Balf Nature Preserve
Managed by Tilcon
90 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Newington
Newington has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Balf Nature Preserve (2.6 mi), Newington Greenway (1.8 mi), Cedarcrest Preserve (0.9 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Newington’s land is conserved, about 463 acres.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #124 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
463 acres · of 13.1 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
276 ac
8.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.6 mi
3.6 mi paths
Highest peak
276 ft
Cedar Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Newington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newington is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #124 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newington’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land8.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (276 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home82% 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 68%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 20%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Newington’s 5% is ahead of 5% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 22% 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 Balf Nature Preserve, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Newington Greenway
Managed by Town of Newington
38 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cedarcrest Preserve
Managed by State of Connecticut
39 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
I-291 Corridor
Managed by State of Connecticut;City of New Britain;Town of Newington;Town of Rocky Hill;Town of Wethersfield
282 acres0.8 mi of trail
Robert Stanley Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Clem Lemire Recreation Complex
Managed by Town of Newington
20 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 27 parks & preserves
Balf Nature Preserve90 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Tilcon
DirectionsNewington Greenway38 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Town of Newington
DirectionsCedarcrest Preserve39 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
I-291 Corridor282 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · State of Connecticut;City of New Britain;Town of Newington;Town of Rocky Hill;Town of Wethersfield
DirectionsMill Pond Park36 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsClem Lemire Recreation Complex20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Town of Newington
DirectionsAlumni Field21 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Newington High School
DirectionsChurchill Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Newington
DirectionsTwenty Rod Road Park45 acres
Candlewyck Open Space20 acres
Mill Brook Park15 acres
DirectionsCandlewyck Park15 acres
Kellogg/Eddy Open Space11 acres
DirectionsLittle Brook Park9 acres
Beacon Hill Park7 acres
DirectionsEagle Lantern Open Space5 acres
Beechwood Park5 acres
Badger Field4 acres
DirectionsSeymour Park4 acres
DirectionsStarr Park4 acres
Mary Welles Park2 acres
DirectionsStonehill Drive Open Space1 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Boulder Drive Open Space1 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
National Iwo Jima Memorial Park1 acres
Robbins Green1 acres
Eagle Lantern1 acres
Maple Hill Green1 acres
Who protects it
463 conserved acres
5% of Newington’s land. Who manages Newington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city229 ac
Not recorded244 ac
Local Park · 226 acLocal Other or Unknown · 165 acPrivate Conservation · 48 acWatershed Protection Area · 20 acState Other or Unknown · 14 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 42 of 54 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 | 174 | Unknown |
| Clem Lemire Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Twenty Rod Road Park Local Park | Not recorded | 51 | Unknown |
| Mill Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Churchill Park Local Park | Not recorded | 22 | Unknown |
| South Branch Park River Flood Control (Piper and * Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Candlewyck Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Mill Brook Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Little Brook Drive Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Beacon Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Newington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newington
18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Newington
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Newington
Mill Pond FallsIn Mill Pond Park
DirectionsScenic views in Newington
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Newington
Cedar Mountain276 ft elevation · In Balf Nature Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.7 mi
Robert Stanley Nature Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
21Tennis
12Basketball
11Soccer
7Baseball
4Lacrosse
3Softball
3Pickleball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Enoch Kelsey HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itNewington Junction Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1986
About itWillard HomesteadBuilding · listed 1986
About itNewington Junction North Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itNewington Junction South Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itNewington Junction West Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 1987
About itUnni II Robbins HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itNewington VA Hospital Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Newington: 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 | 40 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Newington →
Next door
Newington and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Berlin74 miFarmington66 miWest Hartford56 miHartford28 miRocky Hill20 miNew Britain16 miNewington11 miWethersfield7.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newington | 5% | 0.8 | 9 | 82% | B+ |
| Wethersfield | 13% | 0.6 | 18 | 96% | A |
| New Britain | 7% | 1.2 | 8 | 89% | A− |
| West Hartford | 23% | 2.6 | 43 | 91% | A+ |
| Berlin | 26% | 2.8 | 81 | 84% | A+ |
| Rocky Hill | 11% | 1.5 | 8 | 74% | A− |
| Hartford | 12% | 1.6 | 11 | 99%+ | A |
| Farmington | 27% | 2.4 | 71 | 88% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newington
Where can I hike in Newington?
The longest trail networks: Balf Nature Preserve, 2.6 miles; Newington Greenway, 1.8 miles; Cedarcrest Preserve, 0.9 miles; I-291 Corridor, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newington is conserved land?
5% 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 Newington’s trails?
Balf Nature Preserve and Newington Greenway don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newington?
3.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Newington?
19,379 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 276 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newington have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 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 Newington 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 →