Davis Forest
Managed by Town of Brooklyn
181 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Public domain · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brooklyn
9% of Brooklyn’s land is conserved: 1,714 acres
The biggest trail networks: Davis Forest (1.9 mi), Quinebaug Property (0.9 mi). 39% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5.9 miles of mapped trail cross Brooklyn, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #150 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,714 acres · of 29.1 sq mi of land
Trails
5.9 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
118 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
738 ft
Alworth Hill
Lakes & rivers
18
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Brooklyn?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brooklyn have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brooklyn is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #150 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brooklyn’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (118 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13BParks close to home39% 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 51%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 3%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Brooklyn’s 9% is ahead of 19% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 1% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Davis Forest, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Quinebaug Property
Managed by Eversource
228 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Natchaug State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
144 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ferguson Conservancy
Managed by Wolf Den Land Trust
78 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Davis Forest181 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Town of Brooklyn
DirectionsQuinebaug Property228 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Eversource
Natchaug State Forest144 acres · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Ferguson Conservancy78 acres · Wolf Den Land Trust
Lester B. Williams Memorial Forest75 acres · Wolf Den Land Trust
Windham County Soil Conservation District73 acres · Windham County Soil Conservation
Riverside Park46 acres · Town of Brooklyn
DirectionsWhite Brook Sanctuary44 acres · Wolf Den Land Trust
Booth Preserves20 acres · Wyndham Land Trust, Inc.
Brooklyn Recreation Park9 acres
DirectionsRotary Park6 acres · Town of Brooklyn
DirectionsQuinebaug Wildlife Area5 acres · State of Connecticut
Sherman Preserve4 acres · Wyndham Land Trust, Inc.
South Street Park1 acres · Town of Brooklyn
Who protects it
1,714 conserved acres
9% of Brooklyn’s land. Who manages Brooklyn’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)443 ac
Private owners313 ac
Other state land280 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government119 ac
Town or city3 ac
Not recorded1,047 ac
Agricultural Easement · 562 acPrivate Conservation · 534 acPrivate Agricultural · 313 acUnknown Easement · 280 acLocal Other or Unknown · 169 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 353 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 41 of 61 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Conservation Easement | Not recorded | 1,077 | Unknown |
| Natchaug State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 151 | Unknown |
| Prince Hill Park Local Park | Not recorded | 99 | Unknown |
| Brooklyn Fairgrounds Private Conservation | Not recorded | 26 | Unknown |
| Quinebaug Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Brooklyn
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brooklyn
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brooklyn
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Brooklyn
Alworth Hill738 ft elevation
DirectionsBush Hill548 ft elevation · In Booth Preserves
DirectionsTatnic Hill502 ft elevation
DirectionsGray Mare Hill456 ft elevation
DirectionsBlackwell Hill453 ft elevation
DirectionsPrince Hill436 ft elevation
DirectionsAllen Hill341 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
18 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
5Tennis
4Baseball
3Softball
3Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Trinity ChurchBuilding · listed 1970
About itUnitarian MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itPutnam FarmBuilding · listed 1982
About itBrooklyn Green Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itQuinebaug Mill-Quebec Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itBush Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brooklyn: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Brooklyn →
Next door
Brooklyn and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pomfret39 miHampton39 miPlainfield23 miKillingly22 miBrooklyn5.9 miWauregan2.1 miEast Brooklyn1.0 miDanielson0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | 9% | 0.2 | 14 | 39% | B− |
| Killingly | 11% | 0.5 | 52 | 46% | B+ |
| East Brooklyn | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Plainfield | 14% | 0.5 | 7 | 50% | B |
| Danielson | 3% | 0.2 | 1 | 87% | C+ |
| Pomfret | 33% | 1.0 | 250 | 32% | A |
| Wauregan | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hampton | 29% | 1.6 | 97 | 51% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brooklyn
Where can I hike in Brooklyn?
The longest trail networks: Davis Forest, 1.9 miles; Quinebaug Property, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brooklyn is conserved land?
9% 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 Brooklyn’s trails?
Davis Forest and Quinebaug Property don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Brooklyn?
6,605 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brooklyn or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 118 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brooklyn have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #150 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 Brooklyn 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 →