William E. Wolfe Park
Park
692 acres7.7 mi of trail
Great Hollow Lake LoopWolfe Park - Great Hollow Lake"Pog Trail"Reverse Jug Handle/Jug Handle
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Michaelphayes · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Monroe
13% of Monroe’s land is conserved: 2,194 acres
821 acres are parks and preserves, 43 per 1,000 residents. 23 miles of mapped trail cross Monroe, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: William E. Wolfe Park (7.7 mi), Webb Mountain Park (3.8 mi), Webb Mountain Discovery Zone (2.6 mi).
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #104 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,194 acres · of 26.1 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
821 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.0 mi
3.9 mi paths
Highest peak
656 ft
Barn Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Monroe?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #104 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (821 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home32% 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 33%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Monroe’s 13% is ahead of 36% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 25% 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 William E. Wolfe Park, with 7.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Webb Mountain Park
Nature preserve
136 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto WebPark2
Webb Mountain Discovery Zone
Nature preserve
177 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lane's Mine Nature Park
Managed by Town of Monroe
70 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 32 parks & preserves
William E. Wolfe Park692 acres · 7.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWebb Mountain Park136 acres · 3.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWebb Mountain Discovery Zone177 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLane's Mine Nature Park70 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Monroe
DirectionsYwca Of Greater Bridgeport61 acres
Meadows End Tract15 acres
Winthrop Place Tract14 acres
High Meadow Estates13 acres
Heritage Road Tract13 acres
Hamlet Lane (Windsor Hills)13 acres
Deerfield Lane13 acres
Walnut Street Tract9 acres
Halfway River Acquistion8 acres
Wheeler Road (Stonehouse Estates)8 acres
Holly Place7 acres
Bug Hill Road Tract6 acres
Harvester Road Tract6 acres
Benedict Road5 acres
Hawthorne Drive5 acres
Wells Road5 acres
Pebble Road4 acres
Josie's Ring Road4 acres · Aspetuck Land Trust
Osborn Lane2 acres
Maryanne Drive2 acres
Barn Hill Road2 acres
Harshbarger Park2 acres
Bagburn Estates Tract2 acres
Monroe Green2 acres
DirectionsTwinbrook Terrace2 acres
Jockey Hollow Road1 acres
Partridge Drive1 acres
Stepney Green1 acres
Who protects it
2,194 conserved acres
13% of Monroe’s land. Who manages Monroe’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation230 ac
Town or city8 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)3 ac
Not recorded2,106 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,052 acWatershed Protection Area · 511 acLocal Park · 464 acUnknown Easement · 230 acPrivate Conservation · 87 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 78 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 152 of 154 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,009 | Unknown |
| Kelda Property Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 511 | Unknown |
| Wolfe Park Local Park | Not recorded | 213 | Unknown |
| Webb Mountain Park Local Park | Not recorded | 180 | Unknown |
| Lanes Mine Nature Park Local Park | Not recorded | 61 | Unknown |
| Gardner Road Reserve Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 51 | Unknown |
| Ymca Private Conservation | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Housatonic Rail Trail Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
| Fairfield County Fish and Game Club Private Conservation | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Boy Scouts of America Private Conservation | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Monroe
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Monroe
Zoar Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Monroe
Monroe Creative PlaygroundIn William E. Wolfe Park
DirectionsWolfe Park PlaygroundIn William E. Wolfe Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Monroe
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Monroe
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Monroe
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Monroe
Barn Hill656 ft elevation
DirectionsMoose Hill650 ft elevation
DirectionsBugg Hill620 ft elevation
DirectionsBagburn Hill610 ft elevation
DirectionsHirams Hill548 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Monroe
Cedar GroveIn William E. Wolfe Park
DirectionsOak GroveIn William E. Wolfe Park
DirectionsPond ViewIn William E. Wolfe Park
DirectionsThe Rotary PavilionIn William E. Wolfe Park
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Monroe
Lakewood Ymca (Camp Tepee)
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.0 mi
Great Hollow Lake Loop0.8 mi
Wolfe Park - Great Hollow Lake0.7 mi
"Pog Trail"0.6 mi
Patchau Trail0.3 mi
Reverse Jug Handle/Jug Handle0.2 mi
Biking & sports
5.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
off-road bike paths
1.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
11Baseball
9Tennis
5Soccer
2Basketball
2Football
1Lacrosse
1Multi-sport
1Softball
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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Monroe: 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) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
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 Monroe →
Next door
Monroe and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Newtown64 miOxford51 miShelton45 miEaston34 miSandy Hook29 miMonroe23 miEast Village11 miStepney0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 13% | 0.9 | 43 | 32% | A− |
| Newtown | 17% | 1.1 | 13 | 19% | B+ |
| Sandy Hook | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stepney | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Easton | 20% | 1.3 | 24 | 35% | A− |
| East Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Shelton | 21% | 1.5 | 14 | 56% | A− |
| Oxford | 15% | 1.6 | 38 | 20% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Monroe
Where can I hike in Monroe?
The longest trail networks: William E. Wolfe Park, 7.7 miles; Webb Mountain Park, 3.8 miles; Webb Mountain Discovery Zone, 2.6 miles; Lane's Mine Nature Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monroe 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 Monroe’s trails?
William E. Wolfe Park and Webb Mountain Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Monroe?
5.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of off-road paths and 1.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Monroe?
13,897 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 821 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Monroe have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #104 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 Monroe 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 →