Housatonic State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
3,993 acres7.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Canaan
More than half of Canaan’s land is conserved: 51%
51% of Canaan’s land is conserved, about 10,667 acres. 1,416 acres are parks and preserves, 1,205 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Housatonic State Forest (7.3 mi), Great Mountain Forest (4.1 mi), Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
51%
10,667 acres · of 32.9 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,416 ac
1,205 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
60%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,916 ft
Bradford Mountain
Lakes & rivers
7
What kind of outdoors town is Canaan?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Canaan have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Canaan is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Canaan’s overall grade.
Conserved land51% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,205 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,416 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home60% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Canaan’s 51% is ahead of 99% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. 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 Housatonic State Forest, with 7.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Great Mountain Forest
Nature preserve
1,782 acres4.1 mi of trail
Crissey Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space
Managed by National Park Service
163 acres1.8 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Dean's Ravine
Managed by Connecticut Forest & Park Association
11 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Housatonic State Forest3,993 acres · 7.3 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsGreat Mountain Forest1,782 acres · 4.1 mi of trail
Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space163 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsDean's Ravine11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Connecticut Forest & Park Association
DirectionsThe Nature Conservancy (Canaan Mountain)(Easement)34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Page Road Swamp183 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Nature Conservancy139 acres
Town Of Canaan115 acres
The Nature Conservancy (Canaan Mountain (Foster))(Easement)6 acres
Who protects it
10,667 conserved acres
51% of Canaan’s land. Who manages Canaan’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,102 ac
Other state land2,092 ac
Private owners171 ac
National Park Service135 ac
Not recorded7,431 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,731 acState Resource Management Area · 2,866 acState Conservation Area · 2,488 acForest Stewardship Easement · 2,088 acUnknown · 1,587 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,350 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 77 of 110 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housatonic State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 2,866 | Unknown |
| Great Mountain Forest Unknown | Not recorded | 1,442 | Unknown |
| Robbins Swamp Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,342 | Unknown |
| Canaan Mountain Natural Area Preserve State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 1,146 | Unknown |
| Robbins Swamp Easement Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 276 | Unknown |
| Robbins Swamp Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 240 | Unknown |
| Town of Canaan Local Park | Not recorded | 163 | Unknown |
| Canaan Mountain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 155 | Unknown |
| Unknown Unknown | Not recorded | 147 | Unknown |
| Weantinogue Heritage Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 127 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Canaan
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Canaan
CascadeIn Housatonic State Forest
DirectionsDean's Ravine FallsIn Dean's Ravine
DirectionsGreat Falls
DirectionsPothole FallsIn Great Mountain Forest
DirectionsScenic views in Canaan
Lookout Point
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Canaan
Bradford Mountain1,916 ft elevation · In Housatonic State Forest
DirectionsStone Man Mountain1,732 ft elevation
DirectionsWangum Lake Hill1,709 ft elevation · In Housatonic State Forest
DirectionsThe Matterhorn1,634 ft elevation · In Great Mountain Forest
DirectionsCanaan Mountain1,581 ft elevation
DirectionsBarrack Mountain1,460 ft elevation · In Housatonic State Forest
DirectionsBarrack Mountain-South Peak1,276 ft elevation · In Housatonic State Forest
DirectionsCobble Hill1,257 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Beebe Hill1,040 ft elevation
DirectionsBattle Hill860 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Canaan
Dean's Ravine CampsiteIn Dean's Ravine
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 14.2 mi
Appalachian Trail1.5 mi
Crissey Trail0.2 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
4Tennis
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Canaan: May, July and August
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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Canaan →
Next door
Canaan and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaan | 51% | 0.8 | 1,205 | 60% | A |
| Salisbury | 42% | 1.0 | 514 | 45% | A |
| Falls Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Norfolk | 50% | 1.1 | 1,003 | 53% | A |
| North Canaan | 21% | 0.5 | 4 | 30% | B− |
| Cornwall | 44% | 1.2 | 225 | 42% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Canaan
Where can I hike in Canaan?
The longest trail networks: Housatonic State Forest, 7.3 miles; Great Mountain Forest, 4.1 miles; Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space, 1.8 miles; Dean's Ravine, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Canaan is conserved land?
51% 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 Canaan’s trails?
Housatonic State Forest and Great Mountain Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Canaan?
36,271 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Canaan or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,533 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Canaan have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Canaan 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 →