Townshend State Park — Attraction in Townshend

Townshend State Park is beautiful! I camped out here a lot growing up; especially in Summer Camp (I went to Heart's Bend Camp in nearby Newfane) and in the VERY mid/late Summer of 1993 before my best friend and I went off to college we did a Kayaking trip on the West/Connecticut Rivers. I was going to be attending Hampshire College in Amherst, and she was going to be attending Hunter College in NYC, so this was the last time we'd see each other until Winter Break.

We camped out @ TSP the night before put in, and then started off early the next morning. We kayaked from TSP to the Brattleboro Marina the first day (where the West River joins the Connecticut under the Route 5 & Amtrak Vermonter B&M bridges), then camped out the second night at Hinsdale Campground in NH, second day of paddling took us from Hinsdale Campground across the VT/NH/MA tri-state border to Squaheag in Northfield, MA where we camped the third night.

Third day of paddling we went from Squaheag to Munn's Ferry (still in Northfield), camping out there the fourth night. Fourth day of paddling took us from Munn's Ferry to Barton Cove Campground in Gill, MA (outside Greenfield) where we camped the fifth night. Fifth day of paddling took us to the CT River Paddler's (in the Whatley/S.Deerfield/Sunderland area) Campsite where we set up camp (and this campsite has a GORGEOUS rock ledge waterfall too) for our sixth night of camping on the river & took a short side-hike to the Sunderland Caves (VERY interesting place, I came back here with friends a LOT during college); which are ABSOLUTELY worth visiting.

Our 7th (last day!) of paddling was from CT River Paddler's campsite to the CT River Greenway State Park off Damon Rd. in Northampton, MA (just downriver after the BIG oxbow bend in the river) which was our takeout. Such a GREAT & MEMORABLE camping/paddling adventure. I HIGHLY...

Had a great time at TSP, despite being rained out 70% of the time. There’s two ways to get there, the first is over the metal bridge at the dam, or you can come in the bixby cemetery end of St forest rd. We arrived our first night after hours, and were still greeted by staff as they were closing up. We were able to go straight to our campsite, and check-in the next morning. This was so nice as it had been raining. The campsites are close together but still far enough apart. At first, I kinda wished we were set farther away, but in the end it was convenient to be close to the bathrooms. The Townshend dam to check out as well, pretty cool views and some history about hydro power. We enjoyed a peaceful walk along the dam road, and being awake before everyone else in our section of the campground meant very quiet early morning walks in the fog with the pup to check out the stone arch bridge and also the covered bridge. It might not be the ultimate destination for vacations as it is kind of far away from shopping centers however we found a cool pick-your-own berry field nearby and small local shops offering up tasty bites, so it depends on what you’re looking for. It was relaxing, fun, with a rural feel and I highly recommend this one for an awesome getaway. Had never been here before, having grown up in VT and will definitely be back some day!

Edit:: Don’t forget to check out the “salmon run” on the other...

Come enjoy the Beauty! It's worth the trip. I'm trying to introduce my friends to the boonies, this is close! This is a GREAT Beautiful place on a dirt road. Don't expect to always have cell service but You're supposed to be camping-put down the electronics (got me-camera is okay). It's in the pucker brush but don't let it stop You! There's a nice covered bridge close. Some folks don't like that the dam happened, I'm glad it did, but I also know there's no stopping progress, the fact they aren't trying to pave everything here is THE BEST. If You're camping, You probably have a 4x4 or all wheel drive vehicle, if You don't, all bets are off on the rainy days as the road is narrow and people don't want to have to explain it's a 2 lane dirt road with a few tight corners, don't SPEED, go slow and enjoy the journey . . . The cabins are cute. The camp layout is nice. We tend to leave for hours and have no problems with stuff being...