. Recreational activities include hiking, mountain biking, letterboxing, hunting, birdwatching, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. [3] [4] The main forest property borders on and can be accessed via trails from the adjacent Squantz Pond State Park. [4]

There are two smaller Pootatuck State Forest property parcels in New Fairfield, Connecticut near to but disconnected from the main property and Squantz Pond State Park. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Fairfield, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

New Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,579 at the 2020 census. New Fairfield is one of five towns that surround Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in Connecticut. The town is located 55 miles (89 km) northeast of New York City, making it part of the New York metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squantz Pond State Park</span> State park in Fairfield County, Connecticut

Squantz Pond State Park is a public recreation area located 10 miles (16 km) north of Danbury in the town of New Fairfield, Connecticut. The state park encompasses 172 acres (70 ha) on the southwestern shore of 270-acre (110 ha) Squantz Pond, offering opportunities for boating, swimming, fishing, and hiking. The park is bordered on the west by Pootatuck State Forest and is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohawk State Forest</span> State forest in Connecticut, United States

Mohawk State Forest, also known as Mohawk State Forest/Mohawk Mountain State Park, encompasses over 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) in the towns of Cornwall, Goshen, and Litchfield in the southern Berkshires of Litchfield County, Connecticut. As overseen by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the area is used for hiking, picnicking, and winter sports by the public, while being actively managed to produce timber and other forest products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pachaug State Forest</span>

Pachaug State Forest is the largest forest in the Connecticut state forest system, encompassing over 27,000 acres (110 km²) of land. It is located on the Rhode Island border in New London County, and parcels of the forest lie in the towns of Voluntown, Griswold, Plainfield, Sterling, North Stonington, and Preston. The forest was founded in 1928, but most of the land came from purchases made later during the Great Depression. It is named after the Pachaug River, which runs through the center of the forest. The forest is part of the Northeastern coastal forests ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherwood Island State Park</span>

Sherwood Island State Park is a public recreation area on the shore of Long Island Sound in the Greens Farms section of Westport, Connecticut. The state park offers swimming, fishing, and other activities on 238 acres (96 ha) of beach, wetlands, and woodlands. Sherwood Island is numbered as Connecticut's first state park because state purchase of land at the site began in 1914. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burr Pond State Park</span> State park in Litchfield County, Connecticut

Burr Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 438 acres (177 ha) adjacent to Paugnut State Forest in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. The state park surrounds Burr Pond, an 85-acre (34 ha), man-made body of water with facilities for swimming, boating, and fishing. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipmuck State Forest</span>

Nipmuck State Forest is a Connecticut state forest. Its 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) surround Bigelow Hollow State Park in the town of Union and include parcels in Stafford, Ashford, and other towns. The forest is part of a larger network of forest lands making up some 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) in all.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspetuck Valley Trail</span>

The Aspetuck Valley Trail is a 5.9-mile (9.5 km) Blue-Blazed hiking trail in the Aspetuck River Valley area of Fairfield County in the towns of Newtown, Easton and Redding Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housatonic Range Trail</span>

The Housatonic Range Trail is a 6.2-mile (10.0 km) Blue-Blazed hiking trail in the Housatonic Valley Region of Litchfield County in the town of New Milford in the Candlewood Mountain and Gaylordsville Connecticut sections. The north-south axis of the trail parallels the Housatonic River through private land and land trust parcels. The Housatonic Range Trail is maintained largely through the efforts of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, which provides online Blue Trail maps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jericho Trail</span>

The Jericho trail is a 3.4-mile (5.5 km) Blue-Blazed hiking trail in the Oakville section of Watertown, near the border with Thomaston and Plymouth, Litchfield County, Connecticut. The trail is contained almost entirely in a section of the Mattatuck State Forest. The mainline trail is a linear north–south "hike-through" trail with one east–west connector trail to the Whitestone Cliffs Blue-Blazed Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naugatuck State Forest</span>

Naugatuck State Forest is a Connecticut state forest consisting of five separate blocks in the towns of Oxford, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, Bethany, Cheshire, Hamden, Seymour, and Ansonia. The five blocks are the Mount Sanford, East, West, Quillinan Reservoir, and Great Hill (Seymour) blocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James L. Goodwin State Forest</span>

James L. Goodwin State Forest is a Connecticut state forest covering approximately 2,000 acres (810 ha) in the towns of Chaplin and Hampton. The lands became public property when James L. Goodwin donated the personal forest he had been developing since 1913 to the state in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Watershed State Forest</span>

Centennial Watershed State Forest is a Connecticut state forest of more than 15,000 acres with larger parcels located in the towns of Easton, Newtown, Redding, and Weston. Dozens of other properties are strung throughout much of Southwestern part of the state. In 2002, the lands were acquired from the Aquarion Water Company by the state in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Those three entities continue to manage the property by committee. The forest was named in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the state forest system.

Enders State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in the towns of Granby and Barkhamsted. The forest was established in 1970 with a 1,500-acre (610 ha) parcel of woodlands donated to the state by the children of John and Harriet Enders. A further family donation of land was made in 1981, and the state made a purchase of additional property in 2002.

Massacoe State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in the town of Simsbury. The forest comprises two noncontiguous sections: the Great Pond Block, which encompasses 36-acre (15 ha) Great Pond, and the Massacoe Block, which lies next to Stratton Brook State Park. Forest recreational activities include hiking, fishing, and bird watching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassahegon State Forest</span>

Nassahegon State Forest is a Connecticut state forest occupying 1,227 acres (497 ha) in the town of Burlington.The forest is managed for forestry and recreational purposes and is operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehantic State Forest</span>

Nehantic State Forest is a publicly owned forest and recreation area occupying two parcels, one in the town of Lyme and one in the towns of East Lyme and Salem, in the state of Connecticut. The forest, which totals 5,062 acres (2,049 ha), is the site of regular prescribed burns and timber-harvesting operations. Purchase of the land began in 1926, when it became the first state forest located in New London County. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepaug State Forest</span>

Nepaug State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located primarily in the town of New Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paugnut State Forest</span> Forest located in Connecticut

Paugnut State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located on four parcels in the towns of Torrington and Winchester. The forest's Arts and Crafts–style administration building was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The remains of the foundation of the condensed milk factory established by Gail Borden on Burr Pond in 1857 may also be seen. Trails crossing the forest include the John Muir Trail which connects Burr Pond State Park and Sunnybrook State Park.

Wyantenock State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in the towns of Warren, Kent and Cornwall. The forest consists of nine scattered parcels and was originally part of Mohawk State Forest. The forest is one of the least visited and developed state forests with little or no public access.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pootatuck State Forest". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee (January 23, 2014). "State Parks and Forests: Funding" (PDF). Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. p. A-3. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Connecticut State Forests Seedling Letterbox Series - Clues for Pootatuck State Forest". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  4. 1 2 "Pootatuck State Forest". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  5. "ohranger.com". "Pootatuck State Forest" . Retrieved November 21, 2016.