This is a fun little spot. The weather is so nice out today…read morethat I wanted to go for a walk with my son in a safe, well populated location and have a beachy vibe to it. We stumbled upon Branford Point after seeing tons of private beach roads nearby and a quick Google search for a public Branford beach. There were at least a dozen fishermen here near the parking area. There is a small strip of a sandy beach with an actual lifeguard. Also, there is a playground/park with picnic tables. Next time we come back, we'll be more prepared to go on the sand and pack a lunch to stay longer!

I have now forgotten the circumstances that brought me to Branford Point this past spring: all that…read moreI remember now is that I had to be out of the house an hour or so before I needed to leave for work. The amount of time seemed just right to explore this city of Branford park, on my way in to New Haven, and I am glad I did. Branford Point park is small but packed with memorable features. From the boat launch, which is surrounded by water on 3 sides, to the beach, backed by a grassy, tree-lined hill, there is much beauty to absorb from this point. Parking was possible, but limited: I imagine in the summer high season that it becomes difficult for anybody that lives outside Branford to visit. Though it may be small and packed, the challenge in this case would be worth the breeze from Long Island Sound, the sights of nearby Thimble Islands, and the peaceful vibes I found at Branford Point.

A playground near the beach with grass areas and trees, I mean what more could a kid ask for! There…read moreare multiple play areas for varying age groups. The park is in good condition, all new rubber mats along the bottom and trees surround the park so it's a beautiful spot to picnic that overlooks the water. During fall months there was no fee, I'm sure the summer it is packed here due to the beach. But if you have kids this is a fantastic place to spend a a few hours.

Fantastic beach! It's not huge, but it's still a decent size. Brought my 4 yr old here on a Sunday…read moreand had a great time! We arrived about 10:30 and there was plenty of space. The nice guy in parking told us it was $30 to park for nonresidents (assume that's both parking and pass, though not sure), but free parking was available a short distance up the road and entry fee would be just $10. We went with that even though it meant I would be carrying everything to the beach. The parking was really not far... maybe one wide city block. It's literally across the playground (which you can't cut to since it's part of the park and fenced in). Then you go down the hill which is all sidewalk (good when you have kiddos), and down to the paid parking and beach. Once you arrive to the parking, you go to the restroom building on the left and there's a sign that says "passes" on the right side. Go there to pay the $10 pass. There were some rules I wasn't aware of, so some tips: umbrellas need to be behind the cones. I believe the life guard said it was to keep the incoming tide from washing it out? The tide did come up a little during the day we were there. Also, no boogie boards allowed anywhere at the beaches with life guards. What I didn't know, was it was allowed at the private beach strip between the two public beaches. There are houses overlooking the private beach area, but everyone seems to use it or at least walk it to get from one public beach to the other. I'm sure if someone really didn't want you hanging out there, they'd tell you, but we seemed to be allowed. We also were just 2 people and not a party hanging out, so that probably helps. The water was warmish in the shallow waves but cooler once in. Water is pretty clear and some areas had more seaweed than others, but not bad. There are a ton of boat type shells and not much of others. The sand and waters are full of nice pebbles, stones, and larger stones. There is also a floating raft a short distance out (of both public beach areas) that you can swim to, although we did not since my daughter still doesn't swim well. The beach gets busy after noon, but it wasn't too bad. There are a couple outdoor showers by the bathrooms that worked really well. We didn't use the bathrooms so not sure how they were. I don't know if there's a concession stand; I didn't see one. But there was an ice cream truck that came by at the main beach. A nice playground is up the hill a little bit from the beach that we were going to visit, but decided to keep moving and go home. I'd definitely come here again. For $10 and a little hassle of carrying your things a short distance, it's a really pretty and clean beach, with nice views of sailboats on the water. The waves are gentle too, so it's good for little ones. Still watch them though bc as the day went on, the waves got a little bigger and has a good pull for small kiddos.

Enjoyable flat easy walk along the stunning coast line. It was a warm day with no shade so be…read moreprepared depending on weather. Plenty of benches to take a break. The train rail running parallel with the boardwalk was fun as they went by.

A pop up shower shortened my visit, but otherwise it was an enjoyable experience. Some nice views,…read morealthough parking can be a little difficult. Overall a nice way to spend some time during the summer.

It's a nice little beach with a nice playground and places to sit on the grass. It also has decent…read moreif dingy building to change in. A nice place to swim or read on the beach or take the kids.

This is such a beautiful lake with hiking trails. It is part of the Regional Water Authority (RWA)…read moreRecreation Area, so a special permit is required to park and hike around the reservoir. There are 10 miles of trails around the reservoir. The lake is on the boundary of Madison and Killingworth. The hikes are considered easy to moderate. It's very peaceful and quiet. Highly recommend you visit!

We were planning this trip for the longest time, it was the first time for me to be able to take a…read moreweek of in the summer and take a decent trip with our boat. We left Haverstraw marina around 6:00 AM on Saturday 8/6 and arrived to Pilots point about 6.5 hour later. From the moment we got there to the moment we left 2 days later I was nothing but impressed with the dock hands, the dock master and the marina. Beautiful clean bathrooms, BBQ all over the place, nice pool, brand new club house and all around great facility. I want to mention again the dock hands that unlike in other marinas actually know what they are doing! Also they were all very nice and friendly. The marina have deep water so I hat was not an issue as my boat draft 4.2 foot. We got slips right by the fuel dock and there was plenty of space for all 4 boats. The fuel dock is by far the busiest fuel dock I have seen. We will surly be back to Pilots point!

Beautiful retreat of the daily grind and great staff. Nice area and fun memories. Can't wait to…read morereturn in the Summer.

Everything is nice but up until today my family and I never met anyone like DOMINIQUE! He was…read moreamazing and the sweetest !!!! Can't wait till next time so we can request him to help us out with whatever we need GO DOMINIQUE AKA DOM!

Dirty tons of trash diapers on the beach. Doesn't have any trash cans and the people who see these…read moreyelp posts and people bowing up small townie spots have completely ruined it for the locals. Leaves the locals like me to pick Yo the garbage. Stay home

How is this not on yelp as of May 2014? As the rating states, it does not get much better than…read morethis! This was a childhood favorite and back then, kind of an oasis of peace within a town that is already very small and peaceful as is (minus the snobby schools). It was not known back in the day, at least when I was around 10 (mid 90s) but has grown in popularity, slowly but steadily. They have slowly made it more accessible and put work into the areas surrounding the pond but it still has that out of the way feel. To me, the best place to swim in the Southeast/Shoreline area of CT.