Welcome to Our Lake Bethany Recreation Area

The West River Trail system includes four miles of scenic trails around Lake Bethany, with an additional five and a half miles of trails winding around Lake Chamberlain. The Lake Bethany trails follow the lake shore and a scenic ravine carved out by the West River. Walk or jog around the scenic shores of Lake Bethany or take a more moderate hike that offers views through a forested landscape of a ravine carved by the West River.

Please stay within the boundaries of the recreation area at Lake Bethany. Your safety and the safety of our drinking water are our primary concerns. Please abide by our rules and regulations and encourage others to do the same.

A Guide to the Trails at Lake Bethany

Here is a brief description of the trails at Lake Bethany.

Remember: Permit holders receive easy-to-read trail maps with detailed descriptions. As a permit holder, you can also enjoy the convenience of free parking and a system-wide trail guide as well as invitations to guided nature walks, our annual kids fishing derby and other special events which are only open to our permit holders.

Lake Trail

2.2 Miles

Not far from Hatfield Hill Road on the east side of the lake, the trail crosses an old field that once grew hay for water company draft horses. The field is now planted with white pine, larch and Norway spruce. Look for a large boulder called a glacial erratic. This boulder was pushed here by a glacier more than 15,000 years ago.

Varied habitats make the trail along the west side of the reservoir a birdwatcher’s delight. Maturing and medium sized maple and birch alternate with tall pines and clearings dominated by blackberries, goldenrod and meadowsweet. There’s even an old apple orchard here. The groves of young trees were once occupied by lovely evergreens that succumbed to disease. The dying trees were harvested in the 1970’s and used to build log cabins.

Tamarack Trail

0.3 Miles

The tamarack tree, also called the American larch, is one of the only two native conifers that drop all their needles every fall. The trees along this trail are actually European larch, a close relative. Notice their soft, green new growth in the spring. Tamarack is one of the last trees to drop its tawny brown needles in the fall.

Hemlock Trail

0.6 Miles

The brushy, young trees at the start of this trail give no hint of the majestic hemlock spires further along. Nearly all of southern Connecticut was once cleared for farming, including some of these steep, rocky slopes. But farming was discontinued early here, and trees quickly returned. Protected in this ravine, trees grow taller and older than on surrounding land. But a close examination of these woods, where young hemlock, birch and maple trees have begun to grow beneath their lofty seniors, reveals a forest in transition. Lightning has shattered and killed some of the tallest trees, while gypsy moth caterpillars killed many of the weaker ones. The young trees are growing where dying trees are leaving openings in the forest canopy. The dominant trees will someday be birch, maple and oak, as the aging hemlocks are replaced in a natural process called succession.

West River Trail

0.6 Miles

Of all the trails in our system, this one feels most like Vermont. The trail follows moderate grades and offers a delightful view through the trees of the West River. The West River starts north of Lake Bethany, then flows into our Lake Watrous and Lake Dawson reservoirs and ends in New Haven. As you hike, notice pieces of quartzite, a white mineral, in the stone walls and schist bedrock. Schist is a metamorphic rock formed millions of years ago when mud and clay were compressed by the weight of thousands of feet of sediment lying on top of them. The quartzite pieces formed from small deposits of sand in the mud. Today, schist forms the top layer of bedrock underlying most of Woodbridge and Bethany.

River’s Edge Spur

0.1 Miles

This short spur trail drops steeply to the river, providing a short but challenging hike down to the water’s edge.

For more information, please call the Regional Water Authority Recreation Department at 203.401.2654.