Lake Saltonstall Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by Regional Water Authority
638 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Iracaz · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in East Haven
East Haven has 19 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
14% of East Haven’s land is conserved, about 1,141 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lake Saltonstall Watershed Reserve Land (4.5 mi), Farm River State Park (1.2 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #86 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,141 acres · of 12.3 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
136 ac
4.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
8
9 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is East Haven?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Haven have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Haven is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #86 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of East Haven’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land4.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (136 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13CParks close to home88% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 79%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 45%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so East Haven’s 14% is ahead of 49% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% of them.
Water is 9% of East Haven’s area (1 of 13 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.
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 Lake Saltonstall Watershed Reserve Land, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Farm River State Park
Nature preserve
61 acres1.2 mi of trail
Shoreline Greenway Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bailey Woods
Managed by East Haven Land Trust
30 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Peter's Rock Park
Managed by Peter's Rock Association
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 22 parks & preserves
Lake Saltonstall Watershed Reserve Land638 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Regional Water Authority
DirectionsFarm River State Park61 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBailey Woods30 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · East Haven Land Trust
Peter's Rock Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Peter's Rock Association
East Haven Town Green5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Open Space (Willow Road)7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEast Haven Marsh Wildlife Area134 acres
DirectionsBishop Woods Bird Sanctuary34 acres · City of New Haven
Bradford Nature Preserve22 acres · East Haven Land Trust
DirectionsTown Open Space (Foxon Road)17 acres
Cortina Park7 acres
Town Open Space (Crestwood Drive)7 acres
Town Open Space (Thomas Court)6 acres
DirectionsOld Town Landing5 acres
Town Open Space (North High & Mill Streets)5 acres
East Haven Town Beach4 acres · Town of East Haven
DirectionsMaturo Drive Playground2 acres
Michael Street Park2 acres
DirectionsMauro Park (Warwick Lane)2 acres
Connecticut Sportsplex1 acres
DirectionsBurr Community Park1 acres · East Haven
DirectionsMargaret Tucker Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,141 conserved acres
14% of East Haven’s land. Water is left out: East Haven has 12.3 square miles of land and 1.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages East Haven’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city80 ac
Other state land61 ac
Not recorded1,000 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 672 acLocal Other or Unknown · 227 acPrivate Conservation · 107 acUnknown Easement · 61 acLocal Park · 27 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 60 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 29 of 42 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 | 869 | Unknown |
| Rowe Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| Grannis Lake Private Conservation | Not recorded | 31 | Unknown |
| Town Open Space (Hellstrom Road) Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Town Open Space (foxon Road) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
| Farm River State Park State Park | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Kennedy Memorial Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Town Open Space (Hemlock Drive) Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Farm River Water Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Eastwood Farms Phase Ii Private Conservation | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in East Haven
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in East Haven
Momauguin BeachIn East Haven Town Beach
DirectionsShell Beach
DirectionsSilver Sands Beach
DirectionsSilver Sands Beach and Tennis Club
DirectionsVictoria Beach
DirectionsWest Silver Sands Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in East Haven
12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in East Haven
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in East Haven
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in East Haven
Girl Scout Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miUnpaved · 6.2 mi
Shoreline Greenway Trail0.7 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
17Tennis
10Baseball
9Basketball
2Soccer
1Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in East Haven: 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) | 38 | 40 | 48 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in East Haven →
Next door
East Haven 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Haven | 14% | 1.5 | 5 | 88% | A− |
| Branford | 27% | 3.4 | 11 | 67% | A |
| New Haven | 9% | 2.9 | 9 | 99% | A |
| North Haven | 7% | 1.4 | 15 | 65% | A− |
| North Branford | 39% | 2.3 | 13 | 42% | A− |
| Northford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Haven
Where can I hike in East Haven?
The longest trail networks: Lake Saltonstall Watershed Reserve Land, 4.5 miles; Farm River State Park, 1.2 miles; Bailey Woods, 0.4 miles; Peter's Rock Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Haven is conserved land?
14% 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 East Haven’s trails?
Lake Saltonstall Watershed Reserve Land and Farm River State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near East Haven?
10,755 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Haven or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 136 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does East Haven have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #86 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 East Haven 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 →