Naugatuck State Forest - Quillinan Reservoir Block
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
552 acres7.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Richard Mansfield House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Ansonia
Ansonia has 15 miles of mapped trails, 2.5 for every square mile of land
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11% of Ansonia’s land is conserved, about 418 acres. The biggest trail networks: Naugatuck State Forest - Quillinan Reservoir Block (7.8 mi), Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center (3.5 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #28 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
418 acres · of 6.0 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
271 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
1.2 mi paths
Highest peak
469 ft
Derby Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Ansonia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ansonia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ansonia is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #28 of 155 in Connecticut. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ansonia’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (271 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13BParks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 82%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Ansonia’s 11% is ahead of 25% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 85% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Naugatuck State Forest - Quillinan Reservoir Block, with 7.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center
Nature preserve
143 acres3.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
City Open Space (Wakelee Ave)
Managed by City of Ansonia
15 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Naugatuck State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
552 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Naugatuck State Forest - Quillinan Reservoir Block552 acres · 7.8 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsAnsonia Nature and Recreation Center143 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Open Space (Wakelee Ave)15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Ansonia
DirectionsFountain Lake7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Seymour;City of Ansonia;City of Derby
DirectionsNaugatuck State Forest552 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Abe Stone Park20 acres · City of Ansonia
DirectionsOsbornedale State Park17 acres
Nelligan Park5 acres
DirectionsLinnett Park5 acres · City of Ansonia
DirectionsPine Lot Fields2 acres
DirectionsAnsonia Riverwalk Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
418 conserved acres
11% of Ansonia’s land. Who manages Ansonia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city186 ac
State conservation39 ac
Other state land20 ac
U.S. Forest Service13 ac
Not recorded309 ac
Local Park · 188 acLocal Other or Unknown · 141 acPrivate Conservation · 100 acUnknown Easement · 39 acWatershed Protection Area · 25 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 28 of 35 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 154 | Unknown |
| Schriber Park Local Park | Town or city | 140 | Open |
| Scriber park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 71 | Unknown |
| Warsaw Park Private Conservation | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| Quillinan Reservoir Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 25 | Unknown |
| Nolan Field Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Naugatuck State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Emmett O'Brien Tech Sports Complex State Recreation Area | Other state land | 20 | Open |
| Derby Greenway Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Forest I&D CT Lab. Experimental Area Research or Educational Area | U.S. Forest Service | 13 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Ansonia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ansonia
Old High School Playground
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Ansonia
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Ansonia
Derby Hill469 ft elevation
DirectionsWindy Hill135 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Ansonia
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
5Basketball
5Soccer
4Tennis
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ansonia: April to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 74 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Ansonia →
Next door
Ansonia and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ansonia | 11% | 2.5 | 14 | 97% | A |
| Seymour | 11% | 1.3 | 6 | 53% | B+ |
| Derby | 11% | 2.4 | 22 | 84% | A |
| Woodbridge | 10% | 2.9 | 1 | 15% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ansonia
Where can I hike in Ansonia?
The longest trail networks: Naugatuck State Forest - Quillinan Reservoir Block, 7.8 miles; Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, 3.5 miles; City Open Space (Wakelee Ave), 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ansonia is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ansonia’s trails?
Naugatuck State Forest - Quillinan Reservoir Block and Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ansonia?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ansonia?
8,882 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ansonia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 271 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ansonia have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 of 155 in Connecticut. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ansonia neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →