Nepaug State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
1,349 acres27.7 mi of trail
Jump Line
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in New Hartford
New Hartford has 79 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
13% of New Hartford’s land is conserved, about 3,156 acres. 283 acres are parks and preserves, 42 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Nepaug State Forest (27.7 mi), Camp Sequassen (7.1 mi), Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land (6.6 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #64 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
3,156 acres · of 37.0 sq mi of land
Trails
79 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
283 ac
42 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,181 ft
Cotton Hill
Lakes & rivers
27
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is New Hartford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does New Hartford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Hartford is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #64 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of New Hartford’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (79 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land42 acres of park per 1,000 residents (283 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home41% 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 84%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 59%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so New Hartford’s 13% is ahead of 40% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% 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 Nepaug State Forest, with 27.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Camp Sequassen
Managed by Connecticut Yankee Council
480 acres7.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
686 acres6.6 mi of trail
Farmington River TurnpikeHorse Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Nepaug Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by The Metropolitan District
1,801 acres5.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Brodie Park
Managed by Town of New Hartford
205 acres3.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Goula Open Space Area
Managed by Town of New Hartford
102 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
NHLT Sabolcik Preserve
Managed by New Hartford Land Trust
90 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kingdom Game Club
Managed by Kingdom Game Club Inc.
450 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Nepaug State Forest1,349 acres · 27.7 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsCamp Sequassen480 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · Connecticut Yankee Council
DirectionsBarkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land686 acres · 6.6 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsNepaug Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land1,801 acres · 5.1 mi of trail · The Metropolitan District
DirectionsBrodie Park205 acres · 3.5 mi of trail · Town of New Hartford
DirectionsGoula Open Space Area102 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Town of New Hartford
NHLT Sabolcik Preserve90 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · New Hartford Land Trust
DirectionsKingdom Game Club450 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Kingdom Game Club Inc.
NHLT South Nepaug Brook Preserve49 acres · 1 mi of trail · New Hartford Land Trust
DirectionsCedar Swamp Wildlife Management Area110 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
Camp Workcoeman83 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Boy Scouts of America
Ken Eric Noel Preserve12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · New Hartford Land Trust
Browns Corner Recreation Area17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of New Hartford
DirectionsNHLT Crockett Preserve28 acres · New Hartford Land Trust
Maple Hollow16 acres · Town of New Hartford
Satan's Kingdom State Recreation Area13 acres · State of Connecticut
DirectionsCallahan Park4 acres · New Hartford Village Fire District
Who protects it
3,156 conserved acres
13% of New Hartford’s land. Who manages New Hartford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners485 ac
State conservation337 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits303 ac
Other state land72 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government21 ac
Town or city10 ac
Not recorded2,621 ac
Private Conservation · 1,281 acUnknown Easement · 1,026 acLocal Other or Unknown · 440 acState Conservation Area · 241 acLocal Park · 201 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 598 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 117 of 131 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 857 | Unknown |
| Kingdom Game Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 354 | Unknown |
| Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 241 | Unknown |
| Brodie Park Local Park | Not recorded | 196 | Unknown |
| Nepaug State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 162 | Unknown |
| Jones Mountain Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 157 | Unknown |
| Goula Open Space Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Camp Workcoeman Private Conservation | Not recorded | 78 | Unknown |
| Surdam Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 72 | Unknown |
| Regents Park Private Conservation | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in New Hartford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in New Hartford
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in New Hartford
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in New Hartford
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in New Hartford
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Scenic views in New Hartford
Romeyn A. Spare LookoutIn Nepaug State Forest
DirectionsPlus 9 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in New Hartford
Cotton Hill1,181 ft elevation
DirectionsWest Hill1,076 ft elevation
DirectionsYellow Mountain1,017 ft elevation
DirectionsJones Mountain965 ft elevation
DirectionsBee Mountain935 ft elevation
DirectionsGarrett Mountain902 ft elevation
DirectionsHolcomb Hill692 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in New Hartford
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in New Hartford
DEEP campsiteIn Nepaug State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 27 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.0 miUnpaved · 14.2 mi
Farmington River Turnpike1.0 mi
Butler Trail1.0 mi
Horse Trail0.6 mi
Jump Line0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Atwood SwampChase PondCollinsville ReservoirreservoirCreevey PondDezzain PondDietz PondFattore PondFishers Pond No 1Grays PondHoliday PondJones PondLaurel LakereservoirNepaug MarshNepaug ReservoirreservoirNew Hartford ReservoirreservoirRizzo PondreservoirSekulski Brothers DamSholom PondreservoirSnowmaking PondlakeSurdam PondWest Hill PondpondWhite PondWoodland PondEast Branch Farmington RiverFarmington RiverNepaug RiverWest Branch Farmington River
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.
NepaugBike route
13.1 miCourts & fields
5Tennis
4Basketball
3Baseball
2Pickleball
1Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
1Skate park
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in New Hartford: 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) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in New Hartford →
Next door
New Hartford and its neighbors
New Hartford has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Burlington112 miNew Hartford79 miBarkhamsted54 miCanton51 miHarwinton46 miTorrington30 miNorthwest Harwinton9.7 miCollinsville2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hartford | 13% | 2.1 | 42 | 41% | A− |
| Canton | 14% | 2.1 | 9 | 48% | B+ |
| Torrington | 22% | 0.8 | 47 | 69% | A |
| Harwinton | 14% | 1.5 | 38 | 17% | A− |
| Barkhamsted | 24% | 1.5 | under 1 | 4% | B− |
| Collinsville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northwest Harwinton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Burlington | 7% | 3.8 | 18 | 36% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Hartford
Where can I hike in New Hartford?
The longest trail networks: Nepaug State Forest, 27.7 miles; Camp Sequassen, 7.1 miles; Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land, 6.6 miles; Nepaug Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land, 5.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Hartford is conserved land?
13% 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 New Hartford’s trails?
Nepaug State Forest and Camp Sequassen don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near New Hartford?
15,161 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Hartford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 284 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does New Hartford have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #64 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 New Hartford 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 →