Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by Essex Land Trust
259 acres5.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Essex
Essex has 34 miles of mapped trails, 3.2 for every square mile of land
13% of Essex’s land is conserved, about 886 acres. 249 acres are parks and preserves, 37 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve (5.1 mi), The Preserve (3.7 mi), Bushy Hill Nature Preserve (3 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #37 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
886 acres · of 10.4 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
249 ac
37 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
67%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
Highest peak
279 ft
Book Hill
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Essex?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Essex have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Essex is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #37 of 155 in Connecticut. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Essex’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land37 acres of park per 1,000 residents (249 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home67% 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 90%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 77%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Essex’s 13% is ahead of 40% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% of them.
Water is 12% of Essex’s area (1 of 12 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
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 Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve, with 5.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
The Preserve
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
76 acres3.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bushy Hill Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
120 acres3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Viney Hill Brook Park
Park
109 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Windswept Ridge
Managed by Essex Land Trust
50 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Turtle Creek Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
50 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Johnson Farm Preserve
Managed by Essex Land Trust
49 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Heron Pond Preserve
Managed by Essex Land Trust
28 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 26 parks & preserves
Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve259 acres · 5.1 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
DirectionsThe Preserve76 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsBushy Hill Nature Preserve120 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsViney Hill Brook Park109 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWindswept Ridge50 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
DirectionsTurtle Creek Preserve50 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsJohnson Farm Preserve49 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
DirectionsHeron Pond Preserve28 acres · 1 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
DirectionsDoanes' Woods17 acres · 1 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
DirectionsPlatt Preserve26 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Woodja Hill16 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
DirectionsFern Ledge13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
Incarnation Center41 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPond Meadow16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
James Glen4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Essex Land Trust
Essex Tennis Courts3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGreat Meadow43 acres · Essex Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail26 acres
DirectionsComstock Park12 acres · Town of Essex
Essex Land Trust11 acres
Sunset Pond8 acres
DirectionsHubbard Field4 acres
Essex Park2 acres
DirectionsComstock Pond/Stream1 acres
Triangle (Deep River Road)1 acres
Park Triangle1 acres
Who protects it
886 conserved acres
13% of Essex’s land. Water is left out: Essex has 10.4 square miles of land and 1.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Essex’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation193 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)64 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits34 ac
Town or city25 ac
Not recorded705 ac
Private Conservation · 358 acLocal Other or Unknown · 259 acUnknown Easement · 193 acConservation Easement · 87 acUnknown · 75 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 167 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 57 of 64 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 | 290 | Unknown |
| Meadow Woods Private Conservation | Not recorded | 140 | Unknown |
| Warner Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 103 | Unknown |
| Canfield Woods Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 101 | Unknown |
| Great Meadow Private Conservation | Not recorded | 39 | Unknown |
| Town of Essex 1 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| West Avenue Private Conservation | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Comstock Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Preserve Llc The 1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Closed |
| Burnham Brook Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Essex
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Essex
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Essex
1 playground without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Essex
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Essex
Essex Town Dock
DirectionsPeaks in Essex
Book Hill279 ft elevation · In Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve
DirectionsMares Hill259 ft elevation
DirectionsCheney Hill207 ft elevation
DirectionsViney Hill203 ft elevation
DirectionsStumpet Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
14 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Steamboat Dock SiteBuilding · listed 1982
About itComstock-Cheney HallBuilding · listed 1982
About itHill's AcademyBuilding · listed 1985
About itPratt HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itCenterbrook Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1987
About itBenjamin Bushnell FarmBuilding · listed 1990
About itEssex Freight StationBuilding · listed 1994
About itIvoryton Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014
About itCaleb Pratt HouseBuilding · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Essex: 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) | 38 | 41 | 48 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Essex →
Next door
Essex and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lyme90 miOld Saybrook36 miDeep River35 miEssex34 miWestbrook24 miEssex Village11 miDeep River Center2.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 13% | 3.2 | 37 | 67% | A |
| Essex Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Deep River | 23% | 2.6 | 8 | 43% | B+ |
| Lyme | 51% | 2.8 | 409 | 23% | A |
| Westbrook | 17% | 1.5 | 14 | 52% | A− |
| Old Saybrook | 23% | 2.4 | 22 | 60% | A |
| Deep River Center | — 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 Essex
Where can I hike in Essex?
The longest trail networks: Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve, 5.1 miles; The Preserve, 3.7 miles; Bushy Hill Nature Preserve, 3 miles; Viney Hill Brook Park, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Essex is conserved land?
13% 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 Essex’s trails?
Canfield - Meadow Woods Nature Preserve and The Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Essex?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Essex?
6,504 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Essex or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 249 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Essex have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 Essex 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 →