# Mohawk State Forest

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{{Short description|State forest in Connecticut, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox park
| name            = Mohawk Mountain <br/>State Forest State Park
| image           = MohawkStateForest.jpg
| image_caption   = 
| image_size      = 280
| image_alt       = View
| map             = USA Connecticut#USA
| relief          = 1
| map_label       = Mohawk Mountain State Forest State Park
| location        = [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall%2C_Connecticut), [Goshen](/source/Goshen%2C_Connecticut) and [Litchfield](/source/Litchfield%2C_Connecticut), [Connecticut](/source/Connecticut), United States
| nearest_city    = 
| coordinates     = {{coord|41|49|17|N|73|17|48|W|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref      = <ref name=gnis/>
| area            = {{convert|4016|acre|abbr=on}}<br/>State park: 273 acres <br/>State forest: 3743 acres<ref name=pristaff/>
| elevation       = {{convert|1680|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|208982|Mohawk Pond}}</ref>
| established     = 1921
| free_label      = 
| free_data       = 
| designation     = [Connecticut state park](/source/List_of_Connecticut_state_parks)
| administrator   = [Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection](/source/Connecticut_Department_of_Energy_and_Environmental_Protection)
| visitation_num  = 
| visitation_year = 
| visitation_ref  = 
| status          = 
| website         = {{Official website}}
| module          = 
}}

'''Mohawk State Forest''', also known as '''Mohawk State Forest/Mohawk Mountain State Park''', encompasses over {{convert|4000|acre}} in the towns of [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall%2C_Connecticut), [Goshen](/source/Goshen%2C_Connecticut), and [Litchfield](/source/Litchfield%2C_Connecticut) in the southern [Berkshires](/source/Berkshires) of [Litchfield County](/source/Litchfield_County), [Connecticut](/source/Connecticut). As overseen by the [Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection](/source/Connecticut_Department_of_Energy_and_Environmental_Protection), the area is used for hiking, picnicking, and winter sports by the public,<ref name=DEEP/> while being actively managed to produce timber and other forest products.<ref name=DEEP2/>

==History==
The forest bears the name of the [Mohawk Indians](/source/Mohawk_Indians), although the tribe did not live in the area. Historians believe the [Tunxis](/source/Tunxis) and [Paugussett](/source/Paugussett) used the mountain peak for signal fires that warned neighboring communities further south that Mohawks were approaching from the northwest.<ref name=DEEP2/>

Mohawk is the sixth oldest [forest](/source/forest) in the [Connecticut state forest system](/source/List_of_Connecticut_state_forests). The forest's first five woodland acres were donated to the Connecticut State Park Commission by Andrew Clark in 1917 and were known as Mohawk Mountain Park until the 1920s.<ref name=cornwallhistory/> In 1921, [Alain C. White](/source/Alain_C._White) donated another 250 acres with the [White Memorial Foundation](/source/White_Memorial_Foundation) contributing a total of more than {{convert|2900|acre}} of land.<ref name=DEEP/>

Crews of [Civilian Conservation Corps](/source/Civilian_Conservation_Corps) workers were active in the forest during the 1930s. Their work included the construction of roads that remain in use, the planting of hundreds of acres of trees, and the creation of breaks for fire control.<ref name=DEEP2/>

==Points of interest==
;Black Spruce Bog
One of the few [bogs](/source/bogs) in the state, the 19-acre Black Spruce Bog is considered an outstanding example of a late stage [peat bog](/source/peat_bog).<ref name=cornwallconservation/> Plants such as [sheep laurel](/source/sheep_laurel), [leatherleaf](/source/leatherleaf), [sphagnum moss](/source/sphagnum_moss), [sundew](/source/sundew), and [pitcher plant](/source/pitcher_plant) are found here, with [white pine](/source/Eastern_White_Pine), [black spruce](/source/black_spruce), [eastern hemlock](/source/eastern_hemlock), and [tamarack](/source/tamarack) comprising the overstory. The bog is accessed via a boardwalk designed to minimize the impact of visitors.<ref name=DEEP/>

;Cunningham Tower
An old, gutted stone tower stands along a trail in the northern section of the forest. It was constructed by Litchfield resident Seymour Cunningham after he bought land for sheep farming on Mohawk Mountain in 1912.<ref name=cornwallhistory/>

;Mohawk Mountain
Mohawk Mountain (elev. 1683 feet) is the highest point on the blue-blazed [Mattatuck Trail](/source/Mattatuck_Trail). The summit offers views of the [Taconic Mountains](/source/Taconic_Mountains) and [Berkshire Mountains](/source/Berkshire_Mountains) to north and northwest including [Bear Mountain](/source/Bear_Mountain_(Connecticut)), Canaan Mountain, and Cream Hill in Connecticut as well as peaks in [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts) ([Race Mountain](/source/Race_Mountain), [Mount Everett](/source/Mount_Everett), [Mount Greylock](/source/Mount_Greylock)) and the eastern [Catskills](/source/Catskills) in [New York State](/source/New_York_(state)).

;Mohawk Pond
The southern section of the state forest encompasses Mohawk Pond, a 16-acre [kettle pond](/source/kettle_pond) stocked with [trout](/source/trout)<ref name=DEEP2/> and noted for [largemouth bass](/source/largemouth_bass).<ref name=fishingguide/> The pond has a maximum depth of 26 feet (8 m), an average depth of 15 feet (4.5 m), and a boat launch on its southern shore.<ref name=caes/>

;Red Mountain
Accessible on foot via the blue-blazed [Mohawk Trail](/source/Mohawk_Trail) (a former alignment of the [Appalachian Trail](/source/Appalachian_Trail)), Red Mountain (elev. 1652 feet) occupies the northernmost section of Mohawk State Forest.<ref name=gnis2>{{cite gnis|210140|Red Mountain}}</ref> Its eastern slope is the site of the [Red Mountain Shelter](/source/Red_Mountain_Shelter), a log cabin built by [CCC](/source/Civilian_Conservation_Corps) crews based in [Housatonic State Forest](/source/Housatonic_State_Forest). Due to the shallow bedrock of the peak, the higher elevations of the mountain sport shrubby [oak](/source/oak) trees and distant vistas.

==Activities and amenities==
The area offers hiking, picnicking, fishing and youth group camping, opportunities for [leaf color viewing](/source/leaf-peeping) in fall, and [cross-country skiing](/source/cross-country_skiing) in winter. Skiers and [snowboarders](/source/snowboarding) use the adjacent privately operated [Mohawk Mountain Ski Area](/source/Mohawk_Mountain_Ski_Area).<ref name=DEEP/>

==References==
<references>
<ref name=DEEP>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/deep/state-parks/forests/mohawk-mountain-state-forest-state-park |title=Mohawk Mountain State Forest State Park |publisher=Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |date=April 2023 |access-date=August 22, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=DEEP2>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/deep/forestry/letterboxing/letterboxing-clues-for-mohawk-state-forest |title=Seedling Letterbox Series Clues for Mohawk State Forest |publisher=Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=August 22, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=pristaff>{{cite web |url=https://www.cga.ct.gov/pri/docs/2013/State%20Parks%20and%20Forests%20Funding%20Staff%20Findings%20and%20Recommendations%20.pdf |title=Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests |work=State Parks and Forests: Funding |series=Staff Findings and Recommendations |publisher=Connecticut General Assembly |date=January 23, 2014 |page=A-2 |access-date=March 20, 2014}}</ref>

<ref name=cornwallhistory>{{cite web |url=http://www.cornwallhistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/forests/mohawksf.htm |title=Mohawk State Forest |publisher=Cornwall Historical Society |access-date=December 23, 2018}}</ref>

<ref name=cornwallconservation>{{cite web |url=http://www.cornwallconservation.org/ |title=Cornwall's Forests |publisher=Cornwall Conservation Commission |access-date=December 23, 2018}}</ref>

<ref name=fishingguide>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/fishing/anglers_guide/2024-fishing-guide-for-web.pdf |title=2024 Fishing Guide |publisher=Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |date=April 24, 2024 |page=23 |access-date=August 22, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=caes>{{cite web |url=https://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2799&q=381612 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604103628/http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2799&q=381612 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2010 |title=Mohawk Pond, Cornwall |publisher=Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station |date=April 2, 2014 |access-date=December 23, 2018}}</ref>
</references>

==External links==
*[https://portal.ct.gov/deep/state-parks/forests/mohawk-mountain-state-forest-state-park Mohawk Mountain State Forest State Park] Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
*[https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/stateparks/maps/mohawknsummer2021.pdf Mohawk State Forest Map: Northern Section] Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
*[https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/stateparks/maps/mohawkssummerpdf.pdf Mohawk State Forest Map: Southern Section] Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

{{Protected Areas of Connecticut}}
{{ConnecticutTrailSystem}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Land Gifts of the White Memorial Foundation
Category:Connecticut state forests
Category:State parks of Connecticut
Category:Cornwall, Connecticut
Category:Goshen, Connecticut
Category:Litchfield, Connecticut
Category:Parks in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Category:Protected areas established in 1921
Category:1921 establishments in Connecticut
Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mohawk State Forest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohawk_State_Forest) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohawk_State_Forest?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.