Roraback Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
2,058 acres18.5 mi of trail
nature trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Jason Skinner House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Harwinton
Harwinton has 46 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
14% of Harwinton’s land is conserved, about 2,725 acres. 215 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Roraback Wildlife Management Area (18.5 mi), Harwinton Recreation & Conservation Area (7.9 mi), City of Bristol Watershed Lands (7.2 mi).
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #101 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,725 acres · of 30.8 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
215 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
1,115 ft
Scoville Hill
Lakes & rivers
17
What kind of outdoors town is Harwinton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harwinton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harwinton is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #101 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 Harwinton’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 (46 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (215 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home17% 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 76%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 35%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Harwinton’s 14% is ahead of 47% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 58% of them.
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 Roraback WMA, with 18.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harwinton Recreation & Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Harwinton
208 acres7.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
City of Bristol Watershed Lands
Managed by City of Bristol
1,879 acres7.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kalmia Sanctuary
Managed by Litchfield Hills Audubon Society
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Roraback Wildlife Management Area2,058 acres · 18.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHarwinton Recreation & Conservation Area208 acres · 7.9 mi of trail · Town of Harwinton
DirectionsCity of Bristol Watershed Lands1,879 acres · 7.2 mi of trail · City of Bristol
DirectionsKalmia Sanctuary13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Litchfield Hills Audubon Society
DirectionsMattatuck State Forest40 acres · CT-DEEP
Who protects it
2,725 conserved acres
14% of Harwinton’s land. Who manages Harwinton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits160 ac
Private owners102 ac
State conservation75 ac
Town or city15 ac
Not recorded2,545 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,076 acUnknown Easement · 284 acLocal Park · 211 acPrivate Conservation · 137 acState Resource Management Area · 68 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 168 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roraback Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 2,076 | Unknown |
| Harwinton Recreation & Conservation Area Local Park | Not recorded | 202 | Unknown |
| Harwinton Land Cons. Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 137 | Unknown |
| Mattatuck State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 67 | Unknown |
| Town of Harwinton Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
| Ct Deep Unknown | Not recorded | 21 | Unknown |
| Recreation Field Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| John Toro Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| West Cemetery Association Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| East Cemetery Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Harwinton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Harwinton
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Harwinton
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Harwinton
Scoville Hill1,115 ft elevation
DirectionsHarmony Hill997 ft elevation
DirectionsMeetinghouse Hill823 ft elevation
DirectionsTurtle Rock489 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 2.7 miUnpaved · 3.9 mi
nature trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
4Soccer
4Tennis
2Basketball
2Equestrian
1Lacrosse
1Volleyball
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Harwinton: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Harwinton →
Next door
Harwinton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Burlington112 miNew Hartford79 miLitchfield53 miHarwinton46 miTorrington30 miPlymouth17 miThomaston12 miNorthwest Harwinton9.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harwinton | 14% | 1.5 | 38 | 17% | A− |
| Litchfield | 36% | 0.9 | 39 | 44% | A− |
| Northwest Harwinton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Burlington | 7% | 3.8 | 18 | 36% | B+ |
| Torrington | 22% | 0.8 | 47 | 69% | A |
| Plymouth | 9% | 0.8 | 11 | 60% | B+ |
| New Hartford | 13% | 2.1 | 42 | 41% | A− |
| Thomaston | 19% | 1.0 | 37 | 82% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harwinton
Where can I hike in Harwinton?
The longest trail networks: Roraback Wildlife Management Area, 18.5 miles; Harwinton Recreation & Conservation Area, 7.9 miles; City of Bristol Watershed Lands, 7.2 miles; Kalmia Sanctuary, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harwinton 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 Harwinton’s trails?
Roraback Wildlife Management Area and Harwinton Recreation & Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harwinton?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harwinton?
11,320 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harwinton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 215 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harwinton have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #101 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 Harwinton 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 →