Mattatuck State Forest is a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia, a ...

spread over twenty parcels in the

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, Thomaston,

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

, Litchfield, and Harwinton. The

Naugatuck River The Naugatuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Its waters carve out the Naugatuck River Valley in the wes ...

runs through a portion of the forest. The largest section of the forest is located about north of Waterbury. The Leatherman's Cave, named after the vagabond

Leatherman Leatherman is an American brand of multitools and knives made by Leatherman Tool Group of Portland, Oregon. The company was founded in July 1983 by Timothy S. Leatherman and Steve Berliner in order to market his idea of a capable, eas ...

of the late 19th century, is located in Thomaston near the

Mattatuck Trail The Mattatuck Trail is an '' Blue-Blazed'' hiking trail that winds through Litchfield County and New Haven County in Western Connecticut. The mainline (official "Blue" "non-dot") trail is a fragmented linear trail with a northern trailhead which ...

, 1/4 mile west of the junction with the

Jericho Trail The Jericho trail is a '' Blue-Blazed'' hiking trail in the Oakville section of Watertown, near the border with Thomaston and Plymouth, Litchfield County, Connecticut. The trail is contained almost entirely in a section of the Mattatuck State ...

Recreation opportunities

The forest is crossed by several

Blue-Blazed Trails The Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail system, managed by the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA), and the related trail systems documented in the two volume ("East" and "West") 19th Edition of the "Connecticut Walk Book" comprise over 800 miles o ...

including the

, Hancock Brook Trail, and Whitestone Cliffs Trail. Trails in the forest on the west side of

Connecticut Route 8 Route 8 is a state highway in Connecticut that runs north–south from Bridgeport, through Waterbury, all the way to the Massachusetts state line where it continues as Massachusetts Route 8. Most of the highway is a four-lane freeway but t ...

include the following: *The 3.4-mile Jericho Trail, which runs from Echo Lake Road in Watertown to the junction of the Mattatuck Trail, just west of Crane's Overlook and the Rock Hou *Most of the 0.8-mile Branch Brook Trail is located in the forest, south of Reynolds Bridge Road in the town of Watertown. Trails in the forest on the east side of Route 8 include the following: *The 2.8-mile Hancock Brook Trail, which parallels the

Waterbury Branch The Waterbury Branch is a branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury, Connecticut. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winste ...

of Metro North. *The 1.7-mile Whitestone Cliffs Trail, located off Connecticut Route 262. The following trails are located on both sides of Connecticut Route 8: *The 1.6-mile long Jericho-Whitestone Connector runs from Connecticut Route 262 to the Whitestone Cliffs Trail on the east side of Connecticut Route 8 in the towns of Thomaston and Plymouth. *The Jericho-Whitestone Connector enters the forest north of the powerlines near Echo Lake Road in Watertown where it ends at the Jericho Trail. The Mattatuck Trail traverses several blocks of the forest: *In Plymouth, on the east side of Connecticut Route 8, the trail passes along an isolated block of the forest south of Scott Road, and another section south of Lake Plymouth extending to Mount Tobe Road. *In Thomaston, on the east side of Connecticut Route 8, from Carter Road to Waterbury Road. *In Watertown, on the west side of Connecticut Route 8, the trail passes by the highway, just south of Reynolds Bridge Road and extends to Bidwell Hill Road, where the trail enters the

Black Rock State Park Black Rock State Park is a seasonal public recreation area adjoining Mattatuck State Forest in the New England town, town of Watertown, Connecticut, Watertown, Connecticut. The state park covers and is known for its large rock face, Black Rock, ...

. The Whitestone rock climbing area is within the largest section of forest just east of the Naugatuck River. Top-roping techniques are used for heights of about . Trail access is from South Street.

References

External links

Mattatuck State Forest
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Mattatuck State Forest Map (Thomaston, Watertown)
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection {{ConnecticutTrailSystem Connecticut state forests Climbing areas of the United States Hiking trails in Connecticut Parks in Litchfield County, Connecticut Parks in New Haven County, Connecticut Watertown, Connecticut Thomaston, Connecticut

Litchfield Harwinton Protected areas established in 1926 1926 establishments in Connecticut

Recreation opportunities

Further reading

References

External links