U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Thomaston Dam

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Thomaston Dam Welcome to the official US Army Corps of Engineers Thomaston Dam page. Our District website is: www.nae.usace.army.mil. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S.

Page administered by the Thomaston Dam staff under the social media guidelines at: www.usace.army.mil/SocialMedia/ Army Corps of Engineers welcomes you to Thomaston Dam located on the scenic Naugatuck River in Thomaston, Conn. The park offers over 800 acres of public land for a multitude of recreational activities. Hunting, fishing, trail bike riding (two wheel only) and model airplane flying are

among the popular activities. In 1975, the Corps' formally designated a trail area on the west side of the reservoir permitting use of trail bikes and snowmobiles only. Other three and four wheeled all terrain vehicles are prohibited from designated area and other off road areas of the reservoir. Trail-bike visitation usage is very high on weekends. Bike Trails

Thomaston Dam has designated trails for two wheeled trail bikes, open May 1 through October 14 CONDITIONS PERMITTING. Three and four wheel vehicles are not permitted. A cooperative agreement for trail management has been in place since 1979 with the Pathfinders Motorcycle Club. STATE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Two small lots are available for parking at the end of the Dam. Please be considerate of others while parking. Water Level and Trail Bike Open/Closure Information

At a pool stage of 12 feet, the Thomaston Dam Basin experiences flooding which causes a closure of the trail system. At 26 feet, portions of the paved road in the basin flood which causes restricted access to the area. These closures ensure public safety and proper flood control operations for downstream cities and towns. You will be able to view the current pool levels at Thomaston Dam and inquire about the trail bike status. Please note, the trails are subject to flooding during heavy rains. PLEASE NOTE: Several days may be needed after a closure for drying time and trail repairs. Please call 860-283-5540 for current trail status. Hunting and Fishing

Hunting and fishing are permitted in accordance with Connecticut laws and regulations. Hunters have more than 800 acres of combined federal and state land on which to hunt stocked pheasant and upland game and white tail deer. Anglers will enjoy the challenges of fishing for the stocked and native species of fish that abound in the Naugatuck River, as well as the many smaller brooks. For more information on hunting or fishing, you can contact the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. In addition to the these activities, special interpretive programs on the cultural and natural resources, water resources, water safety and flood control are provided by Park Rangers. Tours of Thomaston Dam are also available. Picnicking

The Vista picnic area with twenty tables is located near the top of the dam and offers splendid views in a relaxed atmosphere. You may even see a Naugatuck Railroad train at times crossing the downstream slope of the dam! Model Airplane Flying

For model aircraft enthusiast, there is an area maintained under a cooperative agreement with a local club, Nutmeg R/C Flyers for the flying of radio controlled model aircraft. The flight area is open to the public and groups through the Corps Special use permit program. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, working in cooperation with agencies from the states of CT, MA, NH and VT, provides quality outdoor recreational opportunities at 31 Corps-operated flood risk management reservoirs within these states. The lands and waters of these civil works water resource projects are managed to conserve the natural resources as well as for the primary authorized purpose of flood risk management. The Corps of Engineers was founded on June 16, 1775. Disclaimer

The appearance of external links or the use of third-party applications on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense. This page is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District. While this is an open forum, it's also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and posts clean. You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Comments and posts that violate any of the guidelines listed below may be removed:

• Do not post graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments. We also do not allow comments that are abusive, hateful, vindictive or intended to defame anyone or any organization.

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• All information posted to social media sites will be unclassified. No FOUO (for official use only), classified, pre-decisional, proprietary or business-sensitive information should ever be posted or discussed on this page. Don’t post personnel lists, rosters, organization charts or directories. This is a violation of privacy. Also, the appearance of external links or the use of third-party applications on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. For more information, visit the DoD Social Media user agreement at: http://dodcio.defense.gov/DoD-Web-Policy/

You are encouraged to quote, republish or share any content on this site on your own blog, Web site or other communication/publication. If you do so, please credit the Army unit or the person who authored the content as a courtesy.

We know we are beautiful, but flying drones over our dams and lands is strictly prohibited. Tell your friends. “The use ...
08/23/2026

We know we are beautiful, but flying drones over our dams and lands is strictly prohibited.

Tell your friends.

“The use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), such as drones, are prohibited on or above federal lands and waters managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District. This prohibition applies regardless of the location of the operator.”

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08/20/2026

🦺EXPECT TRAIL WORK🦺

👀August 21, 22 and the week of August 24th 👀
We have a crew doing trail maintenance in the OHV area, please be aware and careful of the crew, vehicles and machines.

They are working pretty hard on improvements and if you can avoid the area - please do so.

08/10/2026

The dam and areas are open ✅

🚫August 10-12🚫

The top of the dam, OHV and Vista will be closed Monday through Wednesday due to a contractor performing work on the road.

This closure is to vehicles and pedestrians - the Vista parking lot will closed.

08/04/2026

August 7th - OHV trails are open✅

🚫 August 4th - OHV Trails 🚫

With elevated pool levels from the last storm (Thomaston pool got up to almost 30 feet!), the OHV area will be closed the next couple days as the pool lowers, trails dry out and rangers are able to perform safety checks and clean any debris.

We will update when the trails are reopened.

07/28/2026

JULY 31 - Trails are reopened.

With potentially BIG rain coming, the OHV trails will be CLOSED WEDNESDAY JULY 29th and possibly longer - depending on the actual total rain amounts and how high the Thomaston pool level rises. Check here or call Thomaston Dam at 860-283-5540 for when the trails re-open.

Send a message to learn more

Fun Fact: While the OHV area is heavily used for recreation, it is equally important as land for natural resource manage...
07/23/2026

Fun Fact: While the OHV area is heavily used for recreation, it is equally important as land for natural resource management. Staying on designated trails helps protect the environment, reduces the time and costs Park Rangers spend restoring areas impacted by unauthorized riding, and keeps riders safer by preventing the creation of unauthorized trails that others may mistake for designated trails.

While we do our best to gain voluntary compliance, federal citations are a tool the rangers try not to use. Please remind everyone you ride with to act responsibly.

Check out the post below to learn how to navigate the designated trail system.

With the approval and cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Thomaston Dam the Club has begun marking the trailbike loop. More markings will be coming (labels) but for your reference, the top orange arrow shows the easier option. The lower orange arrow shows the more difficult of the two options. Yellow arrow shows exit to the tar. We have more work to do but this should be a big help for newer visitors.

As we are almost halfway through the dirt bike riding/OHV season, it is a good time to remind visitors of the regulation...
07/22/2026

As we are almost halfway through the dirt bike riding/OHV season, it is a good time to remind visitors of the regulations most broken/questioned:

1 - The OHV area is for 2-wheeled trail bikes ONLY. Not 3 or 4-wheeled atvs. The 2-wheeled trail bike designation happened in 1975, so it has been this way for a while.
2 - REGISTRATION PLATES MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE BIKE and ASSOCIATED PAPERWORK presented for inspection. BOTH are requred for entry.
3- ALL bikes wanting to enter the OHV area must comply with ALL posted regulations or the entire vehicle will be turned away.

Please read the 2026 Trail Bike Information flyer for any other questions about regulations for riding at Thomaston Dam.

While we do our best to gain voluntary compliance, federal citations are a tool the rangers try not to use. Please remind everyone you ride with to act responibly.

If you have lost a license plate and think it happened on our trails, email Project Manager Steven Patchkofsky at [email protected] with the plate ID to see if it was one of the many plates that have been turned in.

06/17/2026

🚫JUNE 17-19 TRAIL WORK 🚫

BE AWARE - Contractors will be working to replace the culvert at the Highway to Heaven trail section this week. Please stay clear of that section/trails to allow the contractor to safely make the repairs in a timely manner.

Address

331 Hill Road
Thomaston, CT
06787

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 7pm
Tuesday 8am - 7pm
Wednesday 8am - 7pm
Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 7pm
Saturday 8am - 7pm
Sunday 8am - 7pm

Telephone

+18602835540

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