Nehantic State Forest

41°25′09″N 72°15′39″W / 41.41917°N 72.26083°W / 41.41917; -72.26083^[1]Area5,062 acres (20.49 km²)Elevation285 ft (87 m)^[1]Established1926 (1926)Governing bodyConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental ProtectionWebsiteNehantic State Forest

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.^[2] The forest, which totals 5,062 acres (2,049 ha),^[3] 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.^[4] It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Activities and amenities

The forest offers opportunities for hiking, hunting, picnicking, swimming and boating.^[2] The Lyme portion of the forest provides access to the 69-acre (28 ha) Uncas Pond^[5]^[6] and the 30-acre (12 ha) Norwich Pond.^[7]^[8] Boat launches are located on each pond. The ponds and their connecting stream, Falls Brook, sit at the western edge of Becket Hill State Park Reserve. No roads or trails pass from the state forest into the undeveloped and otherwise inaccessible 260-acre (110 ha) state park reserve^[9] though dirt park roads and the Blue-Blazed Nayantaquit Trail hiking trail system make much of the Lyme section (Western Block) of Nehantic State Forest easily accessible to the public.

References

^ ^a ^b "Nehantic State Forest". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ ^a ^b "Nehantic State Forest". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-3. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
^ "Clues for Nehantic State Forest". Connecticut State Forests Seedling Letterbox Series. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. April 30, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^ "Uncas Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "Uncas Lake" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. September 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
^ "Norwich Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "Norwich Pond" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. September 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
^ "Nehantic State Forest Map: Lyme" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. January 30, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nehantic State Forest.

Nehantic State Forest Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Nehantic State Forest Map: Lyme Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Nehantic State Forest Map: East Lyme and Salem Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Protected areas of Connecticut

National Park Service