Route 2 Open Space
Managed by Town of Preston
155 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Preston
Preston has 24 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Route 2 Open Space (1.6 mi), Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area (1.4 mi), Jean and Hobart Mitchell Preserve (1.2 mi). 8% of Preston’s land is conserved, about 1,548 acres. 32% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #147 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,548 acres · of 30.8 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
40 ac
8.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
341 ft
Prospect Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Preston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Preston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Preston is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #147 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Preston’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land8.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (40 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13C+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 55%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 5%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Preston’s 8% is ahead of 14% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 19% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Route 2 Open Space, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area
Managed by State of Connecticut
287 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Jean and Hobart Mitchell Preserve
Managed by Avalonia Land Conservancy
112 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
TriTown Forest Preserve
Managed by Avalonia Land Conservancy
28 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 20 parks & preserves
Route 2 Open Space155 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Town of Preston
Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area287 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
DirectionsJean and Hobart Mitchell Preserve112 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Avalonia Land Conservancy
DirectionsTriTown Forest Preserve28 acres · 1 mi of trail · Avalonia Land Conservancy
Quinebaug Wildlife Area39 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
Thames River Water Access59 acres · State of Connecticut
Preston Nature Preserve52 acres · Avalonia Land Conservancy
Preston Plains Road Open Space26 acres · Town of Preston
DirectionsPoquetanuck School Open Space15 acres · Town of Preston
Preston City Social Club Land7 acres · Preston City Social Club
Poquetanuck Road Open Space6 acres · Town of Preston
Hollowell Brook Preserve5 acres · Avalonia Land Conservancy
Blueberry Hill Preserve5 acres · Avalonia Land Conservancy
Alejo Park5 acres · Town of Preston
Amos Lake Water Access3 acres · State of Connecticut
DirectionsAvery Pond Water Access2 acres · State of Connecticut
Poquetanuck Sedge Beds2 acres · Avalonia Land Conservancy
Choate Brook Preserve1 acres · Avalonia Land Conservancy
Preston Plains Water Co.1 acres · Preston Plains Water Company
Downer-Doanes Park1 acres · Town of Preston
Who protects it
1,548 conserved acres
8% of Preston’s land. Who manages Preston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,228 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits774 ac
Town or city29 ac
Private owners4 ac
Not recorded609 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,210 acUnknown Easement · 612 acState Conservation Area · 317 acPrivate Conservation · 174 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 138 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 729 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 43 of 66 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Hill Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 275 | Unknown |
| Unknown Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 251 | Unknown |
| Pachaug Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 111 | Unknown |
| Devil's Den/Saugatuck Forest Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 103 | Closed |
| Quinebaug Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 41 | Unknown |
| Milton Green Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Alejo Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Milton Green Memorial Field Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Avery Pond Water Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
| Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc. 1 Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2 | Closed |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Preston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Preston
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Preston
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Preston
Avery Pond Boat LaunchIn Avery Pond Water Access
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Preston
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Preston
Prospect Hill341 ft elevation
DirectionsRye Hill299 ft elevation
DirectionsCampbell Hill243 ft elevation
DirectionsHuckleberry Hill98 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
12 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Basketball
4Baseball
2Tennis
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Preston: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 40 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Preston →
Next door
Preston and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Stonington75 miLedyard45 miGriswold34 miPreston24 miMontville23 miNorwich18 miLisbon4.2 miMashantucket1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | 8% | 0.8 | 8 | 32% | B− |
| Lisbon | 3% | 0.3 | 14 | 17% | C+ |
| Ledyard | 19% | 1.2 | 76 | 85% | A |
| Norwich | 14% | 0.7 | 4 | 72% | B |
| Montville | 12% | 0.5 | 24 | 27% | B+ |
| Griswold | 29% | 1.0 | 146 | 65% | A |
| North Stonington | 23% | 1.4 | 28 | 18% | A− |
| Mashantucket | — 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 Preston
Where can I hike in Preston?
The longest trail networks: Route 2 Open Space, 1.6 miles; Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area, 1.4 miles; Jean and Hobart Mitchell Preserve, 1.2 miles; TriTown Forest Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Preston is conserved land?
8% 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 Preston’s trails?
Route 2 Open Space and Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Preston?
9,939 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Preston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 40 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Preston have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #147 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 Preston 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 →