Bolton Notch State Park

Complete with forests, caves, lakes and overlooks, Bolton Notch’s 95 acres of wilderness pack an impressive punch no matter how you like to explore.

The 1.7-mile Mohegan Trail offers no shortage of views. From atop the bluff, take in the sights of the Connecticut River Valley, Talcott Mountain, and the Hanging Hills of Meridan. Not only does the park offer its own dedicated trails, it’s also a launchpad for some of the area’s popular hiking and biking trails, including the blue-blazed Shenipsit Trail and Hop River State Park Trail.

The path through Bolton Notch has a long, storied history as a popular footpath for Indians and fur traders before highways and railroads came onto the scene. It became known as the Connecticut Path and later served war parties, stagecoaches, and post riders.

The notch, a natural depression/opening permitting passage through sheer rock ledges and the titular geologic feature of the park, is thought to originate from an ancient great lake that formed east of this point, from which came a pre-glacial stream that eroded the 250-foot notch in the soft mica schist rock.

According to a September 14, 1930, article in the Hartford Daily, "Manchester Man Writes of Fierce Battles, Interesting Traditions and Romantic Adventures of Podunks," Squaw Cave earned its name after a Native woman and her Dutch husband sought its refuge after he violated a blue law that prohibited wood chopping on the Sabbath. He was later put to death for the offense.