McCook Point Park
Managed by Town of East Lyme Parks & Recreation
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dmcoxe · CC BY 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Niantic
Few parks or trails are on the map in Niantic
5% of Niantic’s land is conserved, about 52 acres. 34 acres are parks and preserves, 11 per 1,000 residents. 1.3 miles of mapped trail cross Niantic, 0.9 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
5%
52 acres · of 1.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.3 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
34 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.2 mi
1.2 mi paths
Highest peak
56 ft
Baptist Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
6 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Niantic?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
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 McCook Point Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pine Grove Ballfield
Park
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
McCook Point Park22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of East Lyme Parks & Recreation
DirectionsCini Memorial Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHole-in-the-Wall Beach2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPine Grove Ballfield3 acres
Glendenning Field1 acres
Town Open Space (Lunde, Mabry Property)1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
52 conserved acres
5% of Niantic’s land. Water is left out: Niantic has 1.5 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Niantic’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners3 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3 ac
Town or city1 ac
Not recorded47 ac
State Other or Unknown · 35 acLocal Other or Unknown · 10 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 3 acLocal Park · 3 acPrivate Conservation · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Pond State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
| Unknown Private Conservation | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Pine Grove Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Open |
| Town Open Space (Lunde, Mabry Property) Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Niantic
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Niantic
Amtrak Beach
DirectionsAttawan Beach
DirectionsCrescent Beach
DirectionsHole-in-the-Wall BeachIn McCook Point Park
DirectionsMcCook Park BeachIn McCook Point Park
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Niantic
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Niantic
Dodge Pond Boat LaunchIn Dodge Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsDodge Pond Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Niantic
Baptist Hill56 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.6 mi
Cruttenden's Bluff0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Basketball
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Niantic: 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 41 | 47 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Niantic →
Next door
Niantic and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Niantic
Where can I hike in Niantic?
The longest trail networks: McCook Point Park, 0.4 miles; Cini Memorial Park, 0.3 miles; Hole-in-the-Wall Beach, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Niantic’s trails?
McCook Point Park and Cini Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Niantic?
1.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Niantic?
6,078 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Niantic or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 34 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Niantic 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 →