There are so many ways to enjoy the river, as you can see below. But safety first. For information about safety considerations when using the river, please read about River Safety here.
- The Tariffville Gorge is a premier whitewater paddling destination and has been the location for world class paddling competitions. It is one of very few rivers in the east where there are year-round paddling opportunities.
- There is a broad range of boating activities — from flat-water and mild moving waters to sections of class II and III white water for experienced paddlers. It is easy for people to take advantage of these activities, since there are public access points and parks within every Study Town.
- Regionally significant opportunities for fishing exist in the lower Farmington River.
- The clean cold-water trout fisheries of the Salmon Brook provide some of the most outstanding opportunities for angling anywhere in Connecticut.
- A conservative estimate of the number of recreational visits to the streams from mid-May to mid-September is over 124,000 per year.
- There is an extensive network of trail systems within the Study Area including six State of CT officially designated greenways that follow the watercourses: Farmington River Trail, Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway, Metacomet Ridge System, Blue Blazed Trail system, the Shade Swamp Sanctuary and the West Mountain Trails. The Salmon Brook corridor was recently officially designated as part of the state greenway system.
- Exceptional birding opportunities exist because the State of Connecticut overlaps the southern boundary of northern species and the northern boundary of southern species, so species abundance is unusually high, and the river corridor provides good nesting habitat and is a migration corridor as part of the Atlantic flyway.
Lower Farmington River and
Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic
749 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, CT 06070
P: 860-658-4442 ext. 203
F: 860-651-7519
EMAIL
Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic 