City: New Fairfield, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (203) 797-4165

Address: 178 Shortwoods Rd.

Description: This is not a natural lake, but it is Connecticut’s largest. There are some local access points, but most of the lake’s edge is lined with private residences (of New York’s elite). The biggest exception is Squantz Pond State Park, which is set on one of the long arms of the lake. You can launch your boat here from two different coves and pass under the Route 39 causeway into the main lake. There is a swimming and picnic area here as well, and a few short hiking trails, one of which leads to “Council Rock,” where native tribes held powwows in centuries past. In the summer a concession stand is usually open, and pedal boats and canoes are available to rent. This “pond” area is great for that, unlike some other areas of Candlewood, which have large boat wakes. Candlewood also happens to be a popular place to scuba dive, despite low visibility, because intrepid divers have found old Model-T Fords, farm buildings, and covered bridges, completely submerged when the lake was dammed in 1926.