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Description
Dividend Pond Trails and Archaeological District
68 acres in Rocky Hill, CT
Parking: Medium sized lot near 8 Old Forge Rd, Rocky Hill, CT
Trail Map Trails: 3 miles Rating: ★★★★☆
Dividend Pond offers a little bit of everything in a relatively small package: a stunning waterfall, ruins, easy hiking trails, mountain bike singletrack, and even a rough vista at the far end of the property.
Hiking
From the parking area on Old Forge Road you can easily walk down a set of stone step right to a triple tier waterfall that drops about 28 feet total. This waterfall is sneakily great often falling middle of the pack for most people, but even during a summer drought it was running strong.
Near the base and top of the falls are historical ruins of the Bulkeley’s Corne Mill and C.E. Billings Manufacturing Co. A short loop heads off in either direction around the lower pond or uphill a bit around Upper Pond. The water doesn’t look particularly inviting in either pond but there was plenty of amphibians in the lower and some surprisingly large fish in the shallow upper pond.
The trails are easy and wide north of the pond on packed sandy gravel continuing all the way to a gate at the end of Pleasant Road. From there you can cut over a bridge through the area of Steven’s Toy factory (1865) for a shorter loop or continue down the road to June’s Green Trail (named for June Cooke who did most of the research on the mill ruins) or another bridge to the Yellow Loop which provides a view of the sandy open space towards the Connecticut River.
Returning on the white trail follows the rocky bank along the marsh and pond back to the waterfall and parking area. The extra adventurous can find dams and sluiceways, water-filled foundations, and abandoned staircases hidden throughout the park.
Mountain Biking
Over the course of 2020 a two mile mountain bike trail was put in largely thanks to Luis Moreira. The singletrack loop works well for beginners or intermediate riders and features twists and turns, logs to hop over, natural berms and wall rides, and even a skinny.
History:
Links:
- Waterfalls of New England – Dividend Falls
- NEMBA – Mountain Biking Dividend Pond
- Peter Marteka – A Return To Rocky Hill Park Pays Dividends (2015)
- Peter Marteka – Dividend Park, Rocky Hill (2008)
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Last updated August 14th, 2022
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