Old Furnace State Park
Managed by State of Connecticut
391 acres4 mi of trail
Blue TrailOrange Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Killingly
Killingly has 928 acres of parks, 52 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Killingly’s land is conserved, about 3,445 acres. The biggest trail networks: Old Furnace State Park (4 mi), Ross Pond State Park (0.6 mi), Owen Bell Park (0.6 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #116 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
3,445 acres · of 48.3 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
928 ac
52 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
4.6 mi paths
Highest peak
732 ft
Chestnut Hill
Lakes & rivers
50
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Killingly?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Killingly have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Killingly is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #116 of 155 in Connecticut. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Killingly’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land52 acres of park per 1,000 residents (928 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home46% 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 73%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 25%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Killingly’s 11% is ahead of 28% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 4% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Old Furnace State Park, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ross Pond State Park
Managed by State of Connecticut
72 acres0.6 mi of trail
Blue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Owen Bell Park
Managed by Town of Killingly
50 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Killingly Pond State Park Reserve
Managed by State of Connecticut
168 acres0.3 mi of trail
North South Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 23 parks & preserves
Old Furnace State Park391 acres · 4 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
DirectionsRoss Pond State Park72 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
Owen Bell Park50 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Killingly
DirectionsKillingly Pond State Park Reserve168 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
Cat Hollow Town Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Killingly
DirectionsDavis Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Killingly
DirectionsQuinebaug Wildlife Area18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
Killingly Little League Complex16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Killingly
Chase Reservoir Conservation Area444 acres · Town of Killingly
Ross Marsh Wildlife Area255 acres · State of Connecticut
Quandoc Conservation Area227 acres · Town of Killingly
Snake Meadow Club116 acres · Snake Meadow Club, Inc.
Rainsford B. Sherman Memorial Forest82 acres
Edward R. Laby Memorial Preserve81 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
1892 Conservation Area70 acres · Town of Killingly
Yosemite Valley Preserve45 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Dunn Preserve30 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Kogut Preserve19 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Mason Hill Conservation Area19 acres · Town of Killingly
Schneider Preserve10 acres · Wyndham Land Trust
Danielson Lions Park5 acres · Town of Killingly
Old Breakneck Hill Road Open Space3 acres · Town of Killingly
Natchaug State Forest2 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Who protects it
3,445 conserved acres
11% of Killingly’s land. Who manages Killingly’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city401 ac
Other state land208 ac
State conservation192 ac
Private owners75 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1 ac
Not recorded2,663 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,188 acState Park · 789 acPrivate Conservation · 425 acState Conservation Area · 328 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 220 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 142 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 99 of 113 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 1,825 | Unknown |
| Old Furnace State Park State Park | Not recorded | 375 | Unknown |
| Ross Marsh Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 251 | Unknown |
| Chase Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 188 | Unknown |
| Quinebaug Lake State Park Scenic Reserve State Park | State conservation | 180 | Open |
| Killingly Pond State Park Scenic Reserve State Park | Not recorded | 162 | Unknown |
| Ross Pond State Park State Park | Not recorded | 72 | Unknown |
| Town Open Space (Route 12 North) Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Owen Bell Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Snake Meadow Brook Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 59 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Killingly
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Killingly
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Killingly
Mitchell D. Phaiah Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Killingly
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Killingly
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Killingly
Chestnut Hill732 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Hill705 ft elevation
DirectionsSlater Hill653 ft elevation
DirectionsAlva Pond Hill646 ft elevation
DirectionsBreakneck Hill640 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Hill587 ft elevation
DirectionsMashentuck Mountain587 ft elevation
DirectionsCook Hill564 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Horse Hill541 ft elevation
DirectionsHalf Hill522 ft elevation · In Old Furnace State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 50 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.6 mi
Blue Trail2.1 mi
Orange Trail0.3 mi
North South Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Acme PondlakeAlexander LakelakeAlvia Chase ReservoirreservoirBallouville PondreservoirBear Hill PondlakeBog Meadow ReservoirreservoirBorder PondBreakneck PondCemetery PondChase PondlakeChase ReservoirreservoirColwell PondlakeCook Hill Road PondlakeDayville PondreservoirEddy Pray ReservoirreservoirElliotville PondreservoirElmville PondreservoirEversons PondFivemile PondreservoirFurnace PondlakeGoodyear PondlakeHopkins PondreservoirHygeia ReservoirreservoirKillingly PondKillingly Worsted Co. PondLake AlbertreservoirLake BellelakeLake MitchelllakeLittle PondlakeLower Ross PondlakeMiddle ReservoirreservoirP & A ReservoirPeep Toad PondreservoirQuinebaug PondRoss Marsh PondreservoirRoss PondSmall PondSmith PondlakeTetreault PondTriangle PondlakeWare PondlakeWarsaw PondreservoirWheatons PondlakeWhetstone Brook ReservoirreservoirWhitestone PondlakeWollows PondpondBorder PondFive Mile RiverQuinebaug RiverWhetstone Brook
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
8Tennis
2Basketball
2Soccer
2Beach volleyball
2Tracks
2Multi-sport
1Softball
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 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Elliottville Lower MillBuilding · listed 1982
About itDayville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itKillingly High School, OldBuilding · listed 1992
About itDanielson Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itBroad Street-Davis Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1998
About itOld Westfield CemeterySite · listed 2010
About itTemple Beth IsraelBuilding · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Killingly: 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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 46 | 59 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Killingly →
Next door
Killingly and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pomfret39 miPlainfield23 miKillingly22 miFoster14 miPutnam9.3 miBrooklyn5.9 miEast Brooklyn1.0 miDanielson0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killingly | 11% | 0.5 | 52 | 46% | B+ |
| Brooklyn | 9% | 0.2 | 14 | 39% | B− |
| East Brooklyn | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pomfret | 33% | 1.0 | 250 | 32% | A |
| Putnam | 7% | 0.5 | 8 | 73% | B |
| Danielson | 3% | 0.2 | 1 | 87% | C+ |
| Plainfield | 14% | 0.5 | 7 | 50% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Killingly
Where can I hike in Killingly?
The longest trail networks: Old Furnace State Park, 4 miles; Ross Pond State Park, 0.6 miles; Owen Bell Park, 0.6 miles; Killingly Pond State Park Reserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Killingly is conserved land?
11% 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 Killingly’s trails?
Old Furnace State Park and Ross Pond State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Killingly?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Killingly?
11,736 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Killingly or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 928 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Killingly have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #116 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 Killingly 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 →