Maltby Lakes
Managed by South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
251 acres4.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
West Haven Green Historic District · Photo: The original uploader was Polaron at English Wikipedia. · CC BY 2.5B+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Haven
West Haven has 9.9 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Maltby Lakes (4.4 mi), West River Memorial Park (0.8 mi), Old Grive Park (0.5 mi). 8% of West Haven’s land is conserved, about 556 acres. 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #135 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
556 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
9.9 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
190 ac
3.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.2 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 2.1 mi paths
Highest peak
302 ft
Allington Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
3 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is West Haven?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Haven have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Haven is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #135 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 West Haven’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land3.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (190 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 66%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 13%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so West Haven’s 8% is ahead of 16% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 26% 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 Maltby Lakes, with 4.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West River Memorial Park
Managed by City of New Haven
50 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Old Grive Park
Managed by West Haven Public Works
18 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary
Nature preserve
21 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Maltby Lakes251 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
DirectionsWest River Memorial Park50 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of New Haven
DirectionsOld Grive Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · West Haven Public Works
DirectionsSandy Point Bird Sanctuary21 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPainter Park39 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRay Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of West Haven
DirectionsMorse Park41 acres
DirectionsBradley Point Park7 acres
DirectionsMaurice P. Quigley Memorial Stadium6 acres
DirectionsWest Haven Green6 acres
DirectionsSavin Rock Park5 acres
DirectionsWalter Brennan Memorial Park4 acres
Shingle Hill Park4 acres
DirectionsOld Grove Park2 acres · West Haven Town Works
DirectionsRalph Eberle Park2 acres · City of West Haven
Bayview Park1 acres
Cynthia Circle Park1 acres
Who protects it
556 conserved acres
8% of West Haven’s land. Who manages West Haven’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation60 ac
Not recorded508 ac
Watershed Protection Area · 272 acLocal Other or Unknown · 217 acUnknown Easement · 60 acPrivate Conservation · 19 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 47 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 38 of 38 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 | 459 | Unknown |
| West River Memorial Park (owned By New Haven) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Ray Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| Shingle Hill Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Brennan Field Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| West River Memorial Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
| Cynthia Circle Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
14 places to go in West Haven
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in West Haven
Oyster River Beach
DirectionsRocky Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in West Haven
Charlotte Bacon's Playground
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in West Haven
Veterans Memorial Dog Park
DirectionsScenic views in West Haven
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in West Haven
Allington Hill302 ft elevation
DirectionsShingle Hill171 ft elevation
DirectionsJones Hill144 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
8 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
2.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Baseball
16Tennis
10Basketball
9Soccer
7Football
2Softball
1Multi-sport
1Skate park
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in West Haven: 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 | 10.6 | 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 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in West Haven →
Next door
West Haven and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in West Haven
Where can I hike in West Haven?
The longest trail networks: Maltby Lakes, 4.4 miles; West River Memorial Park, 0.8 miles; Old Grive Park, 0.5 miles; Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Haven 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 West Haven’s trails?
Maltby Lakes and West River Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Haven?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 2.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near West Haven?
7,144 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Haven or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 190 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West Haven have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #135 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 West Haven 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 →