Pachaug State Forest

Infobox_protected_area | name = Pachaug State Forest

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caption = Map of Connecticut
locator_x = 275
locator_y = 93
location = New London County
nearest_city = Voluntown, CT
coords = coord|41|34|N|74|50|W
area = 27,000 acres (110 km²)
established = 1928
governing_body = Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Pachaug State Forest is the largest forest in the Connecticut state forest system, encompassing over 27,000 acres (110 km²) of land. It is located on the Rhode Island border in New London County, and parcels of the forest lie in the towns of Voluntown, Griswold, Plainfield, Sterling, North Stonington, and Preston. The forest was founded in 1928, but most of the land came from purchases made later during the Great Depression.

The forest is named after the Pachaug River, which runs through the center of the forest.

There are four popular hiking trails, maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, that run through Pachaug State Forest. The Pachaug Trail runs about 30 miles in an east-west route that follows a horse-shoe curve north. It begins at the northern end of Pachaug Pond and ends at Green Fall Pond. The Nehantic Trail is a route just under 15 miles that begins at Green Fall Pond near the Pachaug Trail trailhead and runs northwest to RT 201 near the Pachaug River. The Quinebaug Trail runs North-South for about 7 miles from the junction of Breakneck Hill Road and the Nehantic Trail Crossover to its northern terminus at Spaulding Road. The Narragansett Trail runs from the southwest to the northeast, starting from Lantern Hill in North Stonington. The Narragansett Trail leaves the State Forest at the Connecticut/Rhode Island boundary; it enters Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rhode Island and later ends at Ashville Pond in the village of Canonchet in Hopkinton, Rhode Island.

There are several dirt and gravel road trails that cross Pachaug State Forest; Trail 1, Trail 2, The main Drive, and Stonehill Road. In combination with dozens of unmarked side trails, this makes for easy mountain biking terrain that has become popular among locals.

"See also:" List of Connecticut state forests

External links

* [http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/forests/pachaug.htm CT DEP site]
* [http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/forestry/centen/pachaug.htm More from CT DEP]
* [http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/forestry/centen/clueslet.htm List of CT State Forests]
* [http://www.ctxguide.com/ctxguide_215.htm Connecticut Explorer's Guide] Online map of Pachaug State Forest.
* [http://www.ctwoodlands.org/ Connecticut Forest and Park Association]
* [http://www.mdc.net/~dbrier/yawgoog/trails/ The Story of the Yawgoog Trails]