Following several dog-instigated encounters with black bears, we have followed the instructions from Connecticut DEEP and closed over 500 acres of our forests to all recreation. The closed area includes all trails east of Firetown Road and west of Simsbury Road. Click on our TRAIL CLOSURE MAP to see which trails are no longer open. We anticipate our trails will be open once again later in the fall of 2020.
February 24, 2020 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Insects, diseases, invasive plants, and climatic factors influence the health of trees and forests. Director Connor Hogan will speak about managing forestland resources in the face of these stressors. Learn the basics of forest health. Read More…
In the summer of 2017, a new director, Connor Hogan, came to McLean Game Refuge. He is new in terms of the historic longevity of game refuge directors: In its 87 years of operation, Connor is only the fourth director. For Connor, this is a dream job, which may be the reason its past directors have stayed so long. Read More…
The new visitor parking access along Barndoor Hills Road is open.
We have constructed a new parking lot for the Barndoor Hills Road entrance to the Game Refuge. It is similar in size and character to the current parking lot at the Route 10/202 entrance to the Game Refuge. The new parking is located alongside Barndoor Hills Road just south of the access road that leads to the former lot by the brook. We have decommissioned the old lot and restored native vegetation on the site.
This is for testing purposes