This is one of my absolute favorite places to hike! The trail around the main pond is very easy and a very short hike. There are also a few places that have picnic table sites for you to grill at! I always notice people fishing, and I see people in the water with their inflatables. There are a few other trails to hike, which I highly recommend! The birding here is also fantastic. This place is magical!! Bring the pups! .... One last thought, just be aware that service is very patchy here! read more

Gorgeous lake and nature trails in a scenic, quiet, rural area. Nature-filled beauty! Picnic tables are great and often busy on holidays/weekends. I love this serene, beautiful place! read more

Bigelow hollow is a pleasant place to picnic and spend the day. It has become crowded, so try it during the week. It is local to me. I have not yet kayaked there. When i do i will come back to report. read more

I am giving 2 stars which breaks my heart. The lake itself is what I considered a sanctuary. It's beautiful, the bottom is sandy gravel and the water is clear. Great swimming. Unfortunately people have no respect for the place or for others. Extremely loud music, with vulgar language and people are trash talking... acting like trash, leaving trash, and there's nobody monitoring people's behavior at all. People should have to show licenses and should be fined for behavior that destroys peace and the property. I like a good time, but this type of scene is disgraceful and so so sad. People are ruining a sanctuary that should be treasured and honored now and for our generations to come. Shame on those disrespecting and for the state and park not taking some action to prevent people from effing this place up and killing other's calm... of individuals, families and children. At least 4 to 5 sets of people came and left quickly the few times we've gone. Including us. Came back thinking it HAD to be an isolated incident. Nope. You escape out of the city to find some peace and refuge. After coming here for 40+ years my heart is heavy that a place i love has been allowed to deteriorate. Not because of natural causes, but bc people simply don't care. read more

Bigelow Hollow State Park is a gem, one of the nicest of the CT State Parks we visited while we were exploring the CT Sky's The Limit hiking challenge this year. We visited after Labor day, so it was a bit quieter than it sounds like it is during summer. There were still quite a few people in the upper parking lot, there to do some autumn boating. We were there to do some hiking, and so we went. We took the Mashapaug Pond View Trail, which was a nice 4 miles, mostly flat but with a lot of wandering. We got nice views of Mashapaug Pond, as well as some nice tree views and other foliage and forest views. The facilities are simple, but there are toilets at the trail head and in other areas of the park. There are picnic tables sprinkled around the area. There are other trails that link to the nearby Nipmuck State Forest. We didn't go on those trails this day, but definitely plan on coming back here in the future. read more

See all

Beautiful state park. Your dog will love it. People that live in Connecticut get in for free..

Beautiful place to take a walk. We love packing a picnic and just going for the day. Water is beautifully serene and is a delight to canoe or kayak. It is a very wooded out of the way place and so I wouldn't walk here alone read more

It's amazing that I had never been here before. We went on Sunday afternoon just to see what was the deal and what an amazing find. There are so many trails which i will have to come back discover. it was late already so we checked the picnic areas and ended up at the rock point section. The big boulders adds to ambiance of being far away and the clear water lake is wonderful. The whole place was relaxing with many places to discover. I loved seeing the boat lunch area and will consider bringing a kayak. I saw many people with little boats and canoes, going off to discover the little islands. This is a great place to unwind and relax for a day. The only dislike is that it gets busy on the weekends with many teenagers. although the sign says, no alcohol and haul out your trash, many seem to not do that. Many of the groups were picnicking which is great but also left behind trash. Also what is up with people being nature but bringing whole stereo system and blasting it. Kind of disturbs the quiet, relaxing feel of the forest. Maybe its too early in the season but there was guard on the entrance which looked closed. My hope is that the park doesn't get destroyed by trash and people respect the park to clean up after them selves. Over all this wonderful and beautiful place to visit for the day. and it can be relaxing as long you can a quit place in the woods away from the crowd. read more

Quite a beautiful park tucked away in Union. While visiting friends in nearby Putnam, we drove here to walk our friend's dog and ended up spending a pleasant few hours taking the blue-blazed Nipmuck Trail around Breakneck Pond. The pond itself is lovely. Small, but very picturesque, and the relatively easy blue trail winds right around it in a convenient loop. The park is very quiet, even on a sunny weekend, and we only ran into a few other groups the entire time. Parking is free and easily accessible. There is also a campsite and a few shelters. It may not be the most memorable park in the state, but if you're in the area, it makes for a very satisfying sunny afternoon walk. read more

This isn't the place it used to be. No peace here for a relaxing day of swimming and picnicking. Even during the week, lots of people and many people playing loud and disruptive music. read more

Bigelow Hollow is nice. There are no loop trails. But a complete loop around Breakneck Pond is 6 miles. For hikers desiring trails that start and end in the same place, the trails west of the park road both form loops and cover less of a distance than the trails leading to Breakneck. Picnic tables, pit toilets, and a boat lunch -- Bigelow Hollow is buzzing with activity during the warmer months. Park land surrounded by state forest -- Bigelow offers pond boating, fishing (in non-swimming areas), hiking & picnicking, kayaking & canoeing, cross-country skiing & snowshoeing. With crystal-clear water and no lifeguards, swimming is probably most popular. There are picnic areas and grill pits scattered about if you want to bring charcoal and grill lunch or have an afternoon picnic! A great day-trip, Bigelow Hollow is no-charge during the week, on weekends its $9 for CT residents and $15 for nonresidents. Also you'll need to haul out any trash that you bring in as there aren't any trash cans. read more

Bigelow Hollow State Park and the surrounding Nipmuck State Forest are a hidden gem in northeast CT. Combined, the area covers more than 9000 acres and has 3 separate ponds. *Tip for hikers: on weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day, they charge a fee at the main gate, but there is a parking area directly before the gate that is free (if you're going for a long hike anyway) The hiking trails are beautiful and varied, ranging from short and easy to long and difficult. There are really nice loops of 5-10 miles that can be done from the main entrance up around Breakneck pond and back down, and a 5 mile loop from the parking area at the top of Bigelow Pond that meanders through the forest and wraps around the southwest shoreline of Mashapaug Pond. The CT Nipmuck trail also starts at the north end of the park and travels 30+ miles down to Mansfield Hollow State Park. Yale-Myers forest, just south of Bigelow, is a privately-owned nature preserve open to the public and has many miles of trails as well. The one downside to this place is the weekend crowds at the picnic and swimming areas of Mashapaug Pond, and the picnic area at the north end of Bigelow Pond. I live nearby and go here almost every week, and I am appalled at they way people treat a state park...basically a lot of trashy, disrespectful people come here on summer weekend days and I have seen litter all over the place, signs and rocks spray painted on, fires built in the middle of the trail and left unattended(not kidding), and other sad things. I wish the DEP had the money to enforce the rules better. Basically, a beautiful place to hike short or long distance hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing or any other outdoor recreation you could imagine, as long as you avoid the small crowded areas on summer weekends. read more

Visited here today with my two young girls, 4 and 2, and we loved it. It's so pretty and we had a lot of fun walking around the trails. It'd be a great place to bring a picnic lunch with friends and family. read more

Great swim spot. Literally the warmest water around. I stop here a few times every summer. Its only an hr and a half from Boston so its not a bad drive. They have a few little grills and some picnick tables, although they usually get claimed early in the day. On a nice day this place gets packed...so I usually come earlier or later in the day and avoid the crowds. read more

Great picnic spot for a special summer date. Quiet , clean, free on weekdays, beautiful lake after a short hike through the woods, perfect spot to spend quality time alone with that certain someone read more

Unfortunately I'd love to give this place 5 stars based off of past experiences, but today's experience deserves this rating. In the past I've always loved coming here to swim because of the seclusion and beautiful water. I tried going there today and was greeted with an absolute mess. I paid my $9 to park and barely got down the drive only to be greeted by a man with a stop sign advising me to park and to walk the rest of the way. So, without being given much more of a choice I did. Little did I know it was about a 1 mile "walk" (more so a hike) to the main swimming area that was completely jam packed. I'm not talking packed like a good amount of people, I mean there wasn't a single spot available. After wandering around to different areas it was obvious every area would be the same: absolutely no room. So I ended up just making the hike back to my car. On my way out I asked for a refund because I wasn't even able to do what I came there for and had only been there for a total of about 45 minutes, possibly even yes. Of course, no refund was given. I'm writing this review because I believe it's unfair. Upon entering the main park, I should have been advised that there wasn't parking available near the main area and that a somewhat lengthy walk (for some people) was required. Also, the park should have been closed because it was at its capacity by the time I got there. But alas, they wanted to make money off of people and continue to let people "park" only to be greeted with absolutely nowhere to enjoy the day. read more

This is a wonderfully well-maintained State park with so much to offer. The trails are extensive and varied as far as difficulty and distance, there's a couple boat launches, awesome swimming spots, beautiful scenery, and if you know where to find the bald eagle nest you'll probably get to see a couple of baby eagles! Parking is very difficult during the summer weekends, so if you can get there Sun-thursday you'll have a better experience. read more

Such a hidden treasure. Everyone was there for the beaches, we were there for the hiking. A shame we were the only ones on the trail on such a beautiful day (although let's be real, I'm not complaining). The trail was very unique, the beginning three miles were very easy going, the last three miles were so much fun- climbing over small boulders, going up and down the crooks and valleys. These white flowers were blooming while we were there that just added to the atmosphere. A beautiful day trip! read more

Surprised at how loud it was at the lake area even when we hiked in a bit. Our walk around Bigalow pond was very nice but was quite disappointed at the party atmosphere around the larger lake. read more

For a quiet winter hike with the pooch, this spot is perfect. Trails are well marked and really just plain cool with the rocks left haphazardly by glaciers long ago. The lake is also beautiful making me long for warmer days & my kayak. I look forward to more trips here throughout the seasons. read more

Feels like a magical place...very Lord Of The Rings/Hobbit-like. Beautifully kept grounds & safe atmosphere. read more

See all

When I was a teenager, I visited Bigelow probably once a week. It was a great place to get together with friends and hang out on the water.

I love this place. Haven't been here in years but I have so many great childhood memories. I'm definitely ready nm to check it out asap

Great little winter hiking spot - have been a couple times in January/February and there's a nice 6-mile loop. Trailhead parking with a nearby outhouse. Microspikes are recommended to have on hand but you may not need them! read more

Recently they started to enforce trailer parking spots. Used to be you come there with a boat trailer and there are 3 cars parked in the trailer-designated spots. Now they have them blocked off until you drive in and they open one for you. Awesome! read more