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Description
Old Furnace State Park
367 acres in Killingly, CT
Parking:
- Medium lot available near 450 S Frontage Rd Danielson, CT
- Medium lot at the end of the Forest Rd near 223 Ross Rd Danielson, CT
Trail Map Trails: 3 miles Rating: ★★★★☆
The main feature of Old Furnace State Park is Ross Cliffs, a tall cliff edge, rare in eastern CT. With many trails, Old Furnace is a great hiking spot in this corner of the state with great views as well as opportunities for fishing, boating, and rock climbing.
Hiking
As you’ll see if you watch the movie below, I often treat this park as a kind of choose your own adventure. It is one of my favorite spots to bring someone for a couple mile hike. I’ll ask them if they want to start at the main trailhead and take the longer hike in or start near Ross Pond and take the steep hike right up to the cliffs.
From the main parking area, the trail heads downhill towards Fall Brook. An easy jump over the brook offers trails heading off in several directions but there is a new bridge freshly built in January 2023 for more conventional hikers. I recommend following the brook downstream just a bit below the bridge to catch the small waterfall before following the main trail towards Lower Ross Pond. Though you could follow the stream up a bit for a couple peaceful areas next to tiny cascades.
Well worn trails through this area all lead past a massive old tree and then a bridge, built around 2014. A freshly blazed orange trail winds 0.63 miles gradually uphill past numerous mushroom covered trees to rejoin the main trail just north of the cliff overlooks.
However if you continue straight off this bridge at the next fork you can choose the right fork to walk through high pines or left to get the low pond view. Either will bring you around to the cliffs but there will be a steep climb either way.
The cliffs are about 500 feet of ridgeline with one main viewing area and a handful of smaller spots. The view east looks over the bowl of Lower Ross Pond to the next set of hills over a dramatic 100′ drop. You’ll often have to share this popular overlook with other hikers or increasingly, mountain bikers.
From the Ross Pond parking area or from the pond trails you can also walk the base of the cliffs for a different experience, there are rough, but increasingly well maintained, trails thanks to the spot’s popularity for rock climbing. If you’re feeling helpful bring a trash bag and grab some of the trash thrown from the cliffs.
A CFPA maintained trail also continues to the park’s southern border along Squaw Rock Rd into the adjacent Ross Pond State Park.
There is along history of rock climbing here dating back to the 1950s. The main sport route ‘La Mesa’ was chopped by a disgruntled local after the route was featured in Rock and Ice Magazine in April 2013. Thankfully a number of sport routes have been rebolted and there are plenty of top rope and trad climb options.
Upper and Lower Ross Pond are popular for fishing and it seems the main catch here are bass and pickerel. There is a boat launch at Ross Pond State Park.
Mountain Biking
This spot is increasingly becoming popular with mountain bikers coming from the Ross Pond area.
NEMBA has this to say about the rides here:
A ride can be upwards of 16 miles depending on how creative you get, but typically Old Furnace is the perfect place to sneak out for a 2 hour ride with a good amount of climbing.
Most of the trails are classic New England mountain biking; rocky, rooty and technical. The perfect example of this is a short steep rocky and rooty trail locals call Roots n Ladders, one climb up and you will understand where the name comes from. Another trail that that is the exact opposite; named Orange Crush, is approximately 3/4th of a mile of smooth climbing which leads up to a cliff lookout 200 feet above Upper Ross Pond, take the trail in reverse and it is a fast, smooth and flowy decent back towards the South Frontage Rd parking lot. There are also a couple fire road style trails that are perfect for beginners or just a mellow ride.
History:
Established as a state park in 1918 and expanded in 1963 with the addition of the ‘Ross Camp’ area, it was the site of a furnace along Fall Brook.
- 1809 – A grist mill is erected on the property, perhaps by owner Samuel Titus
- 1830 – Zephaniah Young, now the owner of the property, leases the land to Caleb Fenner for 3 years. The property consists of a dwelling and a grist mill.
- 1831 – The iron furnace has been constructed.
- 1833 – Both the furnace and and forge are in operation on the property.
- 1834 – Young sells 2 acres with a dwelling house and a furnace to his daughter Reba Hubbard.
- 1835 – Hubbard sells 7 acres with a dwelling and a furnace to Parsons Brainard.
- 1840 – Census reports 8 persons employed at the furnace.
- 1847 – Foundry moves to a site adjacent to the railroad on present day Furnace Street in Danielson.
- 1909 – After changing ownership several times, William Pike, now the owner of the “Old Furnace” property, sells it to the Town of Killingly for use as a park.
- 1918 – Town of Killingly sells 4.5 acres comprising “Old Furnace” to the State of Connecticut as a State Park.
- 1964 – The Ross Camp area is added to Old Furnace State Park.
Links:
Peter Marteka – A Strenuous, But Rewarding Hike At Killingly’s Old Furnace State Park (2015)
New England Mountain Biking Association – Old Furnace State Park
ClimbRI – Ross Rocks
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Last updated January 22nd, 2023
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