Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
2,503 acres18.4 mi of trail
Reeds Gap Road EastNew England Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Guilford
Guilford has 156 miles of mapped trails, 3.3 for every square mile of land
26% of Guilford’s land is conserved, about 7,885 acres. 3,350 acres are parks and preserves, 152 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land (18.4 mi), Cockaponset State Forest (18.1 mi), Westwoods (13 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #3 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
7,885 acres · of 47.1 sq mi of land
Trails
156 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,350 ac
152 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
548 ft
Quonnipaug Mountain
Lakes & rivers
35
12 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Guilford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Guilford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Guilford is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #3 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 Guilford’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (156 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land152 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,350 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13AParks close to home79% 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 97%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)#3 of 155
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Guilford’s 26% is ahead of 82% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 97% of them.
Water is 5% of Guilford’s area (3 of 50 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 25%.
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 Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land, with 18.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cockaponset State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
713 acres18.1 mi of trail
New England TrailPatrick TrailYellow White cross trailcross trail white-orange
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Westwoods
Managed by Guilford Land Conservation Trust
436 acres13 mi of trail
Plank Walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Timberlands
Nature preserve
571 acres11.4 mi of trail
White TrailNew England TrailBlue/White Circle TrailPurple Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
East River Preserve
Managed by Town of Guilford
598 acres10.1 mi of trail
Purple Rectangle
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Northwoods
Managed by Guilford Land Conservation Trust
946 acres7.4 mi of trail
New England TrailLone Pine TrailNorth Slope ConnectorCooks Lane Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bittner Park
Managed by Town of Guilford
138 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kampmeyer Preserve
Managed by Guilford Land Conservation Trust
182 acres4.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 61 parks & preserves
Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land2,503 acres · 18.4 mi of trail · South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
DirectionsCockaponset State Forest713 acres · 18.1 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsWestwoods436 acres · 13 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsTimberlands571 acres · 11.4 mi of trail
DirectionsEast River Preserve598 acres · 10.1 mi of trail · Town of Guilford
DirectionsNorthwoods946 acres · 7.4 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsBittner Park138 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Town of Guilford
DirectionsKampmeyer Preserve182 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsNut Plains Woods113 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsEastwoods222 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsBraemore Preserve129 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Town of Guilford
DirectionsBroomstick Ledges291 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsEast River Woodland116 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsHoadley Creek276 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsDudley Barrows Woods107 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsJames Valley Preserve73 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Town of Guilford
Lane Pond Watershed Reserve Land203 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Town of Wallingford
Big Maple39 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsPriscilla Otte Preserve32 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsGuilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary118 acres · 1 mi of trail · Audubon
DirectionsJared Eliot Preserve56 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsMeyerhuber Preserve17 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Town of Guilford
DirectionsGuilford Town Green8 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMunger Brook Preserve39 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsSpencer's Creek26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsNut Plains Park24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNeck River North7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsTanner Marsh Brook5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Chittenden Park53 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLittle West Pond23 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsJacob's Beach9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Guilford
DirectionsRockland Preserve4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Guilford Sportsman Association211 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrass Island31 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGriffin's Flats47 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Long Cove Saltmarsh Meadows40 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsWolf Swamp40 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsEast River Saltmarsh Meadows29 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsMalley's Pond29 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Shaumpishuh Preserve26 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Meeting House Hill Meadows25 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsCounty Road Meadows24 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Water Street Saltmarsh Meadows22 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
East Creek Saltmarsh Meadows19 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Branford River Headwaters17 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Beaver Brook15 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsMill Pond Park14 acres
Old Quarry Saltmarsh Meadows11 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsSpinning Mill Brook10 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsLong Hill Park8 acres · Guilford Parks & Recreation
DirectionsMill Pasture Preserve8 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsQuonnipaug Mountain5 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Little Meadow Brook4 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Chaffinch Island3 acres
DirectionsNeck River South3 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Goodyer2 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Old Route 802 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Mary's Island1 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
Rollwood Park1 acres
DirectionsBaldwin Outdoor Education Center1 acres
Moose Hill Triangle1 acres · Guilford Land Conservation Trust
DirectionsWho protects it
7,885 conserved acres
26% of Guilford’s land. Water is left out: Guilford has 47.1 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Guilford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation866 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits663 ac
Town or city608 ac
Not recorded7,004 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 3,465 acPrivate Conservation · 2,451 acState Resource Management Area · 728 acLocal Other or Unknown · 658 acLocal Conservation Area · 517 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 290 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 150 of 162 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5,092 | Unknown |
| Timberlands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 593 | Unknown |
| East River Corridor Protection Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 517 | Open |
| Cockaponset State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 364 | Unknown |
| Cockaponset State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 364 | Unknown |
| Guilford Land Consrvation Trust 1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 342 | Closed |
| Guilford Land Consrvation Trust 11 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 171 | Closed |
| East River Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 155 | Unknown |
| Greenwich Land Trust 1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 124 | Closed |
| Great Harbor Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 123 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
63 places to go in Guilford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Guilford
Daniel Ave. Beach
DirectionsIndian Cove Beach
DirectionsJacobs Public BeachIn Jacob's Beach
DirectionsShell Beach
DirectionsPlus 8 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Guilford
Guilford Yacht Club Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Guilford
13 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Guilford
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Guilford
East River Boat Launch
DirectionsQuonnipaug Lake Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Guilford
CascadeIn Cockaponset State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Guilford
21 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Guilford
Quonnipaug Mountain548 ft elevation
DirectionsEast Sugarloaf512 ft elevation · In Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land
DirectionsWest Sugarloaf476 ft elevation · In Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land
DirectionsLong Hill246 ft elevation
DirectionsMoose Hill223 ft elevation
DirectionsHungry Hill164 ft elevation
DirectionsProspect Hill131 ft elevation
DirectionsClapboard Hill108 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Guilford
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 35 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.0 miUnpaved · 60.0 mi
New England Trail13.7 mi
White Trail3.3 mi
Lone Pine Trail3.3 mi
Red Trail1.6 mi
Ridge Trail1.3 mi
Blue/White Circle Trail1.0 mi
Reeds Gap Road East0.9 mi
Purple Trail0.8 mi
Bridle Loop0.8 mi
Meyerhuber Connector0.6 mi
15 more trails
White Cross Trail
0.6 miWhite Circle Trail
0.6 miRed/White Circle Trail
0.5 miNorth Slope Connector
0.4 miGreen Trail
0.4 miBlue Cross Trail
0.4 miRed Cross Trail
0.4 miYellow Cross Trail
0.4 miCooks Lane Trail
0.4 miPurple Rectangle
0.3 miBlue Circle Trail
0.3 miOrange Circle
0.3 miPatrick Trail
0.3 miNET/Lone Pine Cross Trail
0.3 miSteep Bluff Climb
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Baldwin Dudley PondpondBartlett PondpondBeattie PondBishops PondpondClear LakelakeEmery PondpondEndres PondGoulds PondGuilford Sportsmens Club PondKelsey PondreservoirKneuer PondlakeLane PondpondLittle West PondpondLost LakeLower Guilford LakereservoirMalleys PondpondMaupas PondpondMenunkatuck ReservoirreservoirMeyerhuber PondpondMill PondMoosehill PondOld Scroggie PondPlatner PondpondQuonnipaug LakelakeRusconi PondpondSpot PondUpper Emery PondpondUpper Guilford LakereservoirValley Shores Pond NorthreservoirValley Shores Pond SouthpondWest LakelakeWitch Hazel MillpondEast RiverSpinning Mill BrookWest River
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
27Tennis
9Baseball
8Basketball
6Soccer
2Multi-sport
2Softball
1Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →17 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
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.
Henry Whitfield HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itPelatiah Leete HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itAcadian HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itGriswold HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itSabbathday HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itHyland-Wildman HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itGuilford Historic Town CenterDistrict · listed 1976
About itElisha Pitkin HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itJared Eliot HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itMeeting House Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itRoute 146 Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About it5 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Guilford: 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 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Guilford →
Next door
Guilford and its neighbors
Guilford has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Guilford156 miMadison108 miBranford74 miNorth Branford56 miDurham49 miNorthford7.0 miGuilford Center1.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilford | 26% | 3.3 | 152 | 79% | A+ |
| Madison | 37% | 3.0 | 60 | 41% | A |
| Guilford Center | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Branford | 27% | 3.4 | 11 | 67% | A |
| North Branford | 39% | 2.3 | 13 | 42% | A− |
| Northford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Durham | 24% | 2.1 | 104 | 51% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Guilford
Where can I hike in Guilford?
The longest trail networks: Lake Gaillard Watershed Reserve Land, 18.4 miles; Cockaponset State Forest, 18.1 miles; Westwoods, 13 miles; Timberlands, 11.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Guilford is conserved land?
26% 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 Guilford’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at East River Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Guilford?
14,425 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Guilford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,350 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Guilford have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 Guilford 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 →