Ed

We would like to spend a day on a 4-day trip from NYC to Boston and Newport at the beach. What are the best beaches in Connecticut or Rhode Island? What makes them the best? Is it easy to park there?

Also, any ideas for Southern New England easy scenic hikes? We love the Newport cliff walk and would love to find something similar.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Bob G.

Popular beaches in Southern New England include: Misquamicut in Westerly, RI; Rocky Neck in Niantic, CT; Hammonasset in Madison, CT; Silver Sands in Milford, CT (Captain Kidd's treasure is rumored to be buried here). I have not been there but have heard positive things about Ocean Beach/Fort Trumbull/Harkness Memorial State Park in New London, CT. If you have enough time you could take the ferry out to Block Island. I don't know of any walks like the Newport one? If you are looking for hiking you can try Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, CT. Accessible from this park also is the recently created Farmington Canal Greenway in Hamden and Chesire, CT. Enjoy your stay in Southern New England!

Ed

To the top -- Any more suggestions or details on these beaches? Thanks

Sally

They're recently built (or rather renovated) a boardwalk along the shore of Hammonassett State Park (Exit 62 off I-95). It's quite pretty (for a CT beach). Rocky Neck State Park is also nice. The CT beaches aren't much to shout about compared to RI or the Cape. I actually prefer the CT River, which is one of the cleanest, most undeveloped rivers in the U.S. You can find info on boat rides on the CT River at www.deeprivernavigation.com or www.camelotcruises.com .

But, alas, you asked about hiking, not boat rides. There's not much direct waterfront hiking in CT (nothing like Newport's beautiful Cliff Walk). The DEP site on the CT state parks http://dep.state.ct.us/rec/parks/ctparks.htm lists all the parks in the state. Devil's Hopyard is a bit off the track from I95 (about 15-20 minutes north of I95) but if you're really interested in hiking in the woods this is the place to go on the shoreline. It has a very nice waterfall there, and some nice views. You can drive to the waterfall, and then hike around the river. I wouldn't say it's an "easy" hike though. You might want to check your library for "The Connecticut Walk Book" which is a guide to all the "blue blaze" trails in CT.

Towns along the shoreline that are very pretty are Old Saybrook (along Rt. 154), Essex ( a little north of Old Saybrook up Rt. 9 on the river) and Stonington.

Hope this helps a litte.

Carla

Watch Hill Rhode Island is a favorite of lots of CT and RI people and tourists. Great beach, waves, shops, etc. Can be tough to park if busy.

Unfortunatley most of CTs beaches are not public - however that may be changing finally.