Gay City Pond & Gay City State Park Beach is a 4.5-mile out-and-back in Buckingham Reservoir Watershed near Highland Park, CT. The route passes Gay City State Park Beach and Gay City Pond before reaching Gay City State Park Beach at the turnaround, 2.2 miles in. It climbs 589 ft. It scores 50/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
0 mi522 – 860 ft5.4 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Unnamed 41.73241, -72.46372
Nearest town Highland Park, CT
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Gay City Pond & Gay City State Park Beach
4.5 mi · ▲ 589 ft · 1 hr 48 min
Elevation 521–860 ft
Out & Back · Buckingham Reservoir Watershed
Trailhead: 41.73241, -72.46372
Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:36 AM · sunset 6:52 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading W.
- 250 ftTurn left, heading S.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn right, heading S.
- 150 ftBear left, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
- 250 ftBear left, heading S.
- 0.6 miBear left, heading SW.
- 50 ftBear right, heading S.
- 200 ftBear left, heading S.
- 0.9 miPass Gay City State Park Beach.
- 350 ftTurn left, heading E.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading E.
- 350 ftPass Gay City State Park Beach.
- 200 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 150 ftReach Gay City Pond, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading E.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading E.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 1 miBear right, heading SW.
- 250 ftBear left, heading SW.
- 50 ftBear right, heading SW.
- 0.6 miBear right, heading NE.
- 250 ftTurn left, heading NE.
- 50 ftBear right, heading NE.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 500 ftTurn right, heading N.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
26% dirt74% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 6:36 AMSunset 6:52 PM
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Red Gates Pond via Coop Road 7 mi · ▲ 883 ft
- Gay City State Park Viewpoint 5.3 mi · ▲ 675 ft
- Nike Missile Site via Mountain Road 5.7 mi · ▲ 738 ft
- Blackledge Falls 5.3 mi · ▲ 610 ft
- Coop Road 3.4 mi · ▲ 330 ft
- Coop Road 2.9 mi · ▲ 340 ft
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