Most popularly known as  haven for four-legged friends, Yongs Pond Park is a vast 48.57-acre facility featuring…More open space, a softball field, hiking trails and of course, <em> </em>a pond.</p> <p>It's easy to spend an afternoon inside the forest, trail-walking and exploring. At the park entrance on Blackstone Ave, you'll find a trail map for reference provided by the Young Park Commission, which features three nature walks highlighting trees and shrubs.</p> <p>If you're not much into hiking, take a seat on the bridge that crosses the pond and watch the two resident swans as they gracefully glide along the surface of Youngs Pond.</p> <p>Dogs are not required to be leashed and the park is self-contained by a stone wall where it boarders the road. While dogs are encouraged to run freely, signs warn guests that dogs must stay off the ball field during games, which is located at the far corner of the park from the entrance. Dog owners are required to carry a leash when taking dogs through the trail system.</p>

A refuge for hikers, meanderers, bikers, runners, nature enthusiasts, historians and four-legged friends, the…More Branford Supply Pond sprawls over 350 acres.</p> <p>Purchased in 1969 from the Regional Water Authority with federal, state and local funding, Supply Pond was formerly the home to Branford Electric Company.</p> <p>The present-day property abuts the recently purchased Queach Preserve (over 150 acres); the Branford Park and Open Space Authority of Branford own both properties.</p> <p>There are trails for hiking during every season and, come spring, the pond is stocked with trout and more than 200 known species of birds can be spotted.</p> <p>Learn more about the Supply Pond by going there or stop by the James Blackstone Memorial Library to pick up a copy of "Supply Pond", which provides historical information.</p>