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The Pootatuck tribe of the Algonquins once inhabited the area that today includes Kettletown State Park, situated at 1400 George's Hill Road in Southbury. They were excellent farmers and had a drum communication system that could relay a message 200 miles in two hours.
By 1758, the Pootatucks lost their land to European settlers. "Kettletown" refers to the kettle that settlers reportedly traded to the Pootatucks for hunting and fishing rights. Though occasional arrowheads still turn up in the park, the site of the original Pootatuck village was flooded in 1919 by the damming of the Housatonic River.
Kettletown State Park today encompasses 605 acres along Lake Zoar, the state's fifth largest freshwater body, covering more than 1,000 acres. Campers can launch carry-in boats and canoes from the park (a public boat launch is located near the park), and a beach is good for swimming and wading.
Anglers try for bass and panfish in the lake, and Kettletown Brook, which bisects the park, is stocked with trout.
Hikers enjoy six miles of moderate trails at Kettletown, including a portion of the statewide, 600-mile Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System. Trails lead to lake overlooks and along the brook. Poisonous northern copperhead snakes have been reported in the area.
More benign wildlife includes a wide diversity of birds, from eagles in winter to migratory loons, thanks to the park's lakeside location in a transitional zone between the mountains and the coast.
There are about 68 campsites in the park in three tree-shaded loops. A trailer dump station is provided. The camping season ends on September 30, and resumes again in May.
Day users are charged a parking fee during weekends and holidays in summer.
To reach the park from I 84, take Exit 15. Go south onto CT Route 67. Take a right at the first traffic light onto Kettletown Road. Continue for approximately three miles on Kettletown Road. Take a right onto Georges Hill Road. The park is on the left approximately 0.6 miles.
Outdoor Activities |
Lake Zoar, late on a winter afternoon.
Lake Zoar in winter, as seen from the Miller Trail.
Hikers turned out in force for Kettletown State Park Trails Day in 1994.
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