Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
Rocky Neck State Park sits on the Long Island Sound in East Lyme, Connecticut. The 710-acre park is sandwiched between a salt marsh on the East and a Tidal river on the West. Because of this, birding opportunities abound.
Conservationists purchased the land in 1931 to protect it from fertilizer operations. They held it in trust until the state was able to buy it for park lands.
During the Great Depression, federal relief workers built the Ellie Mitchell Pavilion on a bluff above the shore. They used local stones and timber supports brought in from each of the state’s parks.
We stopped here on a road trip and spent a couple of hours hiking Rocky Neck’s diverse trails with our dog. We saw many cranes and herons as we walked alongside the salt marsh.
Then we headed towards the 4-mile river through meadows and woodlands. That trail climbed up to an overlook at Tony’s Nose.
We explored the pavilion and white sand beaches before heading back to the car.
Coastal Connecticut Parks➤
- Rocky Neck
- Stonington Light
- Lighthouse Point
Location: 244 West Main Street, East Lyme, Niantic, CT
Designation: State Park
Date designated/established: 1931
Date of my visit: October 2, 2021
