Bigelow Hollow State Park is public recreation area in the

town 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 ...

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

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 capita ...

, in the Quinebaug Highlands. The state park's border Nipmuck State Forest on the east and west and Mashapaug Lake on the north. The park and forest are located in a large hollow or depression approximately 700' below the surrounding ridgelines. They are managed by the

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. It ...

Surroundings

The state park is a significant feature of the Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor and is part of one of the largest unbroken forest tracts in Connecticut, which includes in the Nipmuck State Forest, in the

Yale-Myers Forest The Yale-Myers Forest is a 7,800-acre (32 km2) forest in Northeastern Connecticut owned by Yale University and administered by the Yale School of the Environment. Located in the towns of Union, Ashford, Eastford, and Woodstock, the forest ...

, in the Natchaug State Forest, of the Norcross Wildlife Refuge, and the of forest held by Hull Foresters. The state park was carved out of Nipmuck State Forest by the State Park and Forest Commission in 1949.

Activities and amenities

The park has been described as " mote by Connecticut standards," where a map and orienteering skills may be useful as the park is mostly

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

at lower elevations and trails can be lost in the thick forest density. The park and forest have over of trails, including several around Breakneck Pond, a secluded lake only accessible by foot. A boat launch and picnicking facilities are located on Bigelow Pond at the entrance to the park and on Mashapaug Lake, which is found near the end of the park's main road. Fishing is offered in summer and winter (

ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters Longe ...

). The streams, ponds and lakes feature stocked as well as native

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

, small and

large mouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

and pickerel. Backcountry camping is allowed in Nipmuck State Forest.

Snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

trails begin in the state park and continue into the state forest.

References

External links

Bigelow Hollow State Park
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Bigelow Hollow State Park Map
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection {{authority control State parks of Connecticut State parks of the Appalachians Parks in Tolland County, Connecticut Protected areas established in 1949 Union, Connecticut Nipmuck State Forest 1949 establishments in Connecticut