List of Connecticut state parks facts for kids

This is a list of state parks and reserves in the Connecticut state park system, shown in four tables. The first table lists state parks and reserves, the second lists state park trails, the third list state forests, and the fourth lists other state-owned, recreation-related areas.

Connecticut state parks

Name	Town	County	Area		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		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				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						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		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

Connecticut state park trails

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

Connecticut state forests

Name	Town	County	Area		Estab- lished	River / lake / other	Image	Remarks
			acres	ha
Algonquin State Forest	Colebrook, Winchester	Litchfield	2,987	1,209	1937	Sandy Brook		Hiking, hunting, fishing, bird watching
American Legion State Forest	Barkhamsted	Litchfield	893	361	1927	Farmington River		Adjacent to Peoples State Forest; hiking, camping, boating, nature center
Camp Columbia State Park/State Forest	Morris	Litchfield	601	243	2000			Historic college campus; hiking, hunting
Centennial Watershed State Forest	Redding, Easton, Newtown, Weston	Fairfield	15,370	6,220	2002	Saugatuck Reservoir		Hiking, hunting, fishing
Cockaponset State Forest	Haddam	Middlesex	17,186	6,955	1926	Pattaconk Lake		Swimming, fishing, trails
Enders State Forest	Granby	Hartford	2,105	852	1970			Hiking, hunting
Housatonic State Forest	Sharon	Litchfield	10,894	4,409	1927			Appalachian Trail
James L. Goodwin State Forest	Hampton	Middlesex	2,003	811	1964	Pine Acres Pond		Air Line State Park Trail, boat launch, Conservation Education Center, youth group camping, Natchaug Trail
Massacoe State Forest	Simsbury	Hartford	503	204	1908	Great Pond		Bike trail
Mattatuck State Forest	Waterbury, Plymouth, Thomaston, Watertown, Litchfield, Harwinton	Litchfield	4,673	1,891	1925			Twenty different parcels; Hancock Brook Trail, Whitestone Cliffs Trail
Meshomasic State Forest	East Hampton	Middlesex	9,026	3,653	1903			Fishing, hiking, hunting
Mohawk State Forest	Cornwall, Goshen	Litchfield	3,743	1,515	1921	Mohawk Pond		Adjoins Mohawk Mountain State Park; lookout tower, pond and stream fishing, youth group camping, skiing
Mohegan State Forest	Scotland	Middlesex	956	387	1960			Hiking, hunting
Nassahegon State Forest	Burlington	Hartford	1,227	497	1942			Fish hatchery; hunting, hiking, bird watching
Natchaug State Forest	Eastford	Windham	13,438	5,438	1917	Natchaug River		Natchaug Trail; hiking, horseback riding, camping
Nathan Hale State Forest	Andover	Tolland	1,455	589	1946			Hiking, hunting
Naugatuck State Forest	Cheshire, Hamden, Naugatuck, Oxford, Beacon Falls	New Haven	4,153	1,681	1921	Naugatuck River		Includes the Naugatuck Trail
Nehantic State Forest	Lyme	New London	5,062	2,049	1925	Norwich Pond, Uncas Lake		Boating, swimming, hiking
Nepaug State Forest	New Hartford	Litchfield	1,373	556	1927			Hiking, biking, fishing, camping
Nipmuck State Forest	Union	Tolland	9,209	3,727	1905	Breakneck Pond		Adjoins Bigelow Hollow State Park, features Mountain Laurel Sanctuary, Nipmuck Trail
Nye-Holman State Forest	Tolland	Tolland	787	318	1931	Willimantic River		Fishing, hiking, youth group camping
Pachaug State Forest	Voluntown, Griswold, Plainfield, Sterling, North Stonington, Preston	New London	28,804	11,657	1928	Pachaug River		Camping, boating, horseback riding, youth group camping, motorcycle trail
Paugnut State Forest	Torrington, Winchester	Litchfield	1,644	665	1929			Spread out over four locations; abuts Burr Pond and Sunnybrook state parks
Paugussett State Forest	Newtown	Fairfield	1,947	788		Housatonic River		Boat launch, fishing, hiking, mountain biking
Peoples State Forest	Barkhamsted	Litchfield	3,059	1,238	1924	Farmington River		Adjacent to American Legion State Forest; Barkhamsted Lighthouse
Pootatuck State Forest	New Fairfield	Fairfield	1,103	446		Squantz Pond		Access is through Squantz Pond State Park
Quaddick State Forest	Thompson	Windham	1,109	449		Quaddick Reservoir		Youth group camping
Salmon River State Forest	Hebron, Marlborough, Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton	Middlesex, New London	6,905	2,794	1934	Salmon River		Features Comstock's Bridge
Shenipsit State Forest	Stafford, Somers, Ellington	Tolland	6,962	2,817	1927			Features 11 parcels spread over nearly 7,000 acres, Shenipsit Trail, Civilian Conservation Corps Museum
Topsmead State Forest	Litchfield	Litchfield	615	249	1972			Features historic house museum estate of Edith Morton Chase
Tunxis State Forest	East Hartland, Granby	Hartford	5,519	2,233	1923	Barkhamsted Reservoir		Meets Granville State Forest in Massachusetts
Wyantenock State Forest	Cornwall, Kent, Warren	Litchfield	4,083	1,652	1925			Nine different parcels, none developed for recreation

Connecticut Wildlife Management Areas

Name	Town	County	Area		Established	River / lake / other	Image	Remarks
			acres	ha
Aldo Leopold Wildlife Management Area	Southbury	New Haven	554 acres	224 ha		Housatonic River, Lake Lillinonah		Forest. Limited off-road parking available on Kuhne, Purchase Brook, Little York and East Flat Hill roads.
Assekonk Swamp Wildlife Management Area	North Stonington	New London	693 acres	280 ha		Assekonk Swamp		Swamp. Limited off-road parking available off CT-184.
Babcock Pond Wildlife Management Area	East Haddam, Colchester	Middlesex, New London	1524 acres	617 ha		Babcock Pond		Swamp, forest, pond. Parking off Myles Standish Road,
Barber Pond Wildlife Management Area	Bloomfield, Windsor	Hartford	72 acres	29 ha		Barber Pond		Wetlands. Access via CT-305 (Old Windsor Road).
Barn Island Wildlife Management Area	Stonington	New London	1013 acres	410 ha		Little Narragansett Bay		Marshes. Parking at the Barn Island Boat Launch and South East Parking.
Bartlett Brook Wildlife Management Area	Lebanon	New London	687 acres	278 ha		Bartlett Brook and Exeter Brook.		Streams. Stone foundations. Fields. Trails.
Bear Hill Wildlife Management Area
Belding Wildlife Management Area
Bishops Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Black Pond Wildlife Management Area
Candlewood Hill Wildlife Management Area	Groton	New London	201 acres	81 ha				Swamps, streams, forest, glacial erratics, quarries and 44 acre pitch pine grove.
Cedar Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Charles E. Wheeler Wildlife Management Area	Milford	New Haven	625 acres	253 ha	1955	Housatonic River, Long Island Sound
Charter Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary	Tolland	Tolland	240 acres	97 ha		Skungamaug Marsh (lake) and Skungamaug River.		Marsh, River, Pond.
Cromwell Meadows Wildlife Management Area
Durham Meadows Wildlife Management Area
East River Marsh Wildlife Management Area
East Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Eightmile River Wildlife Management Area
Franklin Wildlife Management Area	North Franklin	New London						website
Goshen Wildlife Management Area
Great Harbor Wildlife Management Area
Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area
Housatonic River Wildlife Management Area
King's Island Coop Wildlife Management Area
Kollar Wildlife Management Area
Larson Lot Wildlife Management Area
Little River Fish and Wildlife Area
Lord's Cove Wildlife Management Area
Maromas Coop Wildlife Management Area
Meadow Brook Wildlife Management Area
Menunketesuck Wildlife Management Area
Messerschmidt Wildlife Management Area
Newgate Wildlife Management Area
Nod Brook Wildlife Management Area
Nott Island Wildlife Management Area
Pease Brook Wildlife Management Area
Plum Bank Wildlife Management Area
Quinebaug River Wildlife Management Area
Quinnipiac River Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Ragged Rock Wildlife Management Area
Raymond Brook Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Robbins Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Roger Tory Peterson Wildlife Area
Roraback Wildlife Management Area	Harwinton	Litchfield	1976 acres	800 ha		Leadmine Brook		Fields, Swamps, Ponds.
Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area
Ross Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Salmon River Cove and Haddam Neck Wildlife Management Area
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
Simsbury Wildlife Management Area
Skiff Mountain Coop Wildlife Management Area
James V. Spignesi Wildlife Management Area
Stanley Works Wildlife Management Area
Suffield Wildlife Management Area
Talbot Wildlife Management Area
Tankerhoosen Wildlife Management Area
Wangunk Meadows Wildlife Management Area
Wopowog Wildlife Management Area
Zemko Pond Wildlife Management Area

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