West Hill Pond CT: Access

[Moerae]

Hi all,

Looking to do a few dives at West Hill, and wondering about access from anyone that's been there recently.

Seems like it comes down to:

• The boat launch area (park and walk far enough to not be diving "from" the boat launch)
• Brodie Park
• Camp Workcoeman

Boat launch area is straightforward, and I can always just use that off season or if I don't have permission for other areas.

For the camp: Is there any publicly accessible shore from the camp (something I don't need explicit permission?). Is off season access Ok? I drove by recently and while it was expectedly empty, is driving into the camp and parking in a parking spot by one of their water access areas ok? I'll reach out to the camp directly if permission is needed, but wondering if a local diver knows.

For the park, the roads to the beach were gated off pretty far from the beach access, and checking online it's over $300 for a pass to the beach area. Is there any other public access at the park or nearby the southern end of the pond (depth maps show some cool terrain in the southern end)?

Any other public access I missed? Anywhere with a reasonable spot to park and a short walk (practicing dry suit & doubles configuration, so ideally not TOO long of a walk) where I'm not gonna get a ticket is fine. I'm especially interested in that southern area with the cliffs and deeper drop.

Thanks!

 

[EdC]

Myself and a buddy have entered just left of the beach at the park with no issue once. The caveat to this is, non residents can only park at the beach off-season, not sure what the actual dates are but just call the town, I believe it is just school vacation times that are restricted. When I called about parking the young lady I talked to explained that the state "owns" the lake and the town's only concern is parking so you don't need permission to dive.

The camp is off limits except by permission of the caretaker. We stopped and spoke with him and we were told that unless we were affiliated with a shop and carried insurance we could not use their property to enter. He was very nice about it, and it makes sense from the camps perspective.

That said I don't think you would run into any problems parking away from the beach at the playground and making the long walk to the beach area almost anytime.

 

[Moerae]

Thanks for taking the time to explain! Helpful info.