Willard Brook State Forest

September 29, 2019 Sunny

Willard Brook State Forest actually consists of several sites. Damon Pond has a visitor’s center and a campground. The Willard Brook Campground is one of few DCR campgrounds that offer yurts.

To the right of the Damon Pond entrance is a large pond for swimming. When we went, DCR had already drained the pond for the season to improve the water quality.

To the left of the entrance, there were hiking trails. We picked the shorter blue-blazed trail. The longer orange-blazed Friends Trail actually reaches Pearl Hill State Park and the campgrounds, so it may be a fun hike when camping at Pearl Hill.

Immediately the trail took us right by the brook, and covered bridge.

This was so unexpected and beautiful. We saw ducks and fish in the brook. The trail follows the brook for more than a mile before turning uphill. The kids had such a blast picking their way on the rocks, crossing and exploring the brook.

After that, the trail turned and we followed a carriage road and returned to the visitor’s center. On the way we spotted a snake sunning itself. That was really exciting for the kids!

The other part of Willard Brook is a waterfall called Trap Falls. When we went, the water was really sad. I think there’s supposed to be 3 main areas of flow, but we only saw a trickle of water. The kids climbed all the way up to the top of the falls. There’s also a bridge spanning the brook and rocks.

When the falls are bigger, this could be another adventure.

The walk along the brook was lovely but had some road noise. The waterfall was small when we visited, but would be impressive after a sudden rain.
The covered bridge was beautiful. The brook was fun.
The waterfall was small, but the rocks and trail were good.
Going on the rocks in the river was fun and the trail was good.
I like jumping on the rocks and I don’t like that I tripped.