Jesse Buell Forest
Managed by Clinton Land Trust
117 acres3.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jeff Bellinger · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Clinton
Clinton has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
12% of Clinton’s land is conserved, about 1,299 acres. The biggest trail networks: Jesse Buell Forest (3.7 mi), Kenilworth Forest (2.4 mi), Weiss-Loveday Watershed (2.2 mi). 215 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #91 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,299 acres · of 16.2 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
215 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
253 ft
Spencer Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
9 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Clinton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clinton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clinton is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #91 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 Clinton’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (215 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13BParks close to home50% 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 78%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 42%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Clinton’s 12% is ahead of 35% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% of them.
Water is 15% of Clinton’s area (3 of 19 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
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 Jesse Buell Forest, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Kenilworth Forest
Managed by Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
108 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Weiss-Loveday Watershed
Managed by Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
66 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cockaponset State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
168 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Peters Memorial Woods
Nature preserve
59 acres1.8 mi of trail
Princess Pine TrailBurnham TrailBougie TrailBrook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chittenden Hill Preserve
Managed by Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
23 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Indian River Recreation Complex
Park
32 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Clinton Town Beach
Managed by Town of Clinton
23 acres0.5 mi of trail
Troop 55 Scenic Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 33 parks & preserves
Jesse Buell Forest117 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · Clinton Land Trust
DirectionsKenilworth Forest108 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Weiss-Loveday Watershed66 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
DirectionsCockaponset State Forest168 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Peters Memorial Woods59 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsChittenden Hill Preserve23 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
DirectionsIndian River Recreation Complex32 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsClinton Town Beach23 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Town of Clinton
DirectionsDeane Haag Property13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Menunketesuck Wildlife Management Area154 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
Olde Orchard Road20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Sassafras Lane21 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Airline Road12 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Sandy Brook Road11 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Hammonasset River10 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Lar Fagan Sanctuary9 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Fox Hill Drive9 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Silver Birch Lane6 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Town Open Space (Glenwood Road)5 acres
High St,Rear5 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Bargate Road5 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Killingworth Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land4 acres · Connecticut Water Company
Country Village Lane3 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Liberty Lane3 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
DirectionsHorse Hill Woods Open Space2 acres · Town of Westbrook
DirectionsNod Rd-Sunnybrook La2 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Ferris Salt Marsh2 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Nod Road #712 acres · Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Chapman Mill Pond Open Space1 acres · Town of Westbrook
Town Open Space (Kelseytown & Carter Hill Rds)1 acres
Liberty Green1 acres
DirectionsTown Open Space (4 River Road)1 acres
Town Open Space (High & North High Streets)1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,299 conserved acres
12% of Clinton’s land. Water is left out: Clinton has 16.2 square miles of land and 2.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clinton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits325 ac
Other state land17 ac
Town or city4 ac
Not recorded1,292 ac
Private Conservation · 1,047 acState Resource Management Area · 212 acState Conservation Area · 135 acLocal Other or Unknown · 110 acWatershed Protection Area · 108 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 96 of 102 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 546 | Unknown |
| Clinton Land Conservation Trust 1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 299 | Closed |
| Cockaponset State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 195 | Unknown |
| Olde Orchard Private Conservation | Not recorded | 125 | Unknown |
| Hammock River Marsh Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 82 | Unknown |
| Brickyard & Private Conservation | Not recorded | 55 | Unknown |
| Hammonasset Natural Area Preserve State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 53 | Unknown |
| Airline Road Private Conservation | Not recorded | 24 | Unknown |
| Clinton Land Conservation Trust 2 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 24 | Closed |
| Chittenden H Private Conservation | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Clinton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clinton
Clinton Beach
DirectionsClinton Town BeachIn Clinton Town Beach
DirectionsPlus 7 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Clinton
7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Clinton
Bailey's Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Clinton
Clinton Town Boat Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in Clinton
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Clinton
Spencer Hill253 ft elevation
DirectionsCow Hill249 ft elevation
DirectionsMeeting House Hill13 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Clinton
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.7 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 13.4 mi
Princess Pine Trail0.6 mi
Spoonwood-Georgia’s Trail0.5 mi
Burnham Trail0.4 mi
Dean Haag Trail0.4 mi
Bougie Trail0.3 mi
Brook Trail0.2 mi
Troop 55 Scenic Path0.1 mi
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
10Baseball
9Tennis
7Soccer
2Basketball
2Football
1Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
1Skate park
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 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Clinton: May 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) | 39 | 41 | 48 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Clinton →
Next door
Clinton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | 12% | 1.6 | 16 | 50% | A− |
| Madison | 37% | 3.0 | 60 | 41% | A |
| Killingworth | 26% | 2.1 | 5 | 9% | B |
| Westbrook | 17% | 1.5 | 14 | 52% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clinton
Where can I hike in Clinton?
The longest trail networks: Jesse Buell Forest, 3.7 miles; Kenilworth Forest, 2.4 miles; Weiss-Loveday Watershed, 2.2 miles; Cockaponset State Forest, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clinton is conserved land?
12% 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 Clinton’s trails?
Jesse Buell Forest and Kenilworth Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Clinton?
6,553 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clinton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 215 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clinton have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #91 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 Clinton 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 →