For many thousands of years, native Americans lived in the forested hills and along the riverbanks here, hunting and fishing, planting crops and creating stoneware and other goods. Since the first European settlers arrived in the 1700s, life in the town has revolved around two village centers, Pleasant Valley and Riverton, both on the West Branch of the Farmington River. (A third village, Barkhamsted Center, on the river’s East Branch, was largely flooded by the creation of the Barkhamsted Reservoir in the 1930’s.)
Riverton used to be called Hitchcockville and was long home to the Hitchcock Chair Factory. While the old factory building now is used for other purposes, a furniture-making business and store still carries the name. The village features other quaint homes, churches and shops, including an old-fashioned general store.
Pleasant Valley holds Barkhamsted’s Town Hall and elementary school along with historic homes and businesses, including a general store. With its landmark steel-truss bridge across the Farmington, it is a meeting point for fishermen, cyclists and other sportspeople. Here you’ll find Church Pool, the river’s most popular trout-fishing spot, and the Pleasant Valley Drive-In theater, one of only two remaining in the state.
Learn more from the Barkhamsted Historical Society.
Within Barkhamsted borders you’ll find two state forests where visitors can hike, bike, picnic and even camp. The Farmington River, fed by the Still River and Hogback Reservoir’s clean and cold waters, flows through the town and is enjoyed by fishermen seeking trophy trout, and by paddlers in kayaks and canoes. More protected forestland envelopes the Barkhamsted Reservoir and adjacent Lake McDonough.
A 14-mile stretch of the river’s West Branch was federally designated Wild and Scenic in 1994, and some six miles of it flow through Barkhamsted. Public access is easy, with numerous parking pull-offs on both East and West River Roads. It offers fabulous fishing, kayaking and canoeing.
More info: Rivers.Gov
More info: Farmington River Watershed Association
Established in 1924, the 3,124-acre forest offers two recreation areas, Matthies Grove and Whittemore, and 14 miles of trails for hiking, as well as miles of roads for biking and designated snowmobile paths.
On the river’s western bank, this 1,245-acre forest has 2.1 miles of trails and shelters the Austin Hawes Memorial Campground, with its 30 wooded campsites and 6 cabins.
More info: CT DEEP
More info: Friends of American Legion & Peoples State Forests
Its shores lined by pine-covered hills, the 8-mile-long reservoir supplies the Hartford metro area with drinking water. Its picturesque stone Saville Dam Pump House is a popular destination for tourists, including motorcyclists and even wedding parties. While public access to most of the forests surrounding it is prohibited, the blue-blazed Tunxis Trail runs near its eastern flank and is open to hikers.
Sited beneath towering Saville Dam, this scenic 391-acre lake offers a public beach in summer with bathhouses, picnic areas and rowboats for rent. Private boat, canoe and kayak launching is also allowed for a fee.
More info: Wikipedia
More info: MDC
