Naugatuck State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
909 acres8.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Naugatuck
Naugatuck has 24 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
11% of Naugatuck’s land is conserved, about 1,170 acres. The biggest trail networks: Naugatuck State Forest (8.7 mi), Andrew Mountain Park (2.2 mi), Larkin State Park Trail (1.8 mi). 74% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #78 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,170 acres · of 16.4 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
427 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi paths
Highest peak
902 ft
Andrews Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
What kind of outdoors town is Naugatuck?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Naugatuck have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Naugatuck is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #78 of 155 in Connecticut. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Naugatuck’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (427 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home74% 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 82%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 50%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Naugatuck’s 11% is ahead of 29% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% 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 Naugatuck State Forest, with 8.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Andrew Mountain Park
Managed by Borough of Naugatuck
133 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Larkin State Park Trail
Nature preserve
30 acres1.8 mi of trail
Larkin State Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gunntown Passive Park and Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
50 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hop Brook Lake Recreation Area
Managed by United States Army Corps of Engineers
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Whittemore Glen State Park
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
90 acres0.3 mi of trail
Larkin State Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
Naugatuck State Forest909 acres · 8.7 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsAndrew Mountain Park133 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Borough of Naugatuck
DirectionsLarkin State Park Trail30 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsGunntown Passive Park and Nature Preserve50 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsHop Brook Lake Recreation Area17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · United States Army Corps of Engineers
DirectionsLinden Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWhittemore Glen State Park90 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsLewis Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBreen Field7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Green2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMomument (Meadow Street)1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFairchild Park34 acres
DirectionsCountry Hollow Open Space8 acres · Borough of Naugatuck
Baumer Pond Park7 acres
DirectionsCotton Hollow Field2 acres
DirectionsTuttle House2 acres
DirectionsLegion Field2 acres
DirectionsFoley Stadium2 acres
DirectionsSt. Francis Field2 acres
DirectionsIndian Rock Open Space1 acres
DirectionsBoro Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,170 conserved acres
11% of Naugatuck’s land. Who manages Naugatuck’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city80 ac
Not recorded1,090 ac
State Resource Management Area · 934 acLocal Park · 138 acLocal Recreation Area · 56 acState Recreation Area · 22 acState Park · 19 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 13 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naugatuck State Forestt State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 468 | Unknown |
| Naugatuck State Forest (Old Forest Management Area) State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 319 | Unknown |
| Naugatuck State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 147 | Unknown |
| Town Of Naugatuck (Water Co.) Local Park | Not recorded | 105 | Unknown |
| Guntown Rd Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Naugatuck River Water Access State Recreation Area | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| Larkin State Park Trail State Park | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Breen Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Lewis Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Baummers Pond Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
35 places to go in Naugatuck
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Naugatuck
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Naugatuck
Naugatuck Dog ParkIn Andrew Mountain Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Naugatuck
Spruce Brook FallsIn Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsSpruce Brook FallsIn Naugatuck State Forest
DirectionsScenic views in Naugatuck
7 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Naugatuck
Andrews Hill902 ft elevation
DirectionsHopkins Hill850 ft elevation
DirectionsMulberry Hill781 ft elevation
DirectionsHuntington Hill778 ft elevation
DirectionsLewis Hill604 ft elevation
DirectionsGreat Hill587 ft elevation
DirectionsJoes Rock492 ft elevation
DirectionsCity Hill440 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Indian RockIn Indian Rock Open Space
DirectionsPicnic areas in Naugatuck
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miUnpaved · 12.7 mi
Meshattuck Trail1.2 mi
Larkin State Park Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Barbers PondpondBaumer PondreservoirCandee ReservoirreservoirHopkins PondpondLower Candee ReservoirMay Street North PondreservoirMay Street South PondreservoirMulberry ReservoirreservoirSchildgen PondreservoirStraitsville ReservoirreservoirThurston PondreservoirUnion Ice Company PondpondWater Company Pond No 1Beacon Hill BrookFulling Mill Brook
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
Larkin State Park TrailBike route
1.9 miCourts & fields
9Baseball
6Tennis
5Basketball
5Soccer
2Football
2Equestrian
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Naugatuck: 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) | 36 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Naugatuck →
Next door
Naugatuck 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naugatuck | 11% | 1.5 | 13 | 74% | A− |
| Beacon Falls | 27% | 3.3 | 24 | 26% | A− |
| Middlebury | 19% | 1.3 | 84 | 73% | A |
| Oxford | 15% | 1.6 | 38 | 20% | A− |
| Prospect | 3% | 0.9 | 17 | 38% | B |
| Waterbury | 5% | 0.9 | 5 | 83% | B |
| Bethany | 11% | 2.7 | 62 | 38% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Naugatuck
Where can I hike in Naugatuck?
The longest trail networks: Naugatuck State Forest, 8.7 miles; Andrew Mountain Park, 2.2 miles; Larkin State Park Trail, 1.8 miles; Gunntown Passive Park and Nature Preserve, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Naugatuck is conserved land?
11% 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 Naugatuck’s trails?
Naugatuck State Forest and Andrew Mountain Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Naugatuck?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of off-road paths. Named routes: Larkin State Park Trail.
Is there public land near Naugatuck?
10,101 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Naugatuck or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 427 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Naugatuck have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 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 Naugatuck 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 →