There are many recreational opportunities available at West Rock.
(This website was started on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. The most recent update took place Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Despite the domain name, this an informational website, not a blog.)
Lake Wintergreen Parking Options
If the parking lot at Lake Wintergreen is full, these are some nearby options:
The closest option is to park on Valerie Court, located only 0.1 miles away toward Wintergreen Avenue. Walk carefully along the shoulder of Main Street back to the Lake Wintergreen parking lot.
The state has an overflow parking lot located on Wintergreen Avenue, a right turn when coming from the Lake Wintergreen lot. From this lot, follow the path down to the Red Trail by the lake.
A third option during non-school hours is to park at Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School at 670 Wintergreen Avenue, Hamden, near the turn for Main Street, which is a 0.25-mile walk. From the school, walk through the overflow parking lot and follow the path down to the Red Trail along Lake Wintergreen.
These are better options to park for cars along the narrow shoulder of Main Street because there is no risk of being clipped by a passing vehicle trying to squeeze past. For the people exiting the cars, they are not standing in the brush on the passenger side, or in the travel lane on the driver’s side.
For those planning on hiking to the South Overlook or Judges Cave, there is plenty of parking behind the New Haven Montessori School, 495 Blake St., New Haven, at the south end of the park.
People who park at the main entrance may wonder why the parking lot there is always blocked by a chain. That parking lot is owned and operated by the City of New Haven for the West Rock Nature Center. The city keeps the lot closed because when it is open, miscreants will dump items there, rather than bring them to the transfer station. The city had blocked access to most of the other parking lot with jersey barriers for the same reason, but in August 2021, pushed back those barriers to allow more parking.
- West Rock User Guide
- West Rock News Updates
- Safety and Comfort at West Rock
- West Rock Driving Directions and Parking Information
- Getting to West Rock by Bus and Foot
- West Rock Gets Press
- Web Links for Maps, Trails, General Info and Outdoors Clubs
- Trails Overview and Trail Map Updates
- Regicides Trail
- Westville Feeder, Sanford Feeder, and the Quinnipiac Trail
- Red, White, and Red-White Trails
- Colorful East-West Trails: Green, Blue-White, Gold, Purple, and Yellow
- North Summit, Old Oak, Teal, and Solar Youth Trails
- West River Greenway
- West Rock Vistas
- Suggested Hikes and Walks at West Rock
- Bicycling, Cross Country Skiing, and Horseback Riding
- Fishing and Boating at West Rock
- Rock Climbing at West Rock
- West Rock Options for Sleeping Giant Fans
- Animals at West Rock
- Interesting and Unusual Plant Species at West Rock
- Wildflowers at West Rock
- West Rock Natural Features: Geology, Geography, and Judges Cave
- On the Trail of the Regicides
- Looking Back Through a Window in Time: West Rock History
- West Rock Tunnel (Heroes Tunnel)
- West Rock Tunnel (Heroes Tunnel): Safety Improvements
- Margaret Fisher Memorial Fireplace
- Historic Airway Beacon on West Rock
- West Rock Historic Postcards
- Elements of Trail Maintenance
- Finding Fitness and Peace of Mind in Trail Work
- West Rock Wish List
- West Rock Wish List Completed
- Invasive Species: Natural World Bullies
- Invasive Animals Attack Trees
- Reclaiming the Native Forest from Invasive Plants
- Storm Damage at West Rock
- Characteristics of a Good Hiking Area
- Naugatuck State Forest, West Block and East Block
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Fairfield County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Hartford County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Litchfield County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Middlesex County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: New Haven County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: New London County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Tolland County
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Mattabesett Trail
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Madison Trails
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: Redding Trails
- Hikes Beyond West Rock: RWA Properties
- Hikes to Waterfalls Near West Rock
- Web Links for Hiking, Bicycling, and Traveling
- Rail Trails in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Eastern New York
The trail descriptions are spread across so many pages to make the information easier to access.
* West Rock is 1,815 acres of state owned land, but there are also parcels that are next to the state owned parcels owned by Hamden, New Haven, and the Hamden Historical Society. If these parcels are included, the park is 1,897 acres.