Gay City State Park is a wonderful place to spend some time enjoying the outdoors and hiking the trails. Gay City State Park offers multiple activities. Water activities include swimming and fishing - be sure to check the water quality and fishing guidelines. The park includes a network of trails for cyclists, walkers, and hikers.
There are picnic areas, and if it piques your interest, explore the ruins of the old sawmill town that called this park home back in the late 1800s.
Located on the Hebron-Bolton town line, Gay City's 1,569 acres offer swimming, picnicking and an almost endless opportunity for exploration. The name "Gay City" is derived from a now-extinct mill town that once occupied the site. Today only some tumbling stone foundations, several grass-filled cellar holes and a few silent tombstones suggest its former existence.
Gay City was first settled in 1796 by a religious sect led by Elijah Andrus and later by Rev. Henry P. Sumner. The Gays soon comprised the majority of the 25 or more families who then lived in the community. The residents kept strictly to themselves, existing as distinctly separate from the neighboring communities. They built a sawmill along the Black Ledge River and erected homes from the lumber.
Gay City's fate changed with the successes and failures of several commercial enterprises. A woolen mill on the site 1/4 mile below the present pond was a successful business until extreme pressures caused by the various blockades during the War of 1812 brought its closing. Once revived, the mill burned to the ground in 1830, beginning the town's decline with the exodus of many people to urban factory jobs. Rev. Sumner's son built a paper mill which again revived the town somewhat until the Civil War, when many of the town's younger men were killed in battle. Soon after, the mill burned down, triggering the final demise of Gay City and nature's reclaiming of the land. In 1944 Gay City was designated as a state park.
There is a weekend/holiday parking fee at Gay City State Park for non-residents. Gates open for the season on the third Saturday in April. They are opened daily at 8:00 am and closed at sunset. Gates close for the season after Columbus Day weekend. Winter parking is available off-season.
This property was acquired and/or developed with the assistance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
For more information, visit the CTDEEP State Parks website or contact:
Route 85
Hebron
From the South/New London area: Follow Route 85 north. Park entrance is 6.7 miles past the intersection with Route 66.
From the Glastonbury area: Take Route 85. Park entrance is 2.0 miles past the intersection with Route 94.
From the North/Hartford & Massachusetts area: I-384 East to Exit 5. Take Route 85 south for 4.7 miles.
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