The Preserve
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
914 acres19.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Juliejules · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Old Saybrook
Old Saybrook has 36 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
23% of Old Saybrook’s land is conserved, about 2,213 acres. The biggest trail networks: The Preserve (19.5 mi), Great Cedars Conservation Area (4.6 mi), Clark Community Park (4.5 mi). 238 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #48 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
2,213 acres · of 15.1 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
238 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
60%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.6 mi paths
Highest peak
217 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
17
17 beaches · 9 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Old Saybrook?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Old Saybrook have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Old Saybrook is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #48 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Old Saybrook’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (238 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home60% 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 89%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 69%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Old Saybrook’s 23% is ahead of 73% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 84% of them.
Water is 30% of Old Saybrook’s area (7 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 The Preserve, with 19.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Great Cedars Conservation Area
Managed by Town of Old Saybrook
382 acres4.6 mi of trail
Old Back Highway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Clark Community Park
Managed by Town of Old Saybrook
183 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail
Nature preserve
35 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ingham Hill Road (Geron)
Managed by Old Saybrook Land Trust
13 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
The Preserve914 acres · 19.5 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsGreat Cedars Conservation Area382 acres · 4.6 mi of trail · Town of Old Saybrook
DirectionsClark Community Park183 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Town of Old Saybrook
DirectionsConnecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail35 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsIngham Hill Road (Geron)13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Old Saybrook Land Trust
Fort Saybrook Monument Park17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsClark Field11 acres · Old Saybrook Fire Co. #1 Assoc., Inc
Harvey's Beach5 acres
Kavanagh Park3 acres
Turtle Creek Preserve2 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Ferry Road Ball Field2 acres
DirectionsOld Saybrook Town Green1 acres
DirectionsOld Saybrook Town Beach1 acres
DirectionsMain Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,213 conserved acres
23% of Old Saybrook’s land. Water is left out: Old Saybrook has 15.1 square miles of land and 6.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Old Saybrook’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits905 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government20 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land1 ac
State conservation1 ac
Not recorded2,167 ac
Unknown · 895 acConservation Easement · 864 acLocal Other or Unknown · 713 acState Conservation Area · 403 acState Other or Unknown · 126 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 62 of 65 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,207 | Unknown |
| Town Of Old Saybrook (gleason) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 350 | Unknown |
| Ragged Rock Creek Marsh Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 195 | Unknown |
| Town Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 168 | Unknown |
| Plum Bank Marsh Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 138 | Unknown |
| Ferry Point Marsh Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 45 | Unknown |
| Ragged Rock Creek Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 41 | Unknown |
| South Cove Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 20 | Unknown |
| Fenwick Salt Marsh Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 18 | Open |
| Fort Saybrook Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 17 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
41 places to go in Old Saybrook
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Old Saybrook
Chalker Beach
DirectionsGreat Hammock Beach
DirectionsHarveys Beach
DirectionsIndiantown Beach
DirectionsPlum Bank BeachIn Old Saybrook Town Beach
DirectionsPlus 12 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Old Saybrook
7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Old Saybrook
Baldwin Bridge Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Old Saybrook
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Old Saybrook
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Old Saybrook
Prospect Hill217 ft elevation
DirectionsObed Heights197 ft elevation
DirectionsJacobs Peak180 ft elevation · In Great Cedars Conservation Area
DirectionsIngham Hill157 ft elevation · In The Preserve
DirectionsFerry Hill151 ft elevation
DirectionsBeacon Hill89 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 17 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miUnpaved · 34.4 mi
Old Back Highway0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Tennis
9Basketball
8Baseball
3Pickleball
2Football
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →21 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.
Humphrey Pratt TavernBuilding · listed 1972
About itGen. William Hart HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itSamuel Eliot HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itOld Saybrook South GreenDistrict · listed 1976
About itElisha Bushnell HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itParker HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itBlack Horse TavernBuilding · listed 1978
About itWilliam Tully HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itJedidiah Dudley HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itJohn Whittlesey Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAmbrose Whittlesey HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itLynde Point LighthouseStructure · listed 1990
About it9 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Old Saybrook: 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 | 48 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 75 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Old Saybrook →
Next door
Old Saybrook and its neighbors
Old Saybrook has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Old Lyme51 miOld Saybrook36 miEssex34 miWestbrook24 miEssex Village11 miWestbrook Center1.1 miOld Saybrook Center0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Saybrook | 23% | 2.4 | 22 | 60% | A |
| Old Lyme | 22% | 2.2 | 84 | 55% | A |
| Westbrook | 17% | 1.5 | 14 | 52% | A− |
| Essex | 13% | 3.2 | 37 | 67% | A |
| Essex Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Westbrook Center | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Old Saybrook Center | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Old Saybrook
Where can I hike in Old Saybrook?
The longest trail networks: The Preserve, 19.5 miles; Great Cedars Conservation Area, 4.6 miles; Clark Community Park, 4.5 miles; Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Old Saybrook is conserved land?
23% 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 Old Saybrook’s trails?
The Preserve and Great Cedars Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Old Saybrook?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Old Saybrook?
5,812 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Old Saybrook or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 238 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Old Saybrook have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #48 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 Old Saybrook 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 →