Peoples State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
2,806 acres26.1 mi of trail
Elliot Bronson Trail (blue/red)Walt Landgraf Trail (red)
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Riverton Historic District · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Barkhamsted
24% of Barkhamsted’s land is conserved: 5,516 acres
54 miles of mapped trail cross Barkhamsted, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Peoples State Forest (26.1 mi), Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land (11.1 mi), American Legion State Forest (5.2 mi). 4% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #151 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
5,516 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1 ac
0.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
4%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,381 ft
Pine Mountain
Lakes & rivers
10
5 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Barkhamsted?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Barkhamsted have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Barkhamsted is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #151 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Barkhamsted’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land0.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1 acre) · CT 22 · U.S. 13DParks close to home4% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 49%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 3%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Barkhamsted’s 24% is ahead of 77% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% of them.
Water is 7% of Barkhamsted’s area (3 of 39 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 22%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Peoples State Forest, with 26.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
7,003 acres11.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
American Legion State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
1,153 acres5.2 mi of trail
Henry Buck Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tunxis State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
917 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Camp Workcoeman
Managed by Boy Scouts of America
349 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Town of Barkhamsted property
Nature preserve
9 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Enders State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
359 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Peoples State Forest2,806 acres · 26.1 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsBarkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land7,003 acres · 11.1 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsAmerican Legion State Forest1,153 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsTunxis State Forest917 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsCamp Workcoeman349 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Boy Scouts of America
Town of Barkhamsted property9 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsEnders State Forest359 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsThe Village69 acres · Boulder Village Properties LLC
Colebrook Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land21 acres · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsRiverton Post 159 American Legion10 acres
Canton Land Conservation Trust3 acres
Mountainside Open Space1 acres · Town of Winchester
Joan Kenney Preserve1 acres
Who protects it
5,516 conserved acres
24% of Barkhamsted’s land. Water is left out: Barkhamsted has 36.3 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Barkhamsted’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land254 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits43 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government14 ac
Private owners13 ac
Not recorded5,205 ac
State Resource Management Area · 5,235 acLocal Conservation Area · 130 acPrivate Conservation · 91 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 28 acUnknown Easement · 27 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 15 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 27 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peoples State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,772 | Unknown |
| American Legion State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,178 | Unknown |
| Tunxis State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 577 | Unknown |
| Tunxis State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 341 | Unknown |
| Enders State Forest State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 254 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 126 | Unknown |
| Enders State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Canton Land Cons. Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 43 | Unknown |
| Granby Land Trust Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 43 | Closed |
| Parson Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
34 places to go in Barkhamsted
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Barkhamsted
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Barkhamsted
West Hill Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Barkhamsted
4 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Barkhamsted
11 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Barkhamsted
Pine Mountain1,381 ft elevation · In Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsWashington Hill1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsRagged Mountain1,020 ft elevation · In Peoples State Forest
DirectionsWorkcoeman OverlookIn Camp Workcoeman
DirectionsPicnic areas in Barkhamsted
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Barkhamsted
Austin F. Hawes Memorial CampgroundIn American Legion State Forest · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsCamp White Youth Group Camping AreaIn American Legion State Forest
DirectionsJames Stocking Youth Group Camping AreaIn Peoples State Forest
DirectionsRoaring Brook Camp AreaIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsWhite Pines Campsites
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miUnpaved · 16.4 mi
Elliot Bronson Trail (blue/red)1.9 mi
Henry Buck Trail1.6 mi
Walt Landgraf Trail (red)0.2 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Tennis
2Basketball
2Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Union Church/St. Paul's ChurchBuilding · listed 1985
About itAmerican Legion Forest CCC ShelterBuilding · listed 1986
About itPeoples Forest MuseumBuilding · listed 1986
About itOld Riverton InnBuilding · listed 1992
About itWilliam Moore Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itBarkhamsted Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999
About itRiverton Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Barkhamsted: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Barkhamsted →
Next door
Barkhamsted and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
New Hartford79 miGranby68 miBarkhamsted54 miCanton51 miHartland34 miWinchester23 miNew Hartford Center8.2 miWinsted2.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barkhamsted | 24% | 1.5 | under 1 | 4% | B− |
| New Hartford | 13% | 2.1 | 42 | 41% | A− |
| Hartland | 49% | 1.0 | 226 | 34% | A |
| Winchester | 14% | 0.7 | 104 | 76% | A |
| Granby | 29% | 1.7 | 36 | 63% | A |
| Winsted | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Canton | 14% | 2.1 | 9 | 48% | B+ |
| New Hartford Center | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Barkhamsted
Where can I hike in Barkhamsted?
The longest trail networks: Peoples State Forest, 26.1 miles; Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land, 11.1 miles; American Legion State Forest, 5.2 miles; Tunxis State Forest, 3.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Barkhamsted is conserved land?
24% of its land, against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Barkhamsted’s trails?
Peoples State Forest and Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Barkhamsted?
22,149 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Barkhamsted or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Barkhamsted have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #151 of 155 in Connecticut. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Barkhamsted neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →