Erving State Forest

Erving State Forest
Massachusetts State Forest
Laurel Lake
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Franklin
Towns Erving, Warwick, Orange
Elevation 764 ft (233 m) [1]
Coordinates 42°37′21″N 72°22′41″W / 42.62250°N 72.37806°W / 42.62250; -72.37806Coordinates: 42°37′21″N 72°22′41″W / 42.62250°N 72.37806°W / 42.62250; -72.37806 [1]
Area 2,422 acres (980 ha) [2]
Established Unspecified
Management Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Location in Massachusetts
Website: Erving State Forest

Erving State Forest, located just north of the Millers River in the towns of Erving, Warwick, and Orange, Massachusetts, covers a central area roughly 2½ by 2½ miles wide in central Massachusetts north of the Quabbin Reservoir and also includes several nearby satellite property fragments. The property is largely wooded and hilly with an extensive network of park roads and hiking trails, the majority of which were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Laurel Lake, located in the center of the property, is approximately 1/4 mile wide (N-S) by 1 mile long (E-W) and has approximately 35 houses, the majority of which lie on the northern shore.

Activities and amenities

The state forest is open to hiking, swimming, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, and hunting (in season).[3] Laurel Lake has a beach and a seasonal public campground; It is so named because of the abundance of mountain laurel flowers that border the lake. Laurel Trail, located behind the ranger station at Laurel Lake beach, offers a view of Mount Monadnock. The 110-mile Metacomet-Monadnock Trail passes through a western parcel of the state forest. Trails are often used for snowmobiling and four wheeling.

Flora and fauna

Laurel Lake is home to large mouth bass, rainbow trout, brook trout, yellow perch, pickerel, eel, and blue gill, snapping and painted turtles, heron, beaver, eastern newt, bullfrog, and leopard frog. The forest itself is home to many animals including black bear, white tail deer, porcupine, coyote, fox, raccoon, and ground squirrel. Aside from the mountain laurel, other common flowers in Erving State Forest include pitcher plants, the daylily variety Hemerocallis fulva, and painted trillium.

References

  1. 1 2 "Laurel Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "2012 Acreage Listing" (PDF). Department of Conservation and Recreation. April 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  3. "Erving State Forest". MassParks. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
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