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Today, Take Your Kids To The Devil's Hopyard

Also known as Chapman Falls, it has many legends associated with it ...

Taking your kids to the devil might not present itself as an ideal getaway, but I think it is one of the best places to let them explore in sight of you.

Devil’s Hopyard, or Chapman Falls as it is also known, has many legends associated with it. The most common is that the devil hopped through the state park's waterfalls, burning holes in the rock with his hooves. These holes, some up to a foot deep, definitely make the state park unique.

Devil's Hopyard is an 860-acre state park run along the Eight Mile River in Haddam. It has trails, picnic spots, waterfalls, beautiful views and much more.

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Cascading down more than 60 feet, Chapman's Falls, in the park's north end, is its largest.

Devil's Hopyard Campground offers 21 sites in a wooded setting, according to the website, and camping is available from mid-April through the end of September 30.

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Many trails are open to hiking and mountain biking. The orange Vista Trail, on the east side of the falls, loops almost 3 miles to an overlook with an broad view of the valley bellow.

The Eight Mile River is a fisherman's bounty, stocked each year with nearly 6,000 trout.

The holes in the schist of the falls, according to the park's website, are actually formed by stones being caught in eddies in the water and swirling around on the rock below.

But stories proliferate. Another is that the site once held an illegal malt house and hops fields grown by its owner, George Griffin.

Another is that 'devil' was a corruption of 'Dibble', a man rumored to have once grown hops in the area. A broken millstone found below the ruins speaks of the fractured nature of those legends.

The park was acquired by the State of Connecticut in 1919.

 

Hours:

8 a.m. to sunset

Amenities:

Picnic tables, composting toilets, pedestal cooking grills, handicapped parking and handicapped access to picnic tables
Fee: No
Handicap Accessible: Yes
Pets: Pets on a leash are welcome

Contact: Devil's Hopyard State Park 366 Hopyard Road East Haddam , CT 06423 860) 424-3200


Click here to go to the website for more descriptions, and directions

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