Dividend Pond Open Space
Nature preserve
139 acres4.3 mi of trail
CycloneHyla HighlandsRockless Hills
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Daderot · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill has 20 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
11% of Rocky Hill’s land is conserved, about 914 acres. The biggest trail networks: Dividend Pond Open Space (4.3 mi), Quarry Park (3.2 mi), Dinosaur State Park (2.9 mi). 74% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #102 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
914 acres · of 13.5 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
175 ac
8.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.8 mi
0.8 mi paths
Highest peak
377 ft
Vexation Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Rocky Hill?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rocky Hill have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rocky Hill is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #102 of 155 in Connecticut. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rocky Hill’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 (20 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land8.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (175 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13C+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 76%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 34%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Rocky Hill’s 11% is ahead of 23% 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 Dividend Pond Open Space, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Quarry Park
Managed by State of Connecticut
80 acres3.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dinosaur State Park
Managed by State of Connecticut
104 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Rocky Hill Fish and Game Club
Managed by Rocky Hill Fish and Game Club, Inc.
98 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 28 parks & preserves
Dividend Pond Open Space139 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
DirectionsQuarry Park80 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
DirectionsDinosaur State Park104 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · State of Connecticut
DirectionsRocky Hill Fish and Game Club98 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Rocky Hill Fish and Game Club, Inc.
Elm Ridge Park108 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Rocky Hill
DirectionsMaxwell Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Rocky Hill
DirectionsI-291 Corridor85 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · State of Connecticut;City of New Britain;Town of Newington;Town of Rocky Hill;Town of Wethersfield
DirectionsFrance Street Open Space76 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill Community Farm97 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Bulkley Park27 acres
West Hill Open Space21 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
DirectionsWethersfield Game Club19 acres · Wethersfield Game Club, Inc.
West Street Open Space16 acres · State of Connecticut
DirectionsStonehill Drive Open Space15 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Stonebrook Crossing Open Space13 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Tedwin Farms Road Open Space10 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Fox Hill Drive Open Space7 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Highland Street Open Space6 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Old Forge Road Open Space3 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Ferry Park3 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
DirectionsBoulder Drive Open Space2 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Park Drive Open Space2 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Countryside Drive Open Space2 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Old Tannery Lane Open Space2 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Dr. Barbara Orsini Surwilo Park1 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
Elm Street Open Space1 acres · State of Connecticut
Shipyard Park1 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
DirectionsCenter Green1 acres · Town of Rocky Hill
DirectionsWho protects it
914 conserved acres
11% of Rocky Hill’s land. Who manages Rocky Hill’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city98 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)67 ac
State conservation51 ac
Not recorded749 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 364 acPrivate Conservation · 215 acLocal Conservation Area · 98 acState Other or Unknown · 93 acAgricultural Easement · 67 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 68 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 75 of 83 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 | 633 | Unknown |
| Dinosaur State Park State Park | Not recorded | 38 | Unknown |
| Maxwell Park Local Park | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Elm Ridge Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Sunny Crest Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| France Street Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| West Hill Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Evans Parcel Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 14 | Unknown |
| Meadows Private Conservation | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
| Hoye Memorial Field (School Street) Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Rocky Hill
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Rocky Hill
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Rocky Hill
6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill Dog ParkIn Elm Ridge Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Rocky Hill
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Rocky Hill
Dividend FallsIn Dividend Pond Open Space
DirectionsScenic views in Rocky Hill
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Rocky Hill
Vexation Hill377 ft elevation
DirectionsHang-Dog Hill161 ft elevation
DirectionsRocky Hill157 ft elevation · In Quarry Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miHorses · 0.6 miUnpaved · 6.8 mi
Cyclone0.5 mi
Hyla Highlands0.5 mi
Rockless Hills0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Tennis
10Pickleball
9Baseball
8Soccer
6Basketball
3Softball
1Multi-sport
1Football
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 12 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rocky Hill: 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 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rocky Hill →
Next door
Rocky Hill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Hill | 11% | 1.5 | 8 | 74% | A− |
| Wethersfield | 13% | 0.6 | 18 | 96% | A |
| Glastonbury | 29% | 3.4 | 72 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Cromwell | 16% | 2.2 | 25 | 65% | A |
| Berlin | 26% | 2.8 | 81 | 84% | A+ |
| Newington | 5% | 0.8 | 9 | 82% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rocky Hill
Where can I hike in Rocky Hill?
The longest trail networks: Dividend Pond Open Space, 4.3 miles; Quarry Park, 3.2 miles; Dinosaur State Park, 2.9 miles; Rocky Hill Fish and Game Club, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rocky Hill 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 Rocky Hill’s trails?
Dividend Pond Open Space and Quarry Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rocky Hill?
0.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rocky Hill?
18,796 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rocky Hill or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 175 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rocky Hill have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #102 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 Rocky Hill 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 →