Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
16 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Victor-ny · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Groton
6% of Groton’s land is conserved: 120 acres
The biggest trail networks: Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park (0.6 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 90 acres are parks and preserves, 9.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #144 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
120 acres · of 3.1 sq mi of land
Trails
0.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
90 ac
9.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi paths
Highest peak
151 ft
Averys Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
5 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Groton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Groton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Groton is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #144 of 155 in Connecticut. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Groton’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (90 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home85% 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 59%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 7%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Groton’s 6% is ahead of 8% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 2% of them.
Water is more than half of Groton’s area (4 of 7 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Washington Park
Managed by Groton Parks and Recreation
31 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Birch Plain Creek Wildlife Area
Managed by City Of Groton
11 acres
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park16 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsWashington Park31 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Groton Parks and Recreation
DirectionsBirch Plain Creek Wildlife Area11 acres · City Of Groton
DirectionsEastern Point Beach10 acres
DirectionsBirch Plain Creek Open Space1 acres
Monument Street Parklet1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
120 conserved acres
6% of Groton’s land. Water is left out: Groton has 3.1 square miles of land and 3.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Groton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city95 ac
Other state land14 ac
State conservation2 ac
Not recorded38 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 88 acLocal Park · 43 acState Resource Management Area · 14 acState Other or Unknown · 3 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 11 of 16 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 | 61 | Unknown |
| Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Town of Groton 2 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Fort Griswold Battlefield Area State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 14 | Open |
| Groton Beach & City Recreation Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Parklet (central Avenue) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
| Parklet (Monument Street) Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Groton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Groton
Avery Point Beach
DirectionsShennecossett Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Groton
9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Groton
Bayberry Lane Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Groton
Fort Griswold HillIn Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park
DirectionsPeaks in Groton
Averys Hill151 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Tennis
6Basketball
6Baseball
1Multi-sport
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Groton: 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 | 40 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 74 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Groton →
Next door
Groton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groton | 6% | 0.3 | 10 | 85% | B |
| New London | 10% | 1.7 | 8 | 92% | A− |
| Conning Towers-Nautilus Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Long Hill | — 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 Groton
Where can I hike in Groton?
The longest trail networks: Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, 0.6 miles; Washington Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Groton is conserved land?
6% 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 Groton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Birch Plain Creek Wildlife Area (on leash) and Eastern Point Beach (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Groton?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Groton?
5,991 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Groton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 91 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Groton have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #144 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 Groton 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 →