[wzslider autoplay=”true” interval=”5000″ height=”800″ lightbox=”true”]Nestled in a forest in the small town of Barkhamsted, CT pop. 3700, (about 20 miles northwest of Hartford), is the Saville Dam. This is an (8) mile long reservoir, which primarily services Hartford, that will drop your jaw.
It was built in 1936 and was named after Chief Engineer Caleb Mills Saville. By 1940 the reservoir had reached it’s maximum level. At (8) miles in length it’s volume is considerable.
The gatehouse has a castle/mote type look to it. Absolutely stunning, especially with this grand reservoir and deep blue sky as a back drop.
On the west side is a gorgeous spillway whose bed and walls are made of carved stone (granite I think). I’ve certainly never seen another spillway this beautifully crafted. Across the road from the spillway is the spillways extension that runs for about 1/4 mile to a river.
Adjacent to the spillway is a turnaround and a parking area for about (20) vehicles. To the east of the reservoir is a much larger parking area. This is black bear country and I kept on the look out but, to my good fortune, did not have to encounter one while on foot.
Unfortunately it’s about 1/4 mile walk from the nearest parking area to where the gate house is. Because it’s a remote area with car’s speeding by at nearly 50 mph, and very little room to walk, I passed on the idea. This forced me to take my photo of the gate house quickly from the seat of my car. The speeding cars are the only thing that, sort of, takes you out of the zone and reminds you of the fast paced world that clashes with the dam’s serenity.
I’ve seen this area photographed before and put it on my list of “must have” shots. I wasn’t disappointed when I arrived. This is such a quiet, peaceful setting. Frankly, I didn’t even want to leave but I had other things on my list that day. It’s definitely worth a visit!
Recent Comments