Located in Watertown, Connecticut, the Black Rock State Park offers a wide variety of campsites and recreational activities on its 496 acres of gorgeous scenic land. The park contains a total of 96 campsites and offers numerous activities including hiking, pond fishing, picknicking, swimming and field sports.
In addition to being a beautiful park with countless terrain to explore, the Black Rock brings with it a great deal of history and mystique. The name “Black Rock” is said to have originated from the charcoal colored rock which local Naugatuck settlers had discovered while mining.
Visitors to the Black Rock State Park will have the unique opportunity to lodge at one of the nearly 100 campsites. Each campsite is in a nicely forested area and showcases the park’s wonderful picturesque views. The various campsites feature concessions, bathrooms, showers and a dumping station. If you are an animal lover, take notice that there are no pets allowed. The camping season begins in mid-April and wraps up on September 30.
Aside from camping, there are numerous activities which the Black Rock State Park provides. The most renowned of these recreational activities is hiking. The park’s Mattatuck trail stretches from the Grey Stone section of Waterbury to the Wigwam Reservoir in Morris. This trail offers a beautiful view of the Western Highlands and the Naugatuck Valley. Visitors can also catch a nice view of the Black Rock Pond or the Black Rock Lake if he or she ventures down any of the many side trails. A hike can take someone 30 minutes or last the entire day.
In addition to hiking, visitors can do a little fishing at the Black Rock Pond. As a designated Trout Park, it is essential to partake in some fishing when visiting the Black Rock State Park. The park offers both stream and pond fishing. In case you are not familiar, a Trout Park is a pond or stream that is stocked weekly with trout from the state’s local hatchery.
After campers are finished fishing in the pond, he or she can go swimming in the Black Rock State Park Beach. Although it is a small beach, it as a unique one. What sets the beach at Black Rock apart from others is that it is on an incline. The beach features a 45 degree drop from the sand down to the water.
The park offers an affordable price of $17/night for CT residents and a price of $27/night for non-CT residents. There is also a $9 processing fee for each registration.
If you have had you fill of the Black Rock there are also several nearby attractions including the Burr Pond State Park, Mt. Tom State Park and the Topsmead State Forest.
For more information on Black Rock State Park you can visit there website at http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325176#activities. You can also give them a call at (860) 283-8088.