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Pachaug State Forest

Coordinates:41°36′05″N71°53′09″W/ 41.60139°N 71.88583°W/41.60139; -71.88583
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Pachaug State Forest
The Rhododendron Sanctuary Trail
Map showing the location of Pachaug State Forest
Map showing the location of Pachaug State Forest
Location in Connecticut
Map showing the location of Pachaug State Forest
Map showing the location of Pachaug State Forest
Pachaug State Forest (the United States)
LocationNew London,Connecticut,United States
Coordinates41°36′05″N71°53′09″W/ 41.60139°N 71.88583°W/41.60139; -71.88583[1]
Area28,804 acres (116.57 km2)[2]
Elevation459 ft (140 m)[1]
Established1928[3]
Governing bodyConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
WebsitePachaug State Forest
Designated1973

Pachaug State Forestis the largestforestin theConnecticutstate forest system, encompassing over 27,000 acres (110 km²) of land. It is located on theRhode Islandborder inNew London County,and parcels of the forest lie in the towns ofVoluntown,Griswold,Plainfield,Sterling,North Stonington,andPreston.[4]The forest was founded in 1928, but most of the land came from purchases made later during theGreat Depression.It is named after thePachaug River,which runs through the center of the forest. The forest is part of theNortheastern coastal forestsecoregion.[5]

Features[edit]

Great Meadow[edit]

ThePachaug-Great Meadow Swampportion of the park was declared aNational Natural Landmarkin May 1973 due to itsAtlantic white cedarswamp.[6]This type of forest is at risk of being succeeded byhemlock.[7]

Hiking trails[edit]

There are four popular hiking trails, maintained by theConnecticut Forest and Park Association,that run through Pachaug State Forest.

  • ThePachaug Trailruns about 30 miles (48 km) in an east-west route that follows a horse-shoe curve north. It begins at the northern end of Pachaug Pond and ends at Green Fall Pond.
  • TheNehantic Trailis a route just under 15 miles (24 km) that begins at Green Fall Pond near the Pachaug Trail trailhead and runs northwest to RT 201 near the Pachaug River.
  • TheQuinebaug Trailruns North-South for about 7 miles (11 km) from the junction of Breakneck Hill Road and the Nehantic-Quinebaug Trail Crossover to its northern terminus at Spaulding Road.
  • TheNarragansett Trailruns from the southwest to the northeast, starting fromLantern Hillin North Stonington. TheNarragansett Trailleaves the State Forest at the Connecticut/Rhode Island boundary; it entersYawgoog Scout Reservationin Rhode Island and later ends at Ashville Pond in the village of Canonchet inHopkinton,Rhode Island.

The handicap (wheelchair) accessible Rhododendron Sanctuary Trail (which includes a planked wooden boardwalk section) in the Pachaug State Forest's Herman Haupt Chapman Management Area is spectacularly scenic when the Rhododendron are in bloom (June and July).

There are several dirt and gravel road trails that cross Pachaug State Forest; Trail 1, Trail 2, the Main Drive, and Stonehill Road. In combination with dozens of unmarked side trails, this makes for easy mountain biking terrain that has become popular among locals.

Some trails and roads are marked as multi-use. One such is theEndurooff-road motorcycle trail which winds through Pachaug State Forest. On non–multi-use hiking trails in the forest, however, there is clearly both unauthorized vehicular and unauthorized equestrian use.

Motorcycling[edit]

The 58-mileEndurotrail in Pachaug State Forest is marked (on turns and intersections on trees) with white labels containing a red arrow pointing in the trail's direction. The route follows a mix of forest trails and public roads (therefore requiring both a valid current motorcycle registration and motorcycle driver's license rather than ATV registration).[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Pachaug State Forest".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^Legislative Program Review & Investigations Committee (January 23, 2014)."State Parks and Forests: Funding"(PDF).Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. p. A-3.RetrievedMarch 20,2014.
  3. ^"Pachaug State Forest".State Parks and Forests.Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.RetrievedJuly 31,2014.
  4. ^"Connecticut State Forests Seedling Letterbox Series - Clues for Pachaug State Forest".State Parks and Forests.Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.RetrievedJuly 31,2014.
  5. ^Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001)."Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth".BioScience.51(11): 933–938.doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^"Pachaug-Great Meadow Swamp".National Natural Landmarks Program.National Park Service. June 28, 2012.RetrievedJuly 31,2014.
  7. ^"Connecticut's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy"(PDF).Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. October 1, 2005. pp. 4-22–4-23.RetrievedJanuary 10,2009.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^"Pachaug State Forest Chapman Area".State Parks and Forests.Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.RetrievedJuly 31,2014.

External links[edit]

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