Shenipsit State Forest is a

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign state, sovereign or federated state, or territory (country subdivision), territory. Background State forests are forests that are Administration (gov ...

located in northeastern

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

with 11 parcels scattered between the

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Somers, Ellington, and

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

. The forest's headquarters is home to the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, which houses memorabilia from CCC camps throughout the eastern United States. The forest is managed for forestry products and offers various recreational pursuits.

Geography

The forest is located mainly within the Eastern New England Uplift and contains tracts along the eastern edge of the

Connecticut River Valley The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

. The highest point wholly within the state forest is Soapstone Mountain at , but the Town of Somers owns adjacent land that includes the summit of Bald Mountain, the highest point along the eastern edge of Connecticut River Valley in Connecticut. The terrain rises up to from the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, though most

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

and hills rise from the surrounding terrain elsewhere in the forest. The forest floor is scattered with boulders and large rocks from the last ice age. Soapstone Mountain used to be the site of a

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...

quarry during the Colonial era.

Recreation opportunities

The Shenipsit Trail, which runs from East Hampton to Somers, passes through the Shenipsit State Forest and passes over the summit of Soapstone Mountain. The summit has the only lookout tower in northeastern Connecticut. The original fire tower was removed in 1971. Various forest trails can be used for hiking, mountain biking, equestrian travel, and cross-country skiing.

References

External links

Shenipsit State Forest
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Shenipsit State Forest Map
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection {{ConnecticutTrailSystem Connecticut state forests Ellington, Connecticut Somers, Connecticut Stafford, Connecticut Parks in Tolland County, Connecticut Geography of Tolland County, Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps museums Protected areas established in 1927 Museums in Tolland County, Connecticut 1927 establishments in Connecticut