CT State Parks and Forests Main Page Forest Location Great Pond Road Simsbury (Directions) Forest Contact Information Massacoe State Forest c/o Penwood State Forest 57 Gun Mill Road Bloomfield, CT  06002 860-242*-158 ACCESSIBILITY The forest is not handicapped accessible. HOURS: The forest is open from 8 am to sunset. PETS: Pets on a maximum 7 foot leash are permitted. STATE PARKS CONTACT INFORMATION: Email: dep.stateparks @ct.gov Telephone: (860) 424-3200 (866) 287-2757 (Toll Free in CT) Fax: (860) 424-4070

Massacoe State Forest Simsbury Massacoe State Forest consists of two separate blocks of woodland in Simsbury that combine to total 370 acres. The largest block, Great Pond, is home to the town’s biggest standing water body, while the 73 acre Massacoe block adjoins Stratton Brook State Park and provides diverse recreational opportunities. Activities Facilities Directions Map Overview Activities Great Pond Block Massacoe Block  Bird Watching  Bicycling Fishing  Hiking/Jogging  Hiking Letterboxing Additional Recreational Trail Use Information Facilities Great Pond Block:  Packed dirt parking, pit toilets, trails Massacoe Block:  Bike Trail Directions Great Pond Block: From the intersection of Routes 167 and 202 in Simsbury proceed west on Route 167 for 0.2 mile and turn right on Firetown Road. Follow Firetown Road for 0.8 mile and turn left onto Great Pond Road. Follow Great Pond Road for 1.6 miles and turn right into forest. Massacoe Block:  The Forest is most commonly accessed via the bike trail from Stratton Brook State Park. Fees There are no parking fees at Massacoe State Forest Map Hiking Map Overview In the midst of suburban development, Great Pond’s 297 acres of open space are a welcome relief.  Here nearly five miles of trails help you explore the relatively flat, quiet woodlands and provide access to Great Pond itself which, at 36 1/4 acres, is Simsbury’s largest open water body.  And it isn’t by accident it is preserved today. 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. It was his land, willed to the state after his death, which became the nucleus of today’s state forest. Bird watching has been popular here as the pond increasingly attracts resident and migratory populations of birds and waterfowl.  Spring and fall are particularly popular. A network of trails probes the 297 acres. The most popular is the pond loop trail which, at 1.25 miles, is a generally flat and easy to negotiate pathway.  The 73 acre Massacoe block has a history unto itself.  This section, about 1.25 miles SW of the Stratton Brook State Park’s beach area, abuts and is most easily accessed by Stratton Brook’s popular bike and walking rail trail. Here Goodwin set out to prove that land repeatedly burned by sparks and ash fly from the passing railroads could be productively renovated with proper forestry practices.  This experimental area is now forested with diverse deciduous trees including red oak, black oak, scarlet oak, white oak, red maple, sugar maple, birch, hickory and yellow poplar.  Though seemingly a small block, these 73 acres abut 319 acres of Simsbury open space, most noticeably Onion Mountain Park, which adjoins immediately to the west. Other Nearby State Recreation Areas Include: American Legion and Peoples state Forests, Barkhamsted  Location: Follow Route 44 west to Route 318 in Barkhamsted. Turn right (east) on Route 318 east to Pleasant Valley and follow signs. Activities: Camping, Cross-Country Skiing, Hiking, Hunting, Picnicking, Snowmobiling, Stream Fishing Charge: Weekends in season, campsite fee Penwood State Park, Bloomfield Location: Route 185 across from the Talcott Mountain parking area Activities: Biking, Hiking, Picnicking, Ski Touring, Vista Charge: None Stratton Brook State Park, Simsbury Location:  2 miles west of Simsbury on Route 309 Activities: Biking, Fishing, Hiking, Picnicking, Swimming Charge: Daily, in season Talcott Mountain State Park, Simsbury Location: from the intersection of routes 167 and 10 in Simsbury proceed south 1.75 miles to Route 185.  Turn left (east) and follow for 1.5 miles to park entrance. Activities: Hiking, Picnicking, Observation Tower (seasonal), Vista Charge: None   Related Links Guide to Onion Mountain -Simsbury Land Trust Connecticut Tourism Information Fishing Information

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