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State Park Overview |
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Trails |
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Most hiking trails start and end in the main picnicking area. Each trail is a color-coded loop with the exception of the Nature Trail built by the Youth Conservation Corps. This trail encircles Lake Louise and passes by the pinnacle overlook.
An extensive trail system is maintained in cooperation with the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, which provides volunteer assistance. For information on volunteering for trail activities throughout the state contact the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, 16 Meriden Road, Rockfall, CT 06481 Telephone (860) 346-2372. |
History of the Area |
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A long wooded ridge dominates the sunset-side of the Connecticut River Valley in the vicinity of Hartford. Crested atop the northerly portion of the Talcott Mountain Range lies a sizable portion of the public domain, Penwood State Park. With this gift in 1944 to the citizens of Connecticut of nearly 800 acres, Curtis H. Veeder wished only that his beloved hilltop, "be kept in a natural state so that those who love nature may enjoy this property as I have enjoyed it."
Veeder was an industrialist, inventor and outdoorsman. Early maps of Penwood evidence Veeders engineering skill and demand for precise accuracy. Surveying, often after dark, he used a complex theodolite instrument and a flashlight to establish a true meridian line from the exact position of a star.
Ardent hikers, Veeder and his wife, Louise, built many trails from which to more intimately observe the wildlife, woodland phenomena and scenic vistas surrounding the mountain. Appropriately, a section of Connecticuts Blue Blazed Trail system, the Metacomet, now traverses much of Penwood.
In April, as the snow recedes, colorful wildflowers carpet gravelly pockets of soil. The trillium is common as are dutchmans breeches, hepatica, bloodroot, and trailing arbutus. Occasionally the hiker may glimpse the flight of a pileated woodpecker, turkey vulture or bald eagle.
Honoring the donors request, ground-fires, horses and camping are excluded from the activities at Penwood. |
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Area Accommodations |
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1790s inn on historic village green. Close to University of Connecticut. Seven guest rooms/suites with private baths, full breakfast. Antiques and hand-made furniture throughout. |
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More Info | |
Penwood State Park, located in Bloomfield, CT, offers almost 800 acres of four-season fun just a short drive from the Capitol City. | |
The beautifully appointed Heublein family dining room at Talcott Mountain State Park in Bloomfield ... Talcott Mountain State Park c/o Penwood State Park 57 Gun Mill Road Bloomfield, CT 06002 ... | |
... Great Brook Farm State Park in Massachusetts, the MDCs West Hartford Reservoir Complex and Penwood State Park in Connecticut, and a patrol is in the process of forming at Arcadia State Park in ... | |
... of the generally North-South running Talcott (avon) Mountain below Penwood State Park. I never skied there, but from what one of ... trails that led into Penwood State Park to the top of the ... | |
... 0856 Rocky Hill Dinosaur State Park 529-8423 Simsbury Penwood State Park 424-3200 Stratton Brook State Park 658-5593 Talcott Mntn ... Bike spply 693-8891 Simsbury Penwood State Park 424-3200 West ... | |
Gateway for the community offers information on real estate, local government or places of worship ... Hill Dinosaur State Park 529-8423 Simsbury Penwood State Park 424-3200 Stratton Brook State ... |
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From I-91 North or South take Exit 35B which is the Bloomfield Route 218 exit. This road is also known as Cottage Grove Road. Follow Cottage Grove Road heading west until you reach Route 185. Follow Route 185 heading for Simsbury. At the top of the hill, the entrance to Penwood will be on your right.
From I-84 East or West take the Route 44 Exit. Follow Route 44 heading west until the junction of Routes 10 and 202 in the town of Avon. Follow Route 10 north until you reach Route 185 in Simsbury. Follow Route 185 heading for Bloomfield. At the top of the hill, Penwood is on your left. |
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