What a sweet little swimming spot! I last went to Dean Pond when I was a wee one, and seem to…read moreremember a sad little swimming area, no facilities and a non-existent beach (think "muck" between your toes and slimy little pond plants!). So...I really didn't have high expectations for this outing, but the pond is less than 15 minutes from my parents' house, so....off we went. Clearly, things have changed! The beach is now well defined AND nice and sandy (no muck....and good quality "sand castle sand" to boot!). My son and I had a great time playing, swimming and generally goofing around. The entry fee (parking) is $5, but that buys you a nice picnic area, changing facilities, real bathrooms, and nicely cared for grounds with plenty of room for sitting under the giant pines or eating a picnic meal. We went mid-week, and while there was a bus-load of campers, they were gone by 1pm, and we practically had the place to ourselves. This will definitely be a "must-go" place for us whenever we visit the grandparents!

It used to be a nice place for a lunch but it needs work. Time has left it behind and it is a…read moredreary place. It is unfortunate that it has been so forgotten. Money needs to be allocated towards restoring this place so that it can be something the community can be proud of. Some trails where a few people walk dogs but not much else going on there.

Nice fishing and boating area mostly private property surrounding the Lake so you can't walk…read morearound it but is quiet and peaceful Small boats kayaks can be launched from small boat ramp

There is Lower, Middle and Upper Bolton Lake only Lower and Middle have boat launch areas. Upper…read moreBolton isn't very large and not worth kayaking but I would say the fishing should be good because of the aquatic plant life: lily pads Bull Rushes and the like. I couldn't put my kayak in because of the Fire Dept drills that were going on but hope to do it next weekend. Middle Bolton is smaller than Lower but has less houses which makes it nice if you seek a serene spot to nature watch. The Lower and the Upper are both beautiful and a wonderful natural resource for water activities but note motor boats are limited in size so you won't be seeing any water skiing there, just fishing, sailing and kayaking...nice!

It was very peaceful place to walk as well as very friendly people the little mini beach with the…read moresand is very cool

The playground fits into the park perfectly...a tree house and more…read more... Provided by Premier Park & Play from Newton, MA

Beautiful clear lake and no visible sign of weed populations. However, the Lake is a heavily…read morepopulated with numerous cottages & newer, oversized McMansion style Lake Compounds. With that comes loud and fast aquatic toys. The Lake Association (or MASS DEP) regulate the flow pattern of water craft to a counter-clockwise direction, only. Arm powered water craft (i.e. canoes, kayaks, SUPs) have some leeway to go clockwise, BUT you have to stay close to the shore, especially if going against the grain. All in all, this is a nice lake to paddle, power boat, and fish. I'd recommend off season such as spring and fall if you want a more tranquil experience.

Do you have availability in august! Two adults maybe three for a night....flexible....clean good…read morebed....aug 7 -15..between those dates for 3/4 nights or week! Thank you Dayle two oldies .

What a wonderful resource in the area for hiking, sightseeing, snowshoeing or cross country skiing…read more Anytime of year there is something to do or simply observe nature and the wildlife that inhabitants the area. There are numerous intersecting trails throughout the persevere so you can mix up your routine each time you wish to freshen up the scenery and experience something different. Highly recommended place to relax, clear your head and reflect upon the many scenic wonders to be enjoyed and appreciated.

First you should know that Rainbow Reservoir is not at 2 Walters Way, and that is a PRIVATE Road…read moreabout three houses before the entrance to the boat launch ramp. Rainbow Reservoir is a part of the Farmington River, and thus the blue algae bloom that happens in very hot years with low rainfall is not due to the very few land owners with property abutting the reservoir. There are miles and miles of the river that starts in Massachusetts, the longest portion of which is the West Branch, making the river a total of 84 miles long. Along all these miles, the river abuts all kinds of different properties from farms to industrial and residential. I am not saying that folks with abutting properties to Rainbow Reservoir don't contribute to the problem, but they are a drop in the hat compared to everything else that line the miles of the Farmington River. Another point I would like to mention is about the draining of Rainbow Reservoir. This is not done by "the town" as one reviewer said, and in fact even officials of DEEP have told me the State of Connecticut has very little control over the dam due to grandfather clauses. The dam is the property of the Farmington River Power Company, (the sole reason there is a reservoir in the first place, is because they built the dam in 1928 to make hydroelectric power). The power company drains the reservoir to do maintenance on the dam and turbines, and seemingly have little regard for the eco system damage they may or may not be doing. They also have little regard for the boaters and loath the land owners that line what they call "The Pond". Those of you who complain about the "high powered boats" may like to know that those folks have been using Rainbow Reservoir to ski on since the early 70's, a time when nobody used it to kayak the reservoir, and there were very few other folks using the reservoir. The reason the skiers continue to use "The Rez" is that it is one of the best places in CT to water ski and barefoot waterski due to the flat calm water. Those who waterski on Rainbow Reservoir actually have boats that purposely make small wakes for skiing, (which is obviously better for kayaks), and are geared down to pull skiers, not go fast. These skiers co-existed with fisherman in boats very well for years, because they both wanted the same thing, calm flat water. Now that anybody can be on the water with a cheap kayak, the kayakers, (aka new comers), complain about the boaters, and fill the long parking spots designed for vehicles with trailers, with single cars, with no regard to the fact that they are using a spot designed for a trailer rig, even when they kayak in groups with multiple cars and could stack their cars in one or two of the trailer spots to use less spots. They pay no boat registration fee that goes to building and maintaining boat launch ramps, nor do they pay anywhere near the property taxes and other taxes the boaters do on their rigs that go towards boating and fishing. Kayakers also need to realize that Rainbow Reservoir is a river and it is generally narrow, so 90% of the boaters use the Res in a counter clockwise direction for safety reasons, thus they do not want to veer off course to avoid a kayak and hit an oncoming boat instead. By trying to kayak down the middle of the reservoir, often in large groups spread 3 or 4 kayaks wide, on the wrong side, they put themselves and others in a dangerous position. If they would stay closer to the edges, and stay single file as the boaters generally do, it would be much safer for all. One last point that a kayaker probably doesn't think of, and that is draft. Rainbow Res has a lot of shallow spots, and the boaters cannot go everywhere it might seem like they could to the average person. These folks know Rainbow, and know what their boats draw for water. They have to stay in that "channel" so to speak. By the way, so that you don't think I'm anti kayak by this review, let it be known that we own four kayaks, one for each family member, and I sell them for a living as well. Share the water, there's room for everyone if we want to be respectful towards one another.

July 2016. I am downgrading the spot to 3 from 4. I have been seeing parasites on the fishes…read morecaught here. Most recent trip m, 4?sun fish & one bass, everyone of them got parasites. Either yellow like grain of rice type or tiny black spots in meat. Do not eat fishes caught at rainbow reservoir! If you like fishing, I am sharing my fishing spot especially because I need to write good & useful Yelp reviews :) My spot is to the left of the rainbow reservoir boat launch. The boat is infrequent but the jet ski is a bit annoying to fishermen. However, the spot is productive if you can cast far enough, there is a steep drop off that goes down about 15-20 feet, all kinds of fish there. I've taken my kids there many times, caught sun fish, bass, carp, catfish etc. all at the same spot. Don't eat the bass!!! High Mercury content. Ok to eat sunfish & carp, but carefully check the fish for parasite as I've seen them last year, they look like little grain of rice but yellow in color, yikes! Other than that, it's really fun spot to take the kids & you can BBQ right there as well!

Cool area. lots of places to lay low and relax. Biking is not a problem. The water is nice feeling…read moredue to a cold spring as well.

If you need breathtaking views especially this time of the year where the trees change color, this…read moreis the spot for you. There is more than one trail and if you have a map you can decide which trail to follow. If you are interested in just a walk around the lake the red trail would be perfect but if you are more interested in the view of the lake from higher up, then the blue to the orange trail, blue and blue to the red trail will get you there. The entire hike got us was about 3 miles. A simple hike that is good enough for a beginner. It had a steep hill and I was so out of breath going up but when you get to the top at the lookout point it was all worth it. The lake wasn't the cleanest as the water was green but there were still people fishing. A lot of picnic tables to sit, eat or hang out and a big parking lot with adequate space.

Beautiful park to walk or hike in. They have an amazing history trail that uses braille. Historic…read morelands! Also has a beautiful waterfalls running through it.

Had fun taking the brisk day to walk with my daughter down the walking path at Valley Falls. I…read morealways get neat pictures and great exercise.

One of my very favorite wild life sanctuaries. The Laughing Brook and surrounding 300 acre parcel…read moreof land is beautiful any time of year but the Fall and Winter months hold a special charm not found any other time of year. There are several hiking trails which traverse the sanctuary and you are sure to see many species if birds and wild life.

How did I not discover this great place before?…read more A close by hike that will make you feel transported far away. The trails were fairly easy but I do recommend bringing a walking stick since the leaves make it slippery and there were a lot of stumps to trip over. It took us about 1 hour and 45 to complete the loop at a leisurely pace taking lots of pictures. Plenty of parking and no admission fee.

This is one of my absolute favorite places to hike! The trail around the main pond is very easy and…read morea 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!

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