Technically the Chicopee Reservoir is part of the Chicopee Memorial State Park, however due to how vastly different this portion of the park is from the rest of the park and trails, and because we went a different day, I decided that it deserved its own post.
The Reservoir is South West of the back hiking trails, and south of Westover Air Reserve Base. It was originally known as the Cooley Brook Reservoir and Watershed, and once provided water for the city of Chicopee. Today, the reservoir pond in season is used mostly for swimming and fishing. The name was officially changed in the 1960s when Park ownership was transferred to the State of Massachusetts - at the entrance of the park is a Memorial (15 dogwood trees and a large sign) dedicated to the 15 Chicopee servicemen who lost their lives in the Vietnam conflict.
We walked the Healthy Heart Trail which is paved and wide enough for both bicyclists and walkers. We also scouted out the reservoir dam, the spillway, and the surrounding areas. Most the buildings we passed near the parking lot are used for recreation activities in the summer - beach, bathhouse, watershed, pavilion, etc.
*Photographs taken with Sony Alpha a6000.
xo,
Kerstin
