SCCRWA, OMG STFU, SRSLY?
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority Trails
This page exists because years and years ago I thought that the South Central Regional Council of Governments trail listing was unique in and of itself. It included the RWA trails. I’ve since grown wiser and realized that the bulk of the SCRCOG trails were just a collection of land trust and town trails and things I have listed elsewhere.
Which left the RWA Trails. To access the RWA trails, you need to buy a permit good for either one year or two. And from what I gather, they patrol and police their land pretty regularly – so just buy the permit.
The RWA Trails – Maps can be found here though.
If linked, I’ve hiked it.
Lake Bethany, Bethany
Lake Chamberlain, Bethany and Woodbridge
Lake Saltonstall, Branford and East Haven
Sugarloaf, Guilford
Genesee, Guilford and Madison
Lake Gaillard, North Branford (open once every few years)
Lake Hammonasset, Killingworth and Madison
Maltby Lakes, New Haven, Orange, and West Haven
Big Gulph, North Branford
Pine Hill Trails, Seymour and Woodbridge
Amity Road to Dillon Road, Woodbridge
Thanks for the thorough information. But I just have to say this state is a huge pain in the rear for doing outdoor activity on what should be common land or space. Nickel and dime at every step through life here. This is not how most states operate for simple activities like hiking with the dog (often not allowed in these parks), tossing a frisbee or having a simple pre packed pic-nic. The state motto here should be ‘A Mayor in Every Wallet’.
There are thousands of miles of free trails to hike in CT. You’ll notice I haven’t hiked an inch of these trails myself, as I find the fees to do so a bit silly myself.
The Regional Council of Governments updated their maps in 2016 and did an excellent job. The maps are at this new link: http://westrocktrails.blogspot.com
Correction to my above comment. The West Rock Trails is MY website for West Rock Ridge State Park. This is the regional trails link: http://scrcog.org/regional-planning/regional-trails/
I have hiked all these trails and written up a guide to them.
https://westrocktrails.blogspot.com/p/hikes-beyond-west-rock-rwa-properties.html
When I first became aware of these properties, I questioned why I had to purchase a permit to hike there when I had all these other areas I could hike for free. The reality is that owning land and maintaining trails has a cost.
State parks and forests are funded through taxes and the Passport to the Parks fee on vehicle registrations. Land trusts and organizations like The Nature Conservancy and the Aubudon Society are supported by donations. In all these areas, volunteers typically perform trail maintenance with perhaps some support from paid staff. The RWA uses paid staff to maintain and monitor its areas.
The permit price for a year of access is less than the cost of other activities, including tickets for ski lifts, amusements parks and movies.