I've been wanting to try this place since moving to Connecticut a year ago. I finally got around to going there and I was not disappointed. The parking area is very large. Just near the lot are tables for BBQing. The beach area is far away and I can see why people bike to it. There are lots of single track that connect the main trail. It was the weekend before school started up again, close to the end of the summer. I wanted to hike the little path, but came across the nice calm beach front that I saw everyone walking to and from and could resist take a little dip in the water. Let's just say it was pretty amazing. The sand is not so sandy as more like sharp little spikes due to the sea shells that cover it, however, once you get past that and into the water, it is just simply divine. The water is protected from the large waves, so it is super calm and remains very shallow for a long distance in. I think I floated in it for an hour, before I started to loose the sun. Otherwise, I would have stayed longer. I can't wait to go back again some day. read more

What a gem of a state park on the Connecticut shore: Dawn land as it was before being developed. A peninsula reaching out to Long Island Sound and the ocean. Great for about 3 miles of walking with or without a dog. A crane took off from the lime green grass. I took a dip in the water on the long arm of sand. We got off the paths on the bluff and explored the jagged coast. Glacial remnants whispered the old story of change. Tidal pools swirled around the boulders. I lay down on an ancient slab and listened to the water: in and out. read more

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I'm visiting family in the area and while they had to go to work this morning I decided to do a little exploring in Groton! Came across this place and although it was not what I expected, it was a nice place to relax, enjoy nature and reflect. There are multiple hiking/nature trails full of vegetation surrounding the water. So beautiful! I went down to the water to dip my feet in and wish I had brought a swimsuit! The water is clear and just the right temperature! Saw a lot of locals walking here with their dogs (made me miss my dogs back at home!) if I lived in this area it would definitely be somewhere I would return quite often to escape and enjoy the view! read more

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Beautiful park! Love coming here to take a walk or run. Great bike paths and lots of people walking their dogs. Pretty place to view the water too! Really easy to find (signs) and lots of parking. Super bonus points: its free! :D read more

Made our way to Bluff Point for the first time recently with my girlfriend and it was nice! Free admission, plenty of parking, family-friendly trails, water-front access, picnic tables -- there is plenty to do! On our visit we saw people out and about shell-fishing, swimming, dog-walking, sea kayaking, and boating. This park is a favorite among locals: families with children, and families with dogs. The main gravel trail was fairly even and relatively easy to use, we saw several couples with wagons and strollers with children. read more

Here is a great place to picnic, relax by the water, watch the planes land, hike, fish.... Use you GPS to get there. It help. Travel down under the bridge to the dirt road and it will open up to the parking free area. Follow the path on the right side along the water to get to the beach or the rocky point. About a good 30-40 min walk. Beach will show up on right side. Not the greatest sand, more so shells and small stones and pebbles, so have shoes or flip flops. Dogs have to be on leash between April and August because of birds that lay eggs and cannot be disrupted. Very nice for quit, secluded area where no one bothers you. Had a great time and look toward to returning especially since we could bring the dogs! read more

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It's the only coastal reserve anywhere in the area!! If you want a nice walk, or bike ride you simply must go! :) There is a beach area, and I've see horse 'tracks' on some of the paths so there is that too. read more

Great walk with a beautiful view. I walk my dog here sometime during the off season. Only complaint is that there is no trash cans for poop bags or trash in general. There are picnic tables, but no trash cans?! read more

Amazing place. Beautiful view and seems to be kind of a "hidden gem" as it is never uncomfortably crowded. Lots to do here... start with the trails, the whole loop covers a few miles and is very doable even for nonexperienced hikers. The trails are pretty clear and the terrain isn't especially rugged. Great for a walk or a jog. I've never brought my dog here but I've seen plenty of people with dogs and even horses on the trails and near the water. As far as the beach goes, it's not the kind of place that you go to see and be seen. The waterfront is a little rocky and covered with shells, but you can definitely find a place to put a blanket down and sit for a while, have a picnic, etc. A lot of times you'll have the beach pretty much to yourself. Not many places I can think of where that's the case. No lifeguard, usually not a lot of people swimming, but the water is pretty calm and good for cooling off (especially if you're running -- it's easy to take a quick detour off the trail, hit the water for a couple minutes, and then take off again). A little confusing to find if you don't know the area. The road going in and the parking lot could use some work. No fee to get in. There's a little picnic area at the entrance or you can stop somewhere along the way. No trash cans, carry-in/carry-out only so don't pack too much. The view at the top of the cliff is worth the walk for sure. Actually though the whole park is beautiful -- lots of great views along the water and the small airport next door is neat too. Nothing like sitting there watching the sunset over the ocean. If you like the outdoors at all, make sure you come here at least once. read more

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Bluff Point State Park is a beautiful place to hike, run, bike or lounge at the beach. There are several trails, all are relatively flat which makes it an easy hike, bike or run. The views are beautifully breath taking. I highly recommend as a way to get outside and active for the afternoon. Many people also bring their coolers and hang out at the picnic area or on the beach. read more

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I take the dog for a walk around the loop every couple of days. It's a nice little walk (about an hour, perfect for listening to a podcast). The bluff has a nice view and the water access is great for the dog to swim. On the bad side, the entrance road and parking lot are awful. My truck has no problem but the huge holes and pits are murder on my girlfriend's civic. Sure there are mosquitoes and ticks but it's the woods so not really unexpected. read more

What an amazing place. Free parking and free access. Like other yelpers have mentioned this park has activities for everyone. I can't add anymore help or overview that other yelpers have more eloquently stated but just wanted to add my 2 cents to what a beautiful and fun park this is. The mountain biking trails are extensive. read more

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I grew up in the area but for some reason no one ever really talked about this place. I came here with family to jog in the evening and I would definitely call it a hidden gem. The trail is wide enough to allow running in groups and passing, and it provides variety in exercise with short hills, sandy patches, and grassy patches in addition to the dirt trail. It's not too long, but not too short - 3-4 miles long. The trail is actually a loop and at the tip of the loop you find a couple beach areas. The sunsets from there pretty amazing :) read more

Beautiful park with nice trails. The initial view is not great with the view of the airport, gives it an industrial feel but as you walk through the trails it gets nicer at the end. Trails are big and well maintained. A good place to walk in the area. There are some ice cream places nearby also read more

great trail for walking, running and biking. don't picture mountains. very tranquil and beautiful scenery. best part: SO MANY DOGS!!! I immediately convinced myself that I needed a dog for my next visit. friends would be nice too. *insert awkward laugh* read more

Bluff Point State Park - how can you hate this? - Beaches Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

This is a beautiful place to visit if you are looking for an easy, leisurely, scenic stroll. As an avid hiker- I would find another place to visit as the main trail is just a rocky path that doesn't go into the woods (think airline-type trail), although some of the secondary trails do. HOWEVER- if you are an avid birder, such as myself, then this is one of the best places to visit! All types of birds can be found here from warblers to raptors to ducks, geese and even humming birds! This is one of the best places in CT to catch migrating birds (esp. warblers at first light). And if you are an outdoor runner, walker, have children or are bringing the pup to play- this is your spot. The trail is very flat and gravel with not much thinking involved. I do love it here and it's worth the visit! The entire loop is around 4 miles I believe. Happy trails!! read more

Escaped Mohegan Sun for the morning (20 minute easy drive) to get some fresh air and exercise on this great walking trail. Nice and easy stroll. read more

We visited Bluff Point while camping at the KOA in North Stonington. With 3 kids and dogs we have to do research before going anywhere and Bluff Point seemed to meet our criteria. It was pretty much as advertised, so I'll back up what others have said and see what I can add. Yes, it is off the beaten path (but not hard to find.) Yes it is a long walk from the parking lot so make sure you hit the bathroom before you start the trek. While they appear to be better than your average port-o-potty, I'd take a deep breath before going in...especially in the summer. If you decide it's too far to go all the way to the beach, you can stop off to the right by the open marsh and grab a shady spot under a tree. The beach has disinct bands of shells, pebbles and rough sand and it's usually uncrowded enough to pick a quiet spot. The nearby airport isn't intrusive and be entertaining for kids who like planes. For those who like climbing on rocks head just past the beach and follow the signs to the Bluff. There are many side trails off the main road that head down to the rocks. Be careful on the wet ones and on any 'seaweed.' There's plenty to explore for kids of all ages. Dogs are not allowed on the beach during nesting season (April-August.) We brought ours on 8/29 and no one seemed to mind. I suppose as long as they don't run around chasing birds it's ok. read more

Cool place to walk. Right on the water. It's about a 1.5 mile walk to the really nice beach and tho.

Loved this walk! Took my 12 and 9 year olds. Plenty of parking on a busy day. Most folks wearing masks. Really pretty and not a challenging walk. My Fitbit said I logged around 8,700 steps- was a great way to start the day! read more

Hidden gem. Great place to take your dogs. They aren't allowed on the actual beach, but there are lots of other spots for them to go in the water, hike and have fun. read more

The last time I went to this park, I was probably 15 years old. I still remember it 13 years later. I took my husband and dog for a post-thanksgiving hike, and it was well worth the drive. It's about a 1.5 mile hike straight out, and another one back. The trail is mostly flat, and well kept. The trees and trail are beautiful, but the real site is at the end: a bluff and a beach, views of Fisher's Island and lighthouses. It's gorgeous. Our dog loves to run on the trail and the beach, and there's something for everyone. Since it's flat, people who have trouble walking will have an easy time. You could even take a stroller, and they allow horses on the trail! I can't wait to go back. read more

Great place to walk, ride bikes, just take in the scenery. Bluff point connects via it's expansive trails up behind Fitch Senior High School and all the way to Haley's Farm. You can easily lose 2 hours just exploring one trail. read more

A great place to go walking/hiking/ fishing/swimming. Very clean & lots of people walking their dogs, going jogging, pushing strollers, etc. it's not a short walk, so be prepared to carry a water bottle with you & plan the bathroom breaks accordingly. (Luckily, there are clean "out" houses along the way!). So many beautiful scenes to be taken in & excellent for photo opps. The picnic area is first stop out of the parking area, so great for little ones. & you are able to watch planes come & go from the Groton/New London airport! Very cool place. read more

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I enjoyed it here. It's one of the only free beaches around the area that I can find. Some great trails also to top it off. It's a must visit if you have some free time. The best beaches are those farther into the trail. read more

Very nice area to walk around and spend time on the coast. The trail will give you a nice tour of the area and access to a mile of undeveloped beach. It's a rocky beach, but has great views of the sound and even on a Sunday afternoon in Summer, there weren't that many people. It's pretty flat, so it's not the place to go if you're looking for something strenuous. I plan on visiting again soon. read more

Gorgeous place and fantastic for dogs. They have a couple small beaches where my dog loves to swim and a circuit trail that hugs the coast for half of it. The views at the point are breathtaking! Lots of walking trails to the coast and biking trails that stem off of the main trail. Highly recommended for the outdoor enthusiast. read more

This place is perfect to bring your furry friends. During the busier weekends the park rangers can be a little more strict but for the last 3 years we have been letting our rescues run around off leash along this rocky inlet. Those tacky looking swimming shoes with the rubber soles will be your best bet in protecting your feet! There is a path which runs through the woods and back to what I would consider a "real" beach where dogs are not allowed during nesting season for some of the local birds. It is definitely worth visiting if you are looking for something a little off the beaten path and unlike the other beaches on the area. read more

What a great place. 800 acres on the ocean. Walk, run, bike, fish, horsebavk ride,swim, kayak. All free. Want a beach all to yourself? Go here.The Bushy Point beach is the nicer beach, its a little more shielded from the airport noise, which is the only drawback of the park. I like riding my bike because it is over a mile to the point. You can also ride from here to Groton long point on a path, that makes a nice trip. Oh - there are 2 outhouses, one at the parking lot and one at the point. It is truly a gem of a park and CT is lucky to have it - although I bet 99% of the people dont know that it exists. read more

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This is hands down my favorite local park in any season. Part beach, part woods, each time you come here this magical place looks, feels, and smells different. Even if the parking lot looks crowded don't worry, the space is so big that it never feels crowded once you are out walking/running/biking/horseback riding/dog walking/kayaking/beaching/fishing.... The options are almost endless. read more

This place is beautifully fantastic! You can do ANYTHING in the historical 800 acres. The ocean's beach is filled with rocks that came with the glaciers. This place is beautiful and fantastic. There is a two mile track all the way around and not to mention bike or horseback ride. It is a beautiful place to smell the sea air and watch the traffic in the harbor. read more

This wasn't a bad little hike. I don't know if I'll really call it a hike, more like a walk. Great for your little furry friends.

Love this place. It is easy to get to and has a lot to do. You can ride horses, walk dogs, dig for clams, lay on the beach or bike! Beautiful location but it is by the airport so you'll see low flying airplanes. read more

Always been my favorite park in Connecticut. You have lots of woods, beach and bluffs all in one park. I was so happy I got to visit on my recent trip home, don't usually go hiking when visiting family but it made me miss it more. read more

I love this park!! Beautiful views and a great way to get you and the family active during the summer. Relatively easy trails (but a little long if you have little ones). Walk along the beach or on the trail, explore the beautiful bluff or get a taste of history at the small exhibit in the middle of the trail. Free admission year round! read more

Great place to take a leisurely walk with your dogs! Beautiful scenery! Their is plenty of parking and it is free! The road coming in is kind of rough and bumpy. Their are bathrooms and lots of picnic tables. Overall a good place to check out! read more

What a wonderful place for a walk. Wide paths offer plenty of room for walking or riding a bike. The scenery is beautiful. It's just a great place for some exercise out in nature. Toilets are available, and parking is free. read more

Gorgeous place to be. Long walk to the beach but definitely worth it. There are plenty of trails for bikers, hikers, and just walking your dog. I love visiting here. Open all year too so its nice to just go and relax read more

It's a nice place to walk, run or bike. Great view if you make it all the way to the top

Such a great time. I went with a friend today, the trail is a great workout and it's beautiful there. Not too long but not too short, either. The beach and scenery are lovely. Overall it's worth the hour drive for me! Will definitely go again. read more