This a beautiful, scenic park on a mountainous top outside of downtown New Haven and it offers…read moreopportunities for hiking, biking, picnicking, leisurely strolls, etc. It's a big area and on the day of my visit, the paved road going inside the park was closed, so we had to walk a decent amount to get to spots like Soldiers and Sailors Monument and scenic overlook vista points. The hike to the monument and scenic vista point on the paved road trail (one-way) can take up to 30 minutes if not longer. There is a (sort of short-cut) trail that goes through the woods that has rocky steps and is a rigorous hiking route. It was a nice weather day and a perfect way to work-off the delicious New Haven pizzas we ate beforehand. We enjoyed our visit here while checking out the beautiful scenic views and the monument. I am not giving it full five stars because the park lacked proper direction signage for the trail(s) and as far as I could tell, I did not find any bathrooms or port-o-potty services.

Large, BEAUTIFUL park near downtown New Haven. Unclear GPS directions/signs make it a BIT tough to…read morenavigate, but we eventually found where we wanted to be, and were rewarded with scenic trails and a challenging (whew!!) hilly walk up to the not-to-be-missed Soldiers' monument and overlook of the city. We were lucky to hit the last of peak leaf season, but I'm sure ANY time of year is great for a visit to this wonderful oasis. Didn't see very much during our quick visit, but hope to return to check out more trails and waterways. GREAT spot for locals and visitors alike. Hope to return with more time to explore SOON!!

We needed a break on our drive from MA to NJ and this was just about the mid-point for us and just…read moreoff the highway. It is a pretty state park for a short visit if you're in the area. Lots of college students throughout the park from nearby Quinnipiac University. There are plenty of open space, picnic tables and trails for everyone to enjoy. Lots of different trail options but the tower trail is the most popular. Not much shade on the tower trail and a fairly decent elevation change in a short distance. Make sure to check the weather and bring water. Beautiful views from the highest point in the park and you can go inside the tower.

This was such a nice and beautiful hike! We went here end of October when foliage season was coming…read moreto an end quickly. We got to see amazing views and lots of foliage. The hike was not bad and it was super busy. Huge parking lot and lots of people that day. The views at the tower were awesome and it's definitely a nice spot for pictures. A local gem.

Such an absolutely gorgeous park that I found by accident. I was looking for something to do to get…read morein my evening cardio, and drove across a bridge that had a beautiful lake below. Made a quick uturn and spent the next two hours enjoying this completely paved and awesome park. There is about a 4-5 mile fully paved path, with mountain biking paths adjacent to it, as well as wooded paths. You'll see VERY friendly swans, geese, and ducks (please don't feed them), plenty of squirrels, and the occasional tiny bird running away from you. The are several grass lined bridges that make you feel like you're inside a fairytale, but be careful as they run very low to the water, and are extremely soft in some places. There are steps at various points that lead you back up to the main road at random points, and at the very end you'll happen upon a cool ass skate park. Lover this park so much and will use it as my walking spot going forward!

I would not recommend this "park". When I first arrived to New Haven I thought I'd explore all the…read moreparks (since I love nature), but this wasn't a good call. I went in winter and not only did it look barren as one might expect, but it felt really sketchy!! Cars with missing license plates, homeless people, etc. It didn't feel like a safe area at all, and I later learned it wasn't. On the way home from this park outside The Little Black store I even literally saw the man who had stolen my amazon packages the day before, in plain sight and not apprehended by police. Very dangerous area.

There's a few different sections of the Naugatuck State Forest. We went to the Quillinan Reservoir…read moreBlock, which is in Ansonia. There are a few ways to access this park, we decided to go from the Ansonia Nature Center. The transition over to State Forest is pretty subtle, mainly with some markings on the trees. This park is also adjacent to some watershed land, that is also marked really well. This park has some nice hiking trails, with a lot of different loop options. We ended up doing a 10k (6 miles) hike, on the white and purple loop trails. The trails are nicely blazed, and there's a really good variety of trees. We went through some hardwoods and some pine forest, and there were lots of plants and some water views of the reservoir at various points along the hike. It's not too strenuous elevation wise, which was nice for a moderate hike. Mountain biking is allowed in the park, and we saw several people out for a ride, so it seems a pretty popular location for biking, and the trails seem not overly eroded. My only complaint is this park is adjacent to a gun club, so for a good chunk of the hike (mostly the white trail) was done to the sound of near constant gunfire. It's not the most tranquil thing, especially if you're sensitive to that sound.

This is a beautiful walk around the reservoir. The day was overcast with a threat of rain, but the…read moretemperature today made up for the darkened skies. Colorful leaves are starting to pop out everywhere, and I suppose this place will be in it's prime in a week or so. If you're in the neighborhood, you have to stop by and enjoy the scenery.

I grew up there as a summer and weekend resident along Forest Drive. My mom and I went to the falls…read moreand all the way up the river to the conduit through which it flows down to the Falls. I am thrilled to see it cared for and about. My mother's family were one of the first to have a cottage at the lake in 1921. We had four family members with cottages on the same street as we cousins grew up and often spent summers there. Enjoy! It is a wonderful trail and spot!

The Zoar Trail is a "blue blazed" trail, one of the trails that's mapped and maintained by the…read moreCPFA. It's a pleasant, moderately challenging trail, with some nice level spots and views along the Housatonic River/Zoar Lake, and some more challenging ravine sections, especially near Prydden Falls. We didn't get a chance to do the whole loop while we were there (we just did an out and back from the falls) but it's definitely a place I plan on going back to.

I only checked out two parts of the park, the scenic overlook and Judges Caves. Came away…read moreimpressed with both. The road going to both is narrow and has some sharp turns, so definitely do the speed limit. Otherwise, they are easy to get to from the entrance. The Judges Caves offers a short experience; it's essentially a rock formation and not really a cave. Interesting to look at and climb for a few minutes. The scenic overlook offers a few view spots where you can see the sound all the way to Long Island. A fun little excursion after my visit to the Trolley Museum.

On the recommendation of Yelp friend, Marie R, my best friend, Locomotive Breath, and I visited…read moreJudge's Cave and the Scenic Overlook in the West Rock Ridge State Park. Road was closed to vehicular traffic, but the walk was nice and gradual, all of it on what seemed to be new macadam. After about 1.6 miles, road forks. To the right is a short walk to Judge's Cave. To the left, a short walk to the scenic overlook. Interesting story commemorated on a plaque on the cave. Very few other people, and almost as many dogs. Scenic overlook kind of blah....no water views, but at an elevation of about 600 ft. Overall, a beautiful day. Breezy, shaded by a nice canopy most of the way. Good way to stretch the legs, and learn an interesting piece of history.

This park is open to all, no "sticker" required. The kids playgrounds are great, so many things…read morefor the kids to do. The splash pad is the added bonus....my granddaughter asks to come here all summer...and we have a pool!!! That says it all...I highly recommend a visit... you'll be pleased

Bodie's Place Playground is an inclusive, boundless playground that opened at Eisenhower Park in…read moreMilford, Connecticut in May 2011. The 16,000-square-foot playground was made possible by a $400,000 fundraising campaign. The playground is named for John "Bodie" Vaccino", a local Milford boy who was born with cerebral palsy. When he was younger, his parents took him to a boundless playground called Hannah's Dream in New Haven. Bodie was able to play with his sister, Emma, as if he had no limitations. His parents then set a project in motion to bring a similar playground to their hometown of Milford. They didn't want a playground just for children with disabilities, but rather a community play mecca for kids of all abilities. The playground was designed by John Hollerbach, owner of Creative Recreation, who has worked on other projects associated with the nonprofit Boundless Playgrounds. An adjoining splash pad opened in July 2018. My family and I recently visited Bodie's Place Playground while we were on our summer break from school. My wife and I are always looking for good playgrounds for our sons, and we heard lots of great things about Bodie's Place. The playground actually features 2 large playscapes: one intended for younger children (ages 2-5) and another intended for older children (ages 5-12). We thought that both playscapes were equally impressive. After our sons played on them for a while, they changed into their swimsuits and headed on over to the equally impressive splashed. Both of our sons had a blast! I must also note that there are plenty of amenities at the park, including bathrooms, pavilions, picnic tables and benches available at the park. We highly recommend Bodie's Place Playground to families with small children and look forward to returning!

We've hiked here a couple of times since my first review, and I have to say, this is a really great…read morepark. There are nice overlook views along the trails, and the state did a really good job of repairing the trails after the storm damage in 2018. My only real complaint is that, like almost all CT campgrounds, they don't allow dogs, so I can't enjoy camping in the park, but from a day use perspective this is a great park.

Just came back from a 3 day camping trip in Kettle Town State Park, and we loved it…read more We pitched our tents on site No.61 a nice shaded area right across the bathroom facilities. The showers are clean and the water is just right. Every day the camp site workers come by to keep everything nice and neat. Definitely a place to return to in the future, we paid $77 for 4 days, 6 people, 2 tents & 2 vehicles.... you can't beat that for a great outdoors experience with the family.