Roaring Brook Park

Roaring Brook Park

Cheshire Town Park and Naugatuck State Forest

75 acres in Cheshire, CT

Parking: Couple spaces and shoulder parking near 827 Roaring Brook Rd Cheshire, CT

Trail Map         Trails: 1 mile         Rating: ★★★☆☆

The main attraction of this park is Roaring Brook Falls the second tallest waterfall in the state at 80ft and tallest single drop.  The orange blazed trail is a one mile “lollipop loop” that intersects with the blue blazed Quinnipiac Trail. 

The main trailhead is off the end of Roaring Brook Rd.  You will pass an overgrown pond, picnic area, and tennis courts that are noted as “for Roaring Brook residents only” before rejoining the woods.  The trail just misses the remains of a giant chimney off to the left and then quickly ascends to the first overlook of the falls.  Everyone agrees that the steep hike up to falls is well worth it. 

For the very adventurous, a deep ravine winds its way up to the falls and is even more fun to follow than the trail along the side.  The ravine also provides the best view of the falls and the full roar. I caught the falls at their peak in the spring of 2016.

The trail continues past the falls until it meets up with the blue-blaze Quinnipiac Trail.

History:

Preserved on December 7, 1978.  From the Cheshire Land Trust site,

“Arrowheads tell of early men who hunted the woodlands and fished the watercourse of what came to be known as Roaring Brook on West Mountain (southern extension of Peck Mountain) in Cheshire. Foundation stones tell of an old mill powered by the falling water of this stream. Tumble-down rock walls tell of early farmers. Cedar stumps tell of former pastures now overgrown with encroached forest. Earlier Cheshire residents could tell of coaches and buggies that brought holiday visitors to view the impressive 80-foot, aptly named, cascades that in flood can be heard a mile away.”

Links:

• CTMQ – Roaring Brook Falls Park (2014)
• Peter Marteka – An Undulating Journey To The State’s Highest Falls (2012)
• Cheshire Trails Book (see page 11 for Roaring Brook)
• New England Waterfalls – Roaring Brook Falls

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Last updated: 2016