Naugatuck State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
1,176 acres14.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Beacon Falls
Beacon Falls has 32 miles of mapped trails, 3.3 for every square mile of land
27% of Beacon Falls’ land is conserved, about 1,649 acres. The biggest trail networks: Naugatuck State Forest (14.5 mi), Matthies Memorial Park (1.5 mi), Lantern Ridge Open Space (1.1 mi). 150 acres are parks and preserves, 24 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #72 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
1,649 acres · of 9.7 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
150 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
669 ft
Beacon Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Beacon Falls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Beacon Falls have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Beacon Falls is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #72 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Beacon Falls’ overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (150 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home26% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 54%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Beacon Falls’ 27% is ahead of 83% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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, with 14.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Matthies Memorial Park
Managed by Town of Beacon Falls
107 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lantern Ridge Open Space
Managed by Town of Beacon Falls
105 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mendell's Folly Preserve
Nature preserve
52 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Beacon Falls Town Recreation Field
Park
48 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Beacon Falls Open Space
Nature preserve
42 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Naugatuck State Forest1,176 acres · 14.5 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsMatthies Memorial Park107 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Town of Beacon Falls
DirectionsLantern Ridge Open Space105 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Beacon Falls
DirectionsMendell's Folly Preserve52 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeacon Falls Town Recreation Field48 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBeacon Falls Open Space42 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsVolunteer Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWho protects it
1,649 conserved acres
27% of Beacon Falls’ land. Who manages Beacon Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city14 ac
Not recorded1,649 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,154 acLocal Other or Unknown · 269 acPrivate Conservation · 114 acLocal Park · 109 acState Other or Unknown · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naugatuck State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 620 | Unknown |
| Naugatuck State Forestt State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 302 | Unknown |
| Naugatuck State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 232 | Unknown |
| Lantern Ridge Subdivision Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 96 | Unknown |
| Matthies Park Local Park | Not recorded | 95 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 65 | Unknown |
| Naugatuck Valley Beagle Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 64 | Unknown |
| Bethany Land Trust, Inc Private Conservation | Not recorded | 47 | Unknown |
| Pent Road Recreation Facility Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 47 | Unknown |
| Frontage Road Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 46 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Beacon Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Beacon Falls
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Beacon Falls
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Beacon Falls
Spruce Brook FallsIn Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsSpruce Brook FallsIn Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsSpruce Brook FallsIn Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Beacon Falls
9 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Beacon Falls
Beacon Hill669 ft elevation · In Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsTobys Rock Mountain659 ft elevation · In Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsRock Rimmon653 ft elevation
DirectionsRimmon Hill433 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
6Tennis
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Beacon Falls: 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 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 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 Beacon Falls →
Next door
Beacon Falls and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Beacon Falls
Where can I hike in Beacon Falls?
The longest trail networks: Naugatuck State Forest, 14.5 miles; Matthies Memorial Park, 1.5 miles; Lantern Ridge Open Space, 1.1 miles; Mendell's Folly Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Beacon Falls is conserved land?
27% 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 Beacon Falls’ trails?
Naugatuck State Forest and Matthies Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Beacon Falls?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Beacon Falls?
8,828 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Beacon Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 150 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Beacon Falls have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #72 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 Beacon Falls 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 →