Tunxis State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
8,969 acres28.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Morrowlong · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hartland
49% of Hartland’s land is conserved: 10,385 acres
416 acres are parks and preserves, 226 per 1,000 residents. 34 miles of mapped trail cross Hartland, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Tunxis State Forest (28.5 mi), Mill District Nature Preserve (1.9 mi), Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
49%
10,385 acres · of 33.0 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
416 ac
226 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,348 ft
Booth Hill
Lakes & rivers
11
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hartland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hartland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hartland is ahead of 88% 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 Hartland’s overall grade.
Conserved land49% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land226 acres of park per 1,000 residents (416 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Hartland’s 49% is ahead of 99% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 35% 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 Tunxis State Forest, with 28.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mill District Nature Preserve
Managed by Hartland Land Trust
133 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
4,643 acres0.8 mi of trail
South Lane No 2
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
American Legion State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
110 acres0.6 mi of trail
David K. Leff Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Colebrook Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
595 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bassett-Kell Preserve
Managed by Hartland Land Trust
22 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 11 parks & preserves
Tunxis State Forest8,969 acres · 28.5 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsMill District Nature Preserve133 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Hartland Land Trust
DirectionsBarkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land4,643 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsAmerican Legion State Forest110 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsColebrook Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land595 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsBassett-Kell Preserve22 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Hartland Land Trust
DirectionsPeoples State Forest297 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsHartland Recreation Area120 acres · Town of Hartland
DirectionsLoomis Institute101 acres · Loomis Institute
Berg Field8 acres
Enders State Forest5 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Who protects it
10,385 conserved acres
49% of Hartland’s land. Who manages Hartland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits184 ac
Private owners22 ac
Other state land5 ac
Not recorded10,195 ac
State Resource Management Area · 9,617 acPrivate Conservation · 174 acLocal Conservation Area · 160 acState Recreation Area · 124 acLocal Park · 117 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 138 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 22 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunxis State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 8,899 | Unknown |
| Tunxis State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 400 | Unknown |
| Peoples State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 313 | Unknown |
| Pasquariello Property Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 160 | Unknown |
| Farmington River Water Access State Recreation Area | Not recorded | 124 | Unknown |
| Mill District Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 122 | Unknown |
| Hartland Recreation Area Local Park | Not recorded | 114 | Unknown |
| Camp Alice Merritt Girl Scouts Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Restricted |
| Charles and Lois Beach Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 47 | Unknown |
| Cemetery Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Hartland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Hartland
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Hartland
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Hartland
Howells Pond Boat LaunchIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Hartland
Balance Rock CascadesIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsFalls Brook FallsIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsFalls Brook FallsIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionscascadeIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionscascadeIn Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hartland
Booth Hill1,348 ft elevation · In Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsCenter Hill1,289 ft elevation · In Peoples State Forest
DirectionsMorrison Hill1,214 ft elevation · In Tunxis State Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hartland
Camp Alice MerrittTown of Hartland
DirectionsCamp Mary Dean Vreeland (Girl Scouts)Connecticut Valley Girl Scouts
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.2 miHorses · 1.3 miUnpaved · 10.5 mi
David K. Leff Trail0.5 mi
South Lane No 20.1 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
2Baseball
1Soccer
1Basketball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Hartland: 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) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Hartland →
Next door
Hartland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartland | 49% | 1.0 | 226 | 34% | A |
| Granby | 29% | 1.7 | 36 | 63% | A |
| North Granby | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Barkhamsted | 24% | 1.5 | under 1 | 4% | B− |
| Colebrook | 25% | 1.5 | 9 | 15% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hartland
Where can I hike in Hartland?
The longest trail networks: Tunxis State Forest, 28.5 miles; Mill District Nature Preserve, 1.9 miles; Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land, 0.8 miles; American Legion State Forest, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hartland is conserved land?
49% 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 Hartland’s trails?
Tunxis State Forest and Mill District Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hartland?
35,078 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hartland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 440 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hartland have?
Ahead of 88% 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 Hartland 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 →