There's a few different sections of the Naugatuck State Forest. We went to the Quillinan Reservoir…read moreBlock, which is in Ansonia. There are a few ways to access this park, we decided to go from the Ansonia Nature Center. The transition over to State Forest is pretty subtle, mainly with some markings on the trees. This park is also adjacent to some watershed land, that is also marked really well. This park has some nice hiking trails, with a lot of different loop options. We ended up doing a 10k (6 miles) hike, on the white and purple loop trails. The trails are nicely blazed, and there's a really good variety of trees. We went through some hardwoods and some pine forest, and there were lots of plants and some water views of the reservoir at various points along the hike. It's not too strenuous elevation wise, which was nice for a moderate hike. Mountain biking is allowed in the park, and we saw several people out for a ride, so it seems a pretty popular location for biking, and the trails seem not overly eroded. My only complaint is this park is adjacent to a gun club, so for a good chunk of the hike (mostly the white trail) was done to the sound of near constant gunfire. It's not the most tranquil thing, especially if you're sensitive to that sound.

This is a beautiful walk around the reservoir. The day was overcast with a threat of rain, but the…read moretemperature today made up for the darkened skies. Colorful leaves are starting to pop out everywhere, and I suppose this place will be in it's prime in a week or so. If you're in the neighborhood, you have to stop by and enjoy the scenery.

Beautiful Park but it really needs garbage cans there's fishing lines and hooks everywhere around…read morethe pond and at first I blamed people. Now, after gathering all this line and hooks to throw away, I've come to realize there's no garbage cans if there are no garbage cans people will just throw them on the ground this is unsafe for kids, animals, and other people. PLEASE PUT GARBAGE CANS IN

Excellent spot for a hike! The waterfall and covered bridge are beautiful, as are the hiking trail…read more Red trail was a bit harder than we expected, especially with a 3 year old. AllTrails marked it as easy, but I'd say it's more of a medium. A boarded section washed out from a recent flood, so it took some maneuvering to get through. Also a few big trees down. But overall it was a really fun and relaxing hike.

We've hiked here a couple of times since my first review, and I have to say, this is a really great…read morepark. There are nice overlook views along the trails, and the state did a really good job of repairing the trails after the storm damage in 2018. My only real complaint is that, like almost all CT campgrounds, they don't allow dogs, so I can't enjoy camping in the park, but from a day use perspective this is a great park.

Just came back from a 3 day camping trip in Kettle Town State Park, and we loved it…read more We pitched our tents on site No.61 a nice shaded area right across the bathroom facilities. The showers are clean and the water is just right. Every day the camp site workers come by to keep everything nice and neat. Definitely a place to return to in the future, we paid $77 for 4 days, 6 people, 2 tents & 2 vehicles.... you can't beat that for a great outdoors experience with the family.

A really nice, out-of-the way park in a bucolic setting. The museum and restrooms were closed…read more(seasonal?), but there were lots and lots of joggers, walkers, bike riders, dog walkers, and roller bladers. The main path, which parallels the old lock, is paved, at least as far as we went in. Beautiful day, with plenty of outdoor benches. Only graffiti I saw was on wooden bridge by caretaker's house. A'hole(s). Otherwise, no litter, and well maintained.

So, the Lock 12 Historical Park is separate from the Farmington Canal Trail, it is a historical…read morepark just off of the trail in Cheshire. It is a pretty park, with bathroom facilities, but all of it could use a little bit of TLC. There aren't any interpretive signs to speak of explaining about the canal's history or even explaining the lock that is here. The lock itself is a bit overgrown and in need of restoration. The bathrooms are nice but could be in better condition. It really could be and should be more than it is, hopefully the town could put some funding into this park for improvements. It's a nice place to stop to use the bathroom, but not any sort of park that I would consider a destination in and of itself. And most important: being that how it's located just off a bicycle trail, there are no bike racks. That's a big oversight, IMO.

We needed a break on our drive from MA to NJ and this was just about the mid-point for us and just…read moreoff the highway. It is a pretty state park for a short visit if you're in the area. Lots of college students throughout the park from nearby Quinnipiac University. There are plenty of open space, picnic tables and trails for everyone to enjoy. Lots of different trail options but the tower trail is the most popular. Not much shade on the tower trail and a fairly decent elevation change in a short distance. Make sure to check the weather and bring water. Beautiful views from the highest point in the park and you can go inside the tower.

This was such a nice and beautiful hike! We went here end of October when foliage season was coming…read moreto an end quickly. We got to see amazing views and lots of foliage. The hike was not bad and it was super busy. Huge parking lot and lots of people that day. The views at the tower were awesome and it's definitely a nice spot for pictures. A local gem.

I really enjoy this hike. This was my first time in this particular section of Ragged Mountain…read more There's definitely a lot of interesting things to see all the old cars and the different path. Definitely enjoyed it. I think we did about 4 miles that day. I plan to go back to hike other paths in this area. I would recommend this area to go out different things to see.

I am part of GCP in which we do weekly hikes, this week we happen to go here and it was one of the…read moregood places to be, parking is plenty and has multiple loops, at the top you have great view point and can see New Heaven downtown from there. Its a 5mile hike and medium complexity.

It's a beautiful place to spend with your family. It's a small quiet beach with clear water.read more

Great park. Went here for the first time for my company picnic. We took up the entire pavilion…read morearea. Weather was good, mid 70's. Set-up some volley ball, frisbee can, corn hole, and few people fished along the shore. Looks like they also have a beach and place to launch kayaks. Our picnic was in mid-September, since those activities looked like they were done for the season, we'll have to wait until next year, if we go a bit earlier.

I take my toddler to the playground here fairly often. The whole playground is fenced in. It has 2…read moremain playscapes, one for toddlers and preschoolers and another for older kids. My toddler loves the smaller playscape. There are a few slides and plenty of different ladders and stairs to climb. BEWARE- after a good rain the area around this climber is a giant puddle. There's a slide that goes right into the middle of it. We avoid this park after a rainstorm for this reason. The larger playscape seems pretty fun. My toddler still climbs on it when it's not too crowded. It has a lot of ramps and some fun slides. I climb with him or stay close by because there are some openings to climbing structures he cannot navigate that are pretty high up. There are also swings (including baby swings), covered picnic tables, a sand/ digging area, and some outdoor musical instruments inside the fence.

This is a great little park for an afternoon excursion with kids. In addition to the playing…read morefields, there are lighted tennis and basketball courts for evening play. We went with our 2yr old to check out the play area. It is very well done and arranged. It is ADA compatible which in addition to being accepting to everyone makes being a parent easier, ease of access to high areas. My daughter loved the slide that was essentially a string of rolling pins. The only slide of its design I've come across. There are plenty of swings and there is a nice covered area with picnic tables. It is completely enclosed and gated, so it takes a bit for the little ones to get away! Always a plus. In the play area there is a sand box with some shovels, the sand is pretty well used at this point and isn't all that soft but it's useable. There is also a really fun little pipe instrument setup with the gates. If you venture across the street there is some hiking trails in the woods, nothing overly long or daunting but it was nice for a stroll in the woods with the baby and the the dog.

Paugussett State Forest is a nice park, located along Lake Zoar. It's a nice little park, with a…read morewaterfall and nicely blazed trails, including one of the blue blazed trails, the Zoar Trail. There's not much here in the way of facilities, it being a state forest and not one of the CT parks. There's a lot, that actually fills up pretty quickly, so arriving earlier in the day is better. The views are nice of the river/lake, and the trail is well maintained.

Hiked all the way to Prydden Falls. It was great. The trail was maintained well enough. It is…read moredefinitely a bit strenuous as some places the trail is quite rocky and I can imagine it being quite slippery when wet or when it snows and it's icy. There was also a big tree across our path but nothing insurmountable. We chose to go under it rather than over or around. But one better be limber enough, as my husband got quite the scratch on his back from coming up too soon.