West Rock Ridge State Park
1,691 acres in Hamden, Woodbridge, and Bethany, CT
Parking: Main parking near 1134 Wintergreen Ave, New Haven, CT if the gate is closed park across the street at West Rock Nature Center
Trail Map Trails: 20 miles Rating: ★★★★★
West Rock Ridge State Park is massive.
And while I have been here, I feel like I’ve seen so little that this should have the standard disclaimer that this is a partial/incomplete page as I “have not yet ‘fully’ explored the property”.
I have visited a few of the big features in the southern half such as the vistas along the traprock ridge-line, which the DEEP suggests one can see 200 square miles along its length. Then there is Judges Cave, with its unique history. There is Lake Wintergreen for boating and fishing. The park is also the southern terminus of the blue blaze Quinnipiac Trail.
With so much to offer this park is worth several visits and I hope to one day fully do it justice, though Hiker Tom has already made a guide that is already damn-near complete.
History:
Established as a state park in 1975. This park was featured in the inaugural DEEP Sky’s the Limit Hiking Challenge in 2015 and again in 2022.
Links:
- West Rock Ridge Park Association
- Tom – West Rock User Guide
- Peter Marteka – A Castle In The Sky With Views Across A Kingdom (2012)
- New England Mountain Bike Association – West Rock Ridge
- CTMQ – TSTL’15.10: West Rock Ridge State Park (2015)
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Last updated May 9th, 2016
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