Talcott Mountain State Park

Route 185

Bloomfield

860-242-1158 (c/o Penwood State Park)

Park Hours

8:00 a.m. – Sunset

More Information on Talcott Mountain State Park

Talcott Mountain State Park

Directions:

From I-91 North or South: take Exit 35B, which is the Bloomfield Route 218 exit. This road is also known as Cottage Grove Road. Follow Cottage Grove Road heading west until you hit Route 185. Follow Route 185 heading for Simsbury. At the top of the hill, the entrance to Talcott Mountain State Park/Heublein Tower will be on your left and Penwood State Park will be on your right.

From I-84 East or West: take the Route 44 Exit. Follow Route 44 heading west until you hit the junction of Routes 10 and 202 in the town of Avon. Follow Route 10 north until you hit Route 185 in Simsbury. Follow Route 185 heading for Bloomfield. At the top of the hill, Talcott Mountain State Park/Heublein Tower is on your right and Penwood State Park will be on your left.

Penwood State Park

57 Gun Mill Road

Bloomfield

860-242-1158

Park Hours

8:00 a.m. – Sunset

More Information on Penwood State Park

Penwood State Forest

Talcott Mountain State Park

The defining feature of Talcott Mountain State Park is the remarkable Heublein Tower rising 165 feet up in the air. It is the former summer retreat of Gilbert Heublein, owner of a successful hotel and restaurant in Hartford during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1911 he set to build a castle atop the highest point of Talcott Mountain for his wife, Louise. The structure was completed in 1914 and is modeled after buildings from his native Bavaria, with an exterior boasting a distinctive roofline and fortress-like appeal, and the interior featuring plaster walls, dark oak woodwork, leaded glass windows and clay tile floors. Perhaps the most remarkable feature was its five-passenger elevator to the observatory, said to be the first home elevator in Connecticut. Today, visitors can hike the 1.25 trail to the tower and climb the tower stairs (the elevator has since been removed) to take in sweeping vistas stretching from the Massachusetts Berkshires in the north to possibly even a thin blue streak of Long Island Sound in the south. Some rooms within the tower have been restored and can be viewed in-season from May through October.

Activities

• Hiking
• Observation Tower
• Picnicking
• Vistas

Across the street sits Penwood State Park, a nearly 800-acre gift to the state of Connecticut in 1944 from Curtis H. Veeder. The property was the weekend getaway home of this Hartford inventor and industrialist, who was an avid hiker and built many trails throughout the estate. Highlights of the park include Lake Louise, named for Veeder's wife, and The Pinnacle, an overlook providing panoramic views.

Penwood Activities

• Cross-Country Skiing
• Hiking
• Picnicking