271 acres in Simsbury, CT
Parking: Large lot down the dirt road at 176 Great Pond Rd, Simsbury, CT
Trail Map Trails: 4.8 miles Rating: ★★☆☆☆
This Great Pond block of Massacoe State Forest hosts a surprising amount of unblazed trails, most of which are wide former forest roads, even the loop around the pond is fairly tame with a few rocky and/or wet spots.
The main hike here is the loop around the pond, which is about 1.5 miles depending on which of the alternate trails you take. There are a number of benches along the trail, only one of which actually had a good view of the pond (at least in the summer growth). The south and west sides of the pond appear to be mainly former pine plantations. As you reach the north end of the pond it switches to more of a wetland forest with larger older trees and denser native forest on the eastern side including a fantastic stand of rhododendrons. The best views of the 34 acre pond are from this side, there were egrets, herons, and a fair amount of Canadian geese in the shallow water. The south end of the loop is a earthen dam that was repaired in 2022.
Other and longer loops can be made in this property, though I have not yet explored them myself.
The main parcel of this state forest dates back to September 1968 when these parcels were willed to the state by James L. Goodwin (of Goodwin State Forest). From the state’s site:
Part of the legacy of Connecticut pioneer forester James L. Goodwin is that he recognized the need to preserve forest spaces long before others. The James L. Goodwin State Forest is dedicated to his work in eastern Connecticut, but his legacy spreads statewide, and Great Pond is a part of that. Here Goodwin began a commercial nursery in 1932. On 35 acres he developed a varied-age white pine plantation, the vestiges of which can still be seen in the pine grove south of the pond.
This property was featured in the 2024 Sky’s the Limit Hiking Challenge.
CTMQ – Great Pond Forest (2013)
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