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