Chapman Pond Preserve

© Robert Perron

Why You Should Visit
This tidal freshwater pond, which can be visited only by small boat, lies just east of the Connecticut River, between the Goodspeed Opera House and Gillette Castle State Park.

Location
East Haddam

Hours
Dawn to dusk

Size
490 acres

Conditions
This site can be visited only by canoe, kayak or other small boat.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see our “Preserve Visitation Guidelines” page.

Directions
From Route 91 southbound: 

  • Take Route 9 south to exit 7 for Route 82.
  • At the end of the Route 82 connector, turn left to continue briefly on Routes 154 & 82, then turn right at the traffic light to continue on Route 82.
  • Follow 82 across the bridge into East Haddam. Route 82 winds up a hill and comes to a stop sign 1.5 miles from the bridge.  
  • At that sign, take a right and proceed approximately 1.2 miles, then turn right onto River Road (look for brown Gillette Castle State Park sign).  The preserve entrance is 0.3 mile on the right.

From I-95 north or south:

  • Drive north on Route 156 approximately 7 miles to its conclusion at the intersection with Route 82 in Lyme.
  • Turn left onto Route 82 west and drive 3.2 miles to Hadlyme center (4-way stop sign, junction with route 148), and turn right to continue on 82.  
  • Drive 2.6 miles and turn left onto River Road.  The preserve entrance is 0.3 mile on the right.

By Boat:

  • Launch canoe from the landing behind Goodspeed Opera House. 
  • Paddle downstream near the eastern shore, keeping the main channel and both islands to your right. 
  • Even with the southern end of the farther north of the two islands is an inlet into the pond. 
  • At the southern end of the pond is the other inlet, which is more scenic and meets the main river about a half mile south of the first. It is a little over a half-mile north of the boat launch at Gillette Castle State Park.

What to See: Plants
The pond is bordered on the west by low floodplain forest, and to the east by hemlock forest.

What to See: Animals
Depending on the season, an alert visitor may see bald eagle, belted kingfisher, black-crowned night heron, black duck, great blue heron, great egret, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, snowy egret, as well as coyote, red fox, river otter.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site  
The pond and surrounding land provide nesting, breeding and feeding habitat for a variety of plants and animals, and it is a winter roosting site for bald eagles. Four rare plant species are found in the adjacent marsh.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The East Haddam Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy have protected more than 500 acres around the pond.