Tarrywile Park Trail

Tarrywile Park, a 722 acre municipal park is open to all the residents of the Greater Danbury area community. The Park, once an active Dairy farm and fruit orchard is now home to 21 miles of hiking trails, 2 ponds, a lake and several picnic areas. Throughout the year, Guided Hikes are offered by our volunteers. Other programs such as bird watching, camping clinics and orienteering events are offered so check to see when they are coming up. Campsites are available for those looking to enjoy a rustic and unique experience at Connecticut's largest municipally-owned park. A variety of sites are located within the park to accommodate your needs, download our Hiking Trails Guide for the locations of the campsites. Please contact the Mansion Office at 203-744-3130 for an appointment to obtain a permit. Exploring trails at Tarrywile Park is always an adventure and an education. The trails may take you through vast open fields with spectacular views, or past natural patches of blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, or over rugged, rocky terrain. As you hike through the woods, a turn in the path may bring an encounter with a white tail buck, chipmunk, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, or a red fox crossing your way. You may also meet other travelers on foot or even on horseback. As you continue your exploration of the park you may be greeted by a fisherman casting into the glistening waters of Parks Pond for pumpkinseed, bullheads, panfish or kingfish. The lake is also home to frogs and various snakes as well as mallard and wood ducks, geese, and even magnificent swans. No doubt there will be a bird watcher observing many native birds such as pileated woodpeckers, hawks, turkeys, or vultures, that also make Tarrywile their home. Along its trails, Tarrywile Park also possesses some of nature's finest landscaping. There are majestic old trees, hillsides of Mountain Laurel, pine forests, and fields of wildflowers. In the eastern limits of the park you will discover minerals such as quartz and feldspar, or metamorphic rocks such as marble and limestone. The trails are open to the public year round (weather permitting) and free of charge. Trail conditions vary depending on seasonal conditions and natural occurrences. Since the trails are intended for passive recreational use only, hiking or riding the trails is at the user's own risk. Please also remember to do a tick check when you get home! Tarrywile Park is available for field trips or for use as an outdoor classroom. Please call the office at (203) 744-3130, for additional information, leave a message and someone will respond within 24 hours on weekdays. July 1994 marked the official opening of Tarrywile Park hiking trail system. By the summer of 2004, twenty-one miles of trails had been marked and a new trail map was distributed. June 2006 a pre-opening was held for the Ives Trail. This 17 plus mile trail winds its way from Bethel's Terre Haute property through Tarrywile Park and on to Pine Mountain and Bennett's Pond in Ridgefield