26 state parks with swimming in Connecticut

26 of Connecticut’s 100 state parks list swimming. See these parks on a map

ParkEntryCampingLodgingPetsBook
Bigelow Hollow State ParkBigelow Pond, Mashapaug Lake and the secluded 97-acre Breakneck Pond sit inside one of eastern Connecticut's…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Black Rock State Park444 acres of pine and hemlock ledges above Black Rock Pond, with a swimming area below a commanding rock…$0–$15 / vehicleCampsites · electric & waterCabinsBook a campsite
Burr Pond State ParkThe pond that powered Gail Borden's 1857 condensed-milk factory, the first in the world, now serves swimmers…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Chatfield Hollow State ParkEighteen miles of trails thread jagged ledges and rock overhangs past a covered bridge and a working water…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Cockaponset State ForestConnecticut's second-largest state forest, over 17,000 acres in scattered parcels across eleven towns. More…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Day Pond State ParkTrout fishing and swimming in the namesake pond, plus a waterfall series reached by a trail an Eagle Scout…FreeDay use only
Gardner Lake State ParkA quiet day-use shore on 528-acre Gardner Lake with a launch for boats and swimmers. It is also the only way…FreeDay use only
Gay City State ParkMore than 1,500 acres between Hebron and Bolton holding a lakeside beach, miles of trail and the ruins of a…$0–$15 / vehicleCampsites
Haddam Island State ParkA fourteen-acre undeveloped island in the lower Connecticut River, reachable only by boat. A small sandy…FreeDay use onlyNot allowed
Hammonasset Beach State ParkTwo miles of sand on Long Island Sound make this the state's largest shoreline park, with a nature preserve…$0–$22 / vehicleCampsites · electric & waterCabinsBook a campsite
Harkness Memorial State ParkA Waterford estate where dunes, salt marsh and coastal grassland meet the Sound, sheltering piping plovers…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Hopeville Pond State ParkThe Pachaug River is dammed here into a pond the Mohegan fished and later mills worked for wool, now ringed…$0–$15 / vehicleCampsites · electric & waterCabinsBook a campsite
Indian Well State ParkA waterfall and gorge on the west bank of the Housatonic, with a wide sandy beach and shaded picnic grove…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Kettletown State Park605 acres on the east shore of Lake Zoar, the fifth-largest fresh water in Connecticut, with six miles of…$0–$15 / vehicleCampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
Lake Waramaug State ParkNinety-five acres on a Litchfield Hills lake whose autumn reflections draw photographers from across the…$0–$15 / vehicleCampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
Mount Tom State ParkA one-mile trail climbs to a 34-foot gneiss tower on the 1,325-foot summit, with a pond for swimming and…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Nehantic State Forest4,400 acres with trout-stocked ponds, twelve miles of trail and a view from Nickerson Hill. DEEP manages the…FreeDay use only
Pachaug State ForestAt 26,477 acres across six towns this is the largest forest in the state, and the only place in Connecticut…FreeCampsitesBook a campsite
Quaddick State ParkQuaddick Lake draws swimmers and boaters from three states in summer; midweek the shore empties out. The…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Rocky Neck State Park710 acres of beach, salt marsh and coastal thicket on Long Island Sound at East Lyme. A gently sloping…$0–$22 / vehicleCampsitesCabinsBook a campsite
Sherwood Island State ParkConnecticut's first state park, 235 acres of beach, wetland and coastal forest at Westport. A mile of sand, a…$0–$22 / vehicleDay use only
Silver Sands State ParkHalf a mile of Milford shoreline with a three-quarter-mile all-weather boardwalk over dune and marsh. A tidal…$0–$22 / vehicleDay use only
Squantz Pond State Park172 acres of public shore on Squantz Pond, a rare opening on a seventy-five-mile lakeside that is otherwise…$0–$22 / vehicleDay use only
Stratton Brook State ParkSwimming, fishing and cycling in Simsbury woodland with accessible paths throughout. The bike trail runs on…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Wadsworth Falls State Park4.5 miles of trail for walking and riding, with the namesake falls as the centrepiece. Swimming and…$0–$15 / vehicleDay use only
Wharton Brook State ParkNinety-six acres of wooded sandy knolls with a swimming pond and a perimeter loop trail. It is one of eleven…FreeDay use only

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