Naugatuck State Forest – West Block

Connecticut State Forest

2000 acres in Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, and Oxford, CT

Parking:

Trail Map                  Trails: 16 miles                 Rating: ★★★★★


Spruce Brook Falls is located in the west block of the Naugatuck State Forest and is also known locally as Toby’s Rock Mountain.  One of the five blocks of this state forest, it is the large tract west of Rt-8.  There are over 16 miles of multi-use trails (non-motorized except snowmobiles).  The main attractions are the falls along Spruce Brook culminating in a large cascade (see photo above) in a ravine at the end of the blue trail.  There are also two overlooks one at the end of the red trail and the other .2 miles up the purple trail.  Both provide views of Rt 8 and the Naugatuck River Valley.

The hiking here is definitely a hidden gem given the long pitted dirt road to the parking area.  It should be passable spring through fall and is closed in the winter.  Although parking just outside the gate still allows access during the winter or for those wary for their car.

The west block is also home to the High Rock Shooting Association Rifle Range as well as the Seymour Reservoirs.

History:

Established in 1931. I was contacted by Hiker Tom (see the link below) who blazed the existing trails around 2015.  From our conversation,

I had permission from the forester to blaze the trails. I worked within the existing color scheme and then added others on trails that had no colors. The gorge was traditionally blue. The project is complete. The forest certainly needs other work, but my main trail work focus is West Rock Ridge State Park. I hope that someone can come along who can maintain it.

Links:

The information shown here is for general reference purposes only. exploreCT.org gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or reliability of this data. Parking in all areas, whether designated here or not, is at your own risk. exploreCT.org is not responsible for any damage or loss to vehicles or contents.

Visited 10357 times, 1 Visits today

Related Listings

Quaddick State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.957243, -71.817554

Quaddick State Park Connecticut State Park 116 acres in Thompson, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 818 Quaddick Town Farm Rd, Thompson, CT Trail Map       …

Talcott Mountain

★★★★★

41.835607, -72.791504

Talcott Mountain Connecticut State Park 574 acres in Avon, Bloomfield, and Simsbury, CT Parking: Lots of parking near 560 Simsbury Rd, Bloomfield, CT Trail Map     …

Shenipsit Trail: North Terminus

★★☆☆☆

24 Greaves Rd, Stafford Springs, CT 06076, USA

Shenipsit Trail: North Terminus Connecticut State Forest and Blue Blaze Trail 716 acres in Somers and Stafford, CT Parking: North Parking: Shoulder parking near 24 Greaves Rd,…