Settlement Quarry Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
51 acres1.5 mi of trail
Glacial Erratic TrailOverlook TrailGrout Pile Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Stonington Opera House · Photo: Choess · CC BY-SA 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Stonington
15% of Stonington’s land is conserved: 911 acres
The biggest trail networks: Settlement Quarry Preserve (1.5 mi), Wreck Island (1.3 mi), Crockett Cove Woods Preserve (1.2 mi). 7.2 miles of mapped trail cross Stonington, 0.7 per square mile of land. 11% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
911 acres · of 9.8 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
4 ac
4.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
115 ft
Burnt Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Stonington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Stonington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Stonington is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Stonington’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land4.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to home11% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 48%
LessMore
Water is more than half of Stonington’s area (28 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Settlement Quarry Preserve, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wreck Island
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
77 acres1.3 mi of trail
Castaway Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Crockett Cove Woods Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
84 acres1.2 mi of trail
Woods TrailCedar TrailLoop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Green Island
Managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust
52 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Crystal Cove Preserve
Managed by Island Heritage Trust
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Ledge LoopShore Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Settlement Quarry Preserve51 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
DirectionsWreck Island77 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Crockett Cove Woods Preserve84 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
Green Island52 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Crystal Cove Preserve7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Island Heritage Trust
McGlathery Island152 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Saddleback Island Preserve106 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Round Island37 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Holt Mill Pond Preserve31 acres
DirectionsMillet Island21 acres · Island Hertage Trust
Alan E. Hutchinson Wildlife Management Area14 acres · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Andrews Island13 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Sand Island9 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Enchanted Island9 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Mark Island8 acres · Island Heritage Trust
Little McGlathery Island7 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Gooseberry Island7 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Little Camp Island5 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
The Fort3 acres · Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Who protects it
911 conserved acres
15% of Stonington’s land. Water is left out: Stonington has 9.8 square miles of land and 28.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Stonington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,284 ac
National Park Service167 ac
State fish & wildlife24 ac
State parks10 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Conservation Easement · 622 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 435 acUnknown Easement · 229 acPrivate Conservation · 175 acState Conservation Area · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 357 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 50 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crockett Cove Woods Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 174 | Unknown |
| McGlathery Island Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 157 | Closed |
| Saddleback Island - Fee Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Closed |
| Wreck Island Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 65 | Closed |
| Green Island Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 48 | Closed |
| Round Island Preserve Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 41 | Closed |
| Andrews Island Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Restricted |
| Alan E. Hutchinson Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Restricted |
| Eastern Mark Island Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Closed |
| Sand Island Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 9 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Stonington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Stonington
Plus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Stonington
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Stonington
Burnt Hill115 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Stonington
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.4 mi
Castaway Trail1.3 mi
Woods Trail0.7 mi
Glacial Erratic Trail0.5 mi
Cedar Trail0.5 mi
Loop Trail0.3 mi
Overlook Trail0.3 mi
Grout Pile Trail0.2 mi
Ledge Loop0.1 mi
Shore Trail0.1 mi
Fire Road 190.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
1Pickleball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Stonington Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Stonington: 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 32 | 40 | 51 | 61 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
August is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 5.3 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Stonington →
Next door
Stonington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonington | 15% | 0.7 | 4 | 11% | B− |
| Deer Isle | 8% | 0.7 | 21 | 7% | B |
| Isle au Haut | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Haven | — 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 Stonington
Where can I hike in Stonington?
The longest trail networks: Settlement Quarry Preserve, 1.5 miles; Wreck Island, 1.3 miles; Crockett Cove Woods Preserve, 1.2 miles; Green Island, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Stonington is conserved land?
15% of its land, against a typical 6% for a Maine town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Stonington’s trails?
Settlement Quarry Preserve and Wreck Island don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Stonington?
4,031 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stonington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Stonington have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Stonington 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 →