Arguably the park’s standout features are its bodies of water, with trails running to and from the 18-acre Bigelow Pond, the 92-acre Breakneck Pond and the 300-acre Mashapaug Lake. ... Breakneck Pond is a 64-acre natural lake that was enlarged by a dam in 1888. In Bigelow Hollow State Park, five additional trails (along with the Nipmuck Trail) are maintained by CFPA, totaling approximately 20 miles. Bigelow Hollow State Park and the adjoining Nipmuck State Forest offer over 9,000 acres of recreation opportunities including miles of hiking trails, the 18 acre Bigelow Pond, and 300 acre Mashapaug Pond in Eastern Connecticut. As you descend from the rise, watch carefully for a sharp left turn in the trail after 100 feet.. TIME: 4½ hours (7:30am to midday). Even though the map appears riddled with trails, the hike does not feel this way. Breakneck Pond. DISTANCE: 7.8 miles. ... You have great access to the main Nipmuck Trail, which means you can hop back on and head out into the wild and breathtaking woodlands with ease. concerned recreational trail users whose goal is to promote safe and cooperative trail use by acting as an educational liaison between reservation managers and the public. At a green gate towards the rear of the parking area, you'll notice a triple red-dash-on-white blaze that marks the start of the Tuxedo–Mt. Ivy Trail. Yale Forest: Walker Mountain — 1.9 miles — This section heads up and up and up with a new spur trail to the Walker Mountain summit and then down through the Yale Forestry school; Bigelow Hollow (North Terminus) — 3.6 miles — Half hilly terrain and half along the rough yet peaceful shores of Breakneck Pond The Nipmuck Trail is a 34.5 mile CFPA Blue Blaze Trail shaped like an upside down ‘Y’ that stretches from The Massachusetts border in the north to Mansfield at its Southern terminii. We then proceeded down the main road of the camp about a 1/2 of a mile and turned right onto the Old Turnpike which has an … An easy hike without steep grades, but with a rugged surface in places peppered with rocks and roots. Breakneck Pond Campsite in Nipmuck, Connecticut | Explore the forested beauty that Nipmuck State Forest has to offer when you crash at Breakneck Pond campsite. The 6-plus-mile loop around Breakneck Pond can be challenging at times, but doesn’t come close to living up to its name. It is situated predominately in the town of Union in Tolland County, Connecticut, but the northern end of the pond extends partially into the town of Sturbridge, Massachusetts.BREAKNECK POND, Union-Massachusetts (92 acres) Walk-in access (approximately … Follow this trail uphill on a wide dirt road, then bear right at the power line clearing and continue along a dirt road parallel to the power lines. The Nipmuck Trail crosses open field, follows along ridges and woods roads, and provides a continuous spine to which numerous other trail systems connect. Nipmuck Trail – Ashford Connecticut. Map: Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails Map 118. Welcome Bigelow Hollow State Park & Nipmuck State Forest Union . The trail passes through the Yale Myers Forest. Just beyond the next power line tower, bear left under the power lines to a For more information, call (617) 698-1802. ROUTE: Counterclockwise loop of Breakneck Pond using the East Ridge, Nipmuck, Breakneck Pond View, Ridge, and unnamed trails. The section of trail directly north of RT 171 and south of Breakneck pond is a lightly used pristine footpath that is barely visible in some locations. START & FINISH: Parking area at north end of Bigelow Pond, Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union, CT (GPS 41.998711, -72.126300). 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