| Pachaug State Forest | |
|---|---|
 The Rhododendron Sanctuary Trail | |
  Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Pachaug State Forest (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | New London,Connecticut,United States |
| Coordinates | 41°36′05″N71°53′09″W / 41.60139°N 71.88583°W /41.60139; -71.88583[1] |
| Area | 28,804 acres (116.57 km2)[2] |
| Elevation | 459 ft (140 m)[1] |
| Established | 1928[3] |
| Governing body | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
| Website | Pachaug State Forest |
| Designated | 1973 |
Pachaug State Forest is the largestforest in theConnecticut state forest system, encompassing over 27,000 acres (110 km²) of land. It is located on theRhode Island border inNew London County, and parcels of the forest lie in the towns ofVoluntown,Griswold,Plainfield,Sterling,North Stonington, andPreston.[4] The forest was founded in 1928, but most of the land came from purchases made later during theGreat Depression. It is named after thePachaug River, which runs through the center of the forest. The forest is part of theNortheastern coastal forestsecoregion.[5]
ThePachaug-Great Meadow Swamp portion of the park was declared aNational Natural Landmark in May 1973 due to itsAtlantic white cedar swamp.[6] This type of forest is at risk of being succeeded byhemlock.[7]
There are four popular hiking trails, maintained by theConnecticut Forest and Park Association, that run through Pachaug State Forest.
The handicap (wheelchair) accessible Rhododendron Sanctuary Trail (which includes a planked wooden boardwalk section) in the Pachaug State Forest's Herman Haupt Chapman Management Area is spectacularly scenic when the Rhododendron are in bloom (June and July).
There are several dirt and gravel road trails that cross Pachaug State Forest; Trail 1, Trail 2, the Main Drive, and Stonehill Road. In combination with dozens of unmarked side trails, this makes for easy mountain biking terrain that has become popular among locals.
Some trails and roads are marked as multi-use. One such is theEnduro off-road motorcycle trail which winds through Pachaug State Forest. On non–multi-use hiking trails in the forest, however, there is clearly both unauthorized vehicular and unauthorized equestrian use.
The 58-mileEnduro trail in Pachaug State Forest is marked (on turns and intersections on trees) with white labels containing a red arrow pointing in the trail's direction. The route follows a mix of forest trails and public roads (therefore requiring both a valid current motorcycle registration and motorcycle driver's license rather than ATV registration).[8]
In 1997 a hunter reported a rocky outcrop to the state archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni believing it might be an old Indian site. With a team of volunteers he discovered only some not unusual Indian artifacts, such as spear points, pottery shards. Later volunteers digging near the site found material at least a thousand years old. Bellantoni returned to the area in 2000 and this time found about a dozen soil filled pits some distance from the original site they had excavated.[9][10]
This time he and his team found twenty unique artifacts, stone pendants and pipes in the shape of birds, snakes, whales and people. Instead of being stuffed with the soil they were buried in, they were filled with ancient charcoal, easily available to day from other sites.[11] Examination of the soil suggested that the artifacts had been buried recently, The soil where they were buried was soft and loose while surrounding soil was hard and compact. Additionally, the soil in the area is very rooty and the roots need to be cut through to dig a pit. In these cases there was very little sign of regrowth and there was even evidence relatively fresh cut roots. The artifacts had been planted within the last two years or so. All the blowholes in the pipes were exactly three-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. Tests showed that the corrosion of copper beads was artificial. Investigating this hoax cost about $60,000 and hundreds of manhours. Kevin McBride, a professor of anthropology at the University of Connecticut said "What upsets me is this does a great disservice to native people who have enough trouble as it is to get archaeologists, legislators and the general public to recognize legitimate concerns about certain places on the landscape, What happens next time when someone presents evidence of a true, sacred site?"[11][10]
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