CT Beaches Off Season | The Boneyard

CT Beaches Off Season

Hans Sprungfeld

Undecided
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
12,775
Reaction Score
30,614
After Labor Day, when parking fees & restrictions are lifted, which towns east of New Haven have beaches worth visiting?

Mostly, I'm looking for places to walk along, or drive up to a view. Branford, Guilford, Madison must have some comparable to below. Basically, alternatives to Hammonasset.

And, moving fully up the coast, anywhere else that locals enjoy.

Here are some examples from Fairfield County & west of New Haven:

Darien - Biking around Great Island

Westport - Walking from Compo to Old Mill/Compo Cove OR driving up & parking at Burying Hill (October - May) PLUS sunset or moonrise at Compo

Fairfield - Walking Jennings to Penfield & beyond OR driving up & parking at Sasco OR even walking Southport Beach through residential to Yacht Yard at the mouth of the harbor.

Bridgeport - Walking the seawall path in Black Rock at St May's-by-the-Sea

Stratford - Walking Long Beach to Pleasure Beach

Milford - CT Audubon Society OR Woodmont

West Haven - Walking from Stowe's in either direction along the shore OR walking Sandy Pt Bird Preserve. Metered parking year round now, however.

Thanks in advance.
 

ClifSpliffy

surf's up
Joined
Nov 9, 2018
Messages
9,512
Reaction Score
14,295
park at harkness. walk down to the surf. hang a looie, keep walking until you hit the east end of the boardwalk at ocean beach. there is a trick to this route, but any yankee worth his salt should be able to figure it out. the part where you cross alewife is fun, unless it scares you. in that case, retrace your steps to square one, and decide if you want to cross that stream and continue west past that 'seaside asylum' place. or, try bluff point further east.
ps. you forgot to mention the great beach stroll in the Park City, ie. Seaside Park. ol' P.T. and Frederick Law are gonna be wicked mad at you for that one. me too.
 
Last edited:

Hans Sprungfeld

Undecided
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
12,775
Reaction Score
30,614
park at harkness. walk down to the surf. hang a looie, keep walking until you hit the east end of the boardwalk at ocean beach. there is a trick to this route, but any yankee worth his salt should be able to figure it out. the part where you cross alewife is fun, unless it scares you. in that case, retrace your steps to square one, and decide if you want to cross that stream and continue west past that 'seaside asylum' place. or, try bluff point further east.
ps. you forgot to mention the great beach stroll in the Park City, ie. Seaside Park. ol' P.T. and Frederick Law are gonna be wicked mad at you for that one. me too.
Seaside's so big that I've more often biked it. A legit omission. I also left out Pardee Sea Wall in Morris Cove, New Haven which gives great subsets year-round.

Your first suggestion is where? New London? I only guess because of "Ocean Beach" boardwalk, remembered from an elementary school field trip way long ago.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2016
Messages
3,918
Reaction Score
9,185
Will always love the beaches in Old Lyme. Hawk's nest, White sands and so on and just walking in either direction. I've walked from Soundview (not nice during the summer, ok after labor day) to Griswold Point (you can see Griswold Cove and the CT river from GP) and done even longer walks. I've gone past Hatchet Point in the opposite direction, a few times all the way to a part of the beach that is near Hillcrest Rd.

If you did Hillcrest rd to Griswold point or vis versa, you'd have hours of just enjoying nature on the beach if you like to walk.

Distance second would be beaches in Clinton and Harkness ;) .
 
Last edited:

ClifSpliffy

surf's up
Joined
Nov 9, 2018
Messages
9,512
Reaction Score
14,295
Seaside's so big that I've more often biked it. A legit omission. I also left out Pardee Sea Wall in Morris Cove, New Haven which gives great subsets year-round.

Your first suggestion is where? New London? I only guess because of "Ocean Beach" boardwalk, remembered from an elementary school field trip way long ago.
harkness, waterford. walking east, you find a path that goes thru shrubby/grass to camp harkness, then thru to waterford beach (awesomesauce gem) then to the alewife cove crossing--voila! ur now at the west side of ocean beach.
happy trails. so many great ones in Connecticut.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
8,233
Reaction Score
17,484
Look into Waterford Beach Park, across the creek from Ocean Beach. Lots of open space, and a trail leading to a very pretty beach that feels far more removed from civilization than it is.

If you want more of a hike, try Bluff Point in Groton. About a 2 mile walk along an inlet, out to a sandy beach on the right, and a bluff with views of Fishers Island on the left.
 
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
4,916
Reaction Score
5,364
After Labor Day, when parking fees & restrictions are lifted, which towns east of New Haven have beaches worth visiting?

Mostly, I'm looking for places to walk along, or drive up to a view. Branford, Guilford, Madison must have some comparable to below. Basically, alternatives to Hammonasset.

And, moving fully up the coast, anywhere else that locals enjoy.

Here are some examples from Fairfield County & west of New Haven:

Darien - Biking around Great Island

Westport - Walking from Compo to Old Mill/Compo Cove OR driving up & parking at Burying Hill (October - May) PLUS sunset or moonrise at Compo

Fairfield - Walking Jennings to Penfield & beyond OR driving up & parking at Sasco OR even walking Southport Beach through residential to Yacht Yard at the mouth of the harbor.

Bridgeport - Walking the seawall path in Black Rock at St May's-by-the-Sea

Stratford - Walking Long Beach to Pleasure Beach

Milford - CT Audubon Society OR Woodmont

West Haven - Walking from Stowe's in either direction along the shore OR walking Sandy Pt Bird Preserve. Metered parking year round now, however.

Thanks in advance.
Not sure if it's possible to do it now, but years ago my wife and I would drive in separate cars to Jennings Beach or the Marina, park one car and leave it there, and drive to Sasco Beach park and get out, and walk to the East end of Jennings, entirely on the beach (well almost). Some areas were public like South Pine Creek beach. Starting from Sasco it was necessary to start at low tide. Walking through the old nude beach area between Sasco and South Pine always was interesting. Also, back in the day you could stop along the way at Surfside at the end of South Pine Creek Rd, or the Nautilus (now called The Seagrape) or Beachside Bar which was right across the street from Penfield Beach.
 
Last edited:

Hans Sprungfeld

Undecided
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
12,775
Reaction Score
30,614
Not sure if it's possible to do it now, but years ago my wife and I would drive in separate cars to Jennings Beach or the Marina, park one car and leave it there, and drive to Sasco Beach park and get out, and walk to the East end of Jennings, entirely on the beach (well almost). Some areas were public like South Pine Creek beach. Starting from Sasco it was necessary to start at low tide. Walking through the old nude beach area between Sasco and South Pine always was interesting. Also, back in the day you could stop along the way at Surfside at the end of South Pine Creek Rd, or the Nautilus (now called The Seagrape) or Beachside Bar which was right across the street from Penfield Beach.
At some point, you have to cross Pine Creek, though, don't you? I'm familiar with all you're mentioning, but I'm picturing walking to the far west of Fairfield Beach Rd, and then there's a break.

The nude beach is before my time in Fairfield, but it makes perfect sense that it would be there.
 
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
4,916
Reaction Score
5,364
At some point, you have to cross Pine Creek, though, don't you? I'm familiar with all you're mentioning, but I'm picturing walking to the far west of Fairfield Beach Rd, and then there's a break.

The nude beach is before my time in Fairfield, but it makes perfect sense that it would be there.
The nude beach was popular in the 1980's until the cops closed it down. It was in an area of huge boulders and a small strip of sand at the base of a ten foot seawall that stretched all the way around Sasco Hill from Sasco Beach to South Pine Creek Beach, above the seawall were a couple of huge estates. The one gigantic all stone estate that has the big stone boathouse right next to Sasco Beach was built in the 1920's or 30's by cartoonist Harold Gray, who created Little Orphan Annie and made millions. Later, Bradley Jack, a trading genius at Lehman Brothers bought the Gray Estate for $25 Million in the late 90's or early 2000's, then had some personal problems and lost it in a tax auction. Don't know who owns it now. People are free to walk through as long as they stay off the top of the wall and stay below the high water mark and keep their clothes on. Lol

Yes, you do have to cross Pine Creek. Years ago there was a rickety foot bridge but it was torn down many years ago. A good friend who used to live at the end of Pine Creek Ave use to row people across, or you could just swim it as it was only 25-30 yards. It's not especially deep but the swamp water is murky and you definitely do not want to walk it, years of crap on the bottom. The Pine Creek sand bar has been steadily receding over many years, back before the 38 hurricane there were beach houses where you would be 100 yards off shore now.


 
Last edited:

uconnbaseball

Hey there
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
6,733
Reaction Score
8,540
Fairfield beaches are overcrowded and mediocre. Avoid at all costs.

If you must visit a body of water in Fairfield, visit Lake Mohegan. That place is the best.
 
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
4,916
Reaction Score
5,364
Fairfield beaches are overcrowded and mediocre. Avoid at all costs.

If you must visit a body of water in Fairfield, visit Lake Mohegan. That place is the best.
Lake Mohegan started getting polluted ever since the Town bought the place. Alot of home building with septic systems, large fertilized lawns, and other poisons, went in above the western side watershed of the lake around the time the German's sold it to the town. Trust me I know, used to snorkel in the lake when the German family up above it, owned it. I grew up a short walk away. Back then the water was crystal clear, you could see all the way to the bottom on a sunny day (40 or 50 feet in most spots, but a couple of deeper holes) when snorkeling from the surface. When I was a kid I could see all the fish swimming around on the bottom. Place had tons of huge fresh water mussels back then which filtered the water further. Now the water is so dirty you're lucky if you can see the bottom where it's only 8 feet deep. Also, remember it's fresh water which won't kill any water borne organisms like salt water will.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
4,916
Reaction Score
5,364
Fairfield beaches are overcrowded and mediocre. Avoid at all costs.

If you must visit a body of water in Fairfield, visit Lake Mohegan. That place is the best.
That's only true of Jennings and Penfield, the other coast beaches, Sasco, Southport, and South Pine Creek, are only open to Fairfield residents. If you do not pay taxes, own property or live in town, you cannot get into those beaches.
 
Joined
Jan 6, 2015
Messages
6,874
Reaction Score
54,787
Tod's Point in Old Greenwich is amazing in the offseason.

One of my favorite memories there is walking through the snow one particular day. I didn't see a single person for about a half hour and then from the top of a path came this burly older man with a huge malamute. Felt like a scene from Lord of the Rings.

I believe it's open to the public from November 1st to April 30th.
 

Online statistics

Members online
392
Guests online
3,004
Total visitors
3,396

Forum statistics

Threads
155,758
Messages
4,030,550
Members
9,864
Latest member
leepaul


Top Bottom