Roosevelt Forest
Stratford, CT

250+ acres
5 miles of easy trails

Description: Stratford's "urban forest" dates back to the Great Depression, when it was developed through Franklin D. Roosevelt's W.P.A. program.  The facilities at the park have seen better days, but the well-worn trails are worthwhile for hikers and mountain bikers alike.

Official Park Access: The main parking area, located in the center of the park, is open from 9:00 to 4:00 Monday through Saturday.  The entrance gate is promptly locked at all other times, and lots of 'No Parking' signs prevent parking outside the gate on Peters Lane.  

Visitors may be confused by the contradictory signs: One says that the park is only open to residents with town stickers, while another lists a $10.00 fee for nonresidents, $3.00 for residents without a sticker, but then no one collects the fee.  The ranger station has recently been boarded up, which suggests the City may be less likely to collect the fee in the future.  At any rate, there are three alternate entrance points (see below).  ['Map It' Note: Online maps erroneously show Peters Lane connecting with Beaver Dam Road to the west, and their directions may be very wrong if you are coming from the west or northwest.  The parking area can only be reached via James Farm Road to Peters Lane, located to the southeast.]

Alternate Access Points (limited on-street parking)
1. North Peters Lane (North access):  Look for a low wooden fence across the trail next to the mailbox for house #1320 (click photo to enlarge).  The trail passes between houses and follows an old road and City Right-of-Way into the park. 

2. Beaver Dam Road (West access).  The Blue Trail comes out onto Beaver Dam Road near house #880 (the mailbox has lost a number may read "88").  Click on photo to enlarge. The trail follows a City Right-of-Way between two houses (looks a bit like a driveway) and enters the park. 'MAP IT' Note: Online maps erroneously show the Blue Trail as if it were a road.

3. Pumpkin Ground Road (South access):  Park at the end of the cul-de-sac.  The Blue Trail heads straight into the woods from the end of the cul-de-sac. There are no signs or gates, but the trail is prominent. 

The Trails: All trails are wide and easy to follow.  Stratford does not use the standard trail marking system like Shelton.  Instead, trail intersections are marked with colored metal markers nailed onto the trees.  Because the trails are so well-worn, this system works OK.  Biking is popular at Roosevelt Forest, the biggest drawback being the many fallen trees that obstruct the trail. 

Blue:  1.5 mile.  The Blue Trail follows an old road and is particularly easy.  Part of it has been incorporated into the park entrance road and is paved.  Online maps show the Blue Trail as a road connecting with Beaver Dam Road, probably because it follows a City Right-of-Way through the park, but most of it is closed to vehicles.  In March, hikers can hear a host of wood frogs quacking in a vernal pool not far from the park entrance.

Green: 1.4 mile. This Boy Scout Trail passes through an impressive Scout camp, so you may want to avoid it when the Scouts are meeting, but at other times it makes a nice hike.

Red: 0.8 mile.  The Red Trail has some of the best scenery and makes a nice walk.  The spur to the north leads up a stone staircase to an old stonewall overlook that no longer has a view. 

Orange: 0.8 mile.  This connecting trail has a long boardwalk over a wooded swamp.

Yellow: 0.6 mile. This is an easy loop around the north end of the park.