Hubbard Park
Managed by City of Meriden
914 acres15.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Meriden
Meriden has 44 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
14% of Meriden’s land is conserved, about 2,142 acres. The biggest trail networks: Hubbard Park (15.2 mi), Doctor Francis Giuffrida Park (10.7 mi), City of Meriden Watershed Reserve Land (8 mi). 1,720 acres are parks and preserves, 28 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #22 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,142 acres · of 23.7 sq mi of land
Trails
44 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,720 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.4 mi
3.4 mi paths
Highest peak
988 ft
West Peak
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Meriden?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Meriden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Meriden is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Meriden’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (44 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,720 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home87% 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 92%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 86%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Meriden’s 14% is ahead of 47% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 71% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Hubbard Park, with 15.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Doctor Francis Giuffrida Park
Nature preserve
535 acres10.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
City of Meriden Watershed Reserve Land
Managed by City of Meriden Water Department
1,456 acres8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Meriden Green
Park
15 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Meriden Station Commuter Parking
City Park
Managed by City of Meriden
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 28 parks & preserves
Hubbard Park914 acres · 15.2 mi of trail · City of Meriden
DirectionsDoctor Francis Giuffrida Park535 acres · 10.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCity of Meriden Watershed Reserve Land1,456 acres · 8 mi of trail · City of Meriden Water Department
DirectionsMeriden Green15 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBrookside Park12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Meriden
DirectionsFalcon Field27 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth End Field6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBaldwin Pond Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHabershon Field14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Meriden
DirectionsCarroll Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Saint John's Field4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Quinnipiac Park15 acres
DirectionsBenjamin J Nessing Memorial Park12 acres
DirectionsMule Well Field12 acres
DirectionsColumbus Park11 acres
DirectionsJohnson Hill Park9 acres
DirectionsCeppa Field8 acres
DirectionsCity Open Space (Grove Street)7 acres
DirectionsBeaver Pond Park6 acres
Kronenberger Park5 acres
American Legion Park4 acres
Gilman Park3 acres
DirectionsLamentation Mountain State Park2 acres
Blue Hills Conservation Area1 acres · Town of Berlin
Silver Lake State Access Area1 acres · State of Connecticut
John Zajac Park1 acres · City of Meriden
Who protects it
2,142 conserved acres
14% of Meriden’s land. Who manages Meriden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city802 ac
Other state land51 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits16 ac
State conservation16 ac
Not recorded1,267 ac
Local Park · 1,506 acLocal Other or Unknown · 368 acLocal Recreation Area · 125 acState Conservation Area · 48 acPrivate Conservation · 42 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 16 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 73 of 94 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubbard Park Local Park | Not recorded | 811 | Unknown |
| Guiffrida Park Local Park | Not recorded | 565 | Unknown |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 290 | Unknown |
| Habershon Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 87 | Unknown |
| Black Pond Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Other state land | 48 | Restricted |
| Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Falcon Park Local Park | Not recorded | 27 | Unknown |
| Silver Lake State Park State Park | Not recorded | 25 | Unknown |
| Lamentation Mountain State Park Scenic Reserve State Park | Other state land | 24 | Open |
| Baldwin Pond Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 19 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
79 places to go in Meriden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Meriden
Dossin Park Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Meriden
18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Meriden
Meriden Dog ParkIn Beaver Pond Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Meriden
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Meriden
Castle CraigIn Hubbard Park
Directions48 scenic views are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Peaks in Meriden
West Peak988 ft elevation · In Hubbard Park
DirectionsEast Peak909 ft elevation · In Hubbard Park
DirectionsChauncey Peak623 ft elevation
DirectionsLamentation Mountain617 ft elevation · In Doctor Francis Giuffrida Park
DirectionsBuckwheat Hill456 ft elevation
DirectionsPowder Hill449 ft elevation
DirectionsCathole Mountain341 ft elevation · In City of Meriden Watershed Reserve Land
DirectionsMarkham Hill203 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Meriden
Cuno CampBoys & Girls Club of Meriden
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 4.4 mi
Old Metacomet0.1 mi
Biking & sports
3.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Baseball
18Tennis
10Basketball
7Soccer
6Softball
2Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Moses Andrews HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itSolomon Goffe HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itCurtis Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1981
About itUS Post Office-Meriden MainBuilding · listed 1986
About itMeriden Curtain Fixture Company FactoryBuilding · listed 1986
About itColony Street-West Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itRed BridgeStructure · listed 1993
About itCharter Oak FirehouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itHubbard ParkSite · listed 1997
About itIves-Baldwin HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itAeolian Company Factory ComplexBuilding · listed 2023
About itGeorge A. and Jennie Curtis Fay HouseBuilding · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Meriden: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 39 | 48 | 60 | 70 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Meriden →
Next door
Meriden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meriden | 14% | 1.9 | 28 | 87% | A |
| Cheshire | 12% | 1.5 | 15 | 67% | A− |
| Berlin | 26% | 2.8 | 81 | 84% | A+ |
| Wallingford | 15% | 1.5 | 56 | 82% | A |
| Southington | 9% | 1.9 | 11 | 36% | B+ |
| Middlefield | 28% | 1.7 | 78 | 68% | A |
| Middletown | 13% | 2.0 | 19 | 62% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Meriden
Where can I hike in Meriden?
The longest trail networks: Hubbard Park, 15.2 miles; Doctor Francis Giuffrida Park, 10.7 miles; City of Meriden Watershed Reserve Land, 8 miles; Meriden Green, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Meriden 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 Meriden’s trails?
Hubbard Park and Doctor Francis Giuffrida Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Meriden?
3.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Meriden?
14,792 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Meriden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,720 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Meriden have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #22 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 Meriden 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 →