Mansfield Hollow State Park / Mansfield Hollow Lake
Eastern Connecticut / Mansfield, Connecticut
Activity
Paddling / Reservoir
Distance
4 mi round trip
Route
Out & back paddle
The adventure
Launch straight into a 500-acre eastern Connecticut reservoir for a four-mile flatwater exploration. Launch directly into Mansfield Hollow Lake and paddle a broad inland reservoir known for quiet coves, bird habitat and open water.
Launch from the Bassetts Bridge Road boat ramp and paddle out onto Mansfield Hollow Lake. Explore the southwestern basin and shoreline coves, cover roughly four miles on the water while keeping enough energy for the return, land back at the same boat launch.
What to expect
- Launch directly into Mansfield Hollow Lake and paddle a broad inland reservoir known for quiet coves, bird habitat and open water.
- Drive to the established Bassetts Bridge Road boat launch on the southwestern shore of Mansfield Hollow Lake and use the launch parking. Carry or unload your kayak or canoe at the ramp and launch into the lake. Paddle outward along the southwestern basin and use shoreline features to maintain orientation. Build an approximately four-mile out-and-back or shoreline circuit without entering restricted dam areas, then return to the exact Bassetts Bridge Road ramp where you launched.
Good to know
- BIG WATER
- Mansfield Hollow Lake covers roughly 500 acres and is one of eastern Connecticut's major inland recreation waters.
- REAL BOAT LAUNCH
- The Bassetts Bridge Road launch puts you directly on the southwestern shore with established vehicle access at the water.
- WATCH THE SKY
- The park is an important inland stopover for birds, including shorebirds and warblers.
- WATCH THE WIND
- Wind matters on a reservoir this open. Check conditions before committing to a long crossing.
- LOOK FOR THE DAM LANDSCAPE
- This looks like a natural lake until the flood-control story starts showing itself. From the water, watch for the engineered shoreline and dam landscape that created Mansfield Hollow Lake.
- Fee
- Free — no required entrance or parking fee.
- Entrance fee
- Connecticut State Parks explicitly lists Mansfield Hollow State Park fees as Free; no separate launch fee is identified for this routed public boat launch.
- Dogs
- allowed-on-leash.
- Season
- Park access is year-round, but cold water, ice and shoulder-season weather can make paddling inappropriate even when the launch is physically accessible.
Photos
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