This 280-acre park is very serene and has about 5-miles of trails. The trails were flat and semi wide; it's a very easy walk. There is a dirt road with large potholes that leads to a parking area. This park is named after, you guessed it, it's great 30-acre pond. The pond looked very still and lots of vegetation in it, I thought it was flat land at first glance. I heard a ton of bullfrogs when I went. The trail was very peaceful and serene, don't forget bug spray since the mosquitoes were rampant. There are all types of animals that hang around this pond; from black bears, deer, beavers, various birds, and water fowls. During the winter, there is ice skating on the pond. I did the pond loop trail, which was 1.25 miles. It was quiet and relaxing aside from the bugs. There were a couple of other cars in the lot so I know I wasn't alone. I always get nervous with bears but I didn't see any. There's another portion of this park called the Massacoe Block which is 73-acres of forest. This park abuts Stratton Brook State Park which also abuts Onion Mountain Park. read more

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Our recent tour of local parks brought us to a big one today. The Great Pond State Forest is jam packed with hiking and walking trails, as well as a beautiful 30-acre pond within its 296 acres of forest. We spent a few hours taking in the gorgeous views as we wandered around the trails which split off toward the Pond in a few places. There were a few families and solitary joggers out there, and I'm particularly grateful for the jogger who told us how to get back to the parking lot because we had truly become disoriented and lost out there. So go, and enjoy the views, and don't forget to sprinkle some breadcrumbs on the trail. read more

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The pond is shallow and filled with water lilies in the summer. The pond is surrounded by a pine forest and the whole area is quite different from any other place in CT. One plan, back in the day, was to drain the pond and grow cauliflower. Fortunately, this did not pan out. The pond has lots of aquatic life including birds, frogs and salamanders. In fact, zillions of salamanders can be seen in the spring. In the summer the bullfrogs and their allies make quite a ruckus near sunset. There is at least one black bear in the area and it hasn't attacked us yet. I don't have any safety worries about black bears. Mosquitoes leave me alone so I can't comment on their prevalence. The path around the pond is flat and mostly sandy making it a fine place for the dog. The place is also very popular with bird watchers, especially in the spring, and even I can spot some of the heron nests. There is a picnic table, right next to the pond, that is quite close to the entrance though I have never seen anyone using it for dining. --------- update Jan 2012: still lots of trees and branches down, the main path around is clear but the side paths are iffy read more