East Rock Park

This is a great, pretty spacious park that is close to Yale University. I really enjoyed the hiking trail here. You can either take a nicely upsloping meandering path (about 20 minutes), or you can take the Giant Steps path up to the top. There are several entrances to the park, but you can start just about anywhere and get to the center (and top) of the park, which provides great views of the surrounding area. Sometimes the hiking paths are clearly marked, but I somehow still got a little off the regular path. It is easy to find the main road though, and you can easily get back onto another trail. There are bike trails here, and quite a few families and dog-​walkers. All around, a great park in New Haven.

No fun. Wast of time and travel if you are looking for weekend fun. Not recommended for couples as you’ll be bored to death.

Great place for a stroll, bike ride, or you-​name-​it. My favorite is the run from the main parking lot to the top. About 450 ft elevation gain and 7 miles. It’ll get your heart going! Beautiful views and beautiful rock formations combined equals one wonderful park!
Tip: just be careful by yourself if you are around at night as it isn’t surrounded by all of the best neighborhoods.

I really like East Rock, there are some nice trails that you can hike or run around. There are also epic views of the city from the summit. Definitely will be one of my favorite places to catch the sunsets. However, the reason I’m giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is because as the sun is setting some people that, as someone else put it, are looking for other recreational activities seem to come up to the summit for the night. It was kind of annoying because they are speeding on the road up to the top, so you don’t exactly feel that safe if you are walking or riding a bike. I just wanted to be like «Hey, you’re going the wrong way. The park closes at dusk»; but whatever. It’s not like I need to get into an altercation. So anyway, yes a nice place to wander and get your nature on during the day. Things might get a little dodgy when it’s dark.

Came here with two good friends, and we decided to make the 5 minute walk to East Rock — and make the climb. There apparently are a few ways to get up the hill on foot, and we took the steepest route. It is a bit of a challenge, but doable. Other than the occasional passing car when passing along the roads, the climb was great and the view from the top was spectacular.
So basically, East Rock Park didn’t disappoint.

I love this park. It’s a new haven staple– you must visit if you’re in the vicinity. Great for watching the leaves turn color in the fall, and to welcome summer in the spring. Fantastic views from the lookout at the summit.

The view from the top is gorgeous. Running to the top is a great work out! I’ve run up to the top by myself more than 5 times now and I’ve never felt afraid, although as others say I wouldn’t recommend running here after dark by yourself. The trails are nice and I haven’t seen a lot of litter on them. Sometimes if you run on the winding road up to the summit you have to watch out for cars passing you toooo fast, but as a road runner I’m pretty used to that.
I love living close to East Rock! From the gorgeous stream that runs past the bottom to all the crazy squirrels chipmunks and robins, it’s a great place to go for a hike or run without having to drive out of New Haven. I think there are grills at the top and I really want to BBQ here with my boyfriend this summer. I’m pretty sure you can drive all the way to the top. Giant Steps Trail is pretty steep, when I run down it I actually walk… because otherwise I might slip and fall. I think it would be easier to ascend.
Overall I love East Rock. Great view, great flora & fauna, lots of rhododendron plants and other flowering trees. Don’t miss it if you’re in New Haven!

I’ll give nature 5 stars. :-)
For my birthday I wanted to go to one of my favorite locations in the area to just look out over and see the entire new haven county.
the sights are just spectacular… i immediately knew i made the right decision to take some time and just enjoy the sights.
it was windy but i don’t need long to get the recharge i needed!

I’ve brought visitors to East Rock Park to orient them to New Haven. But the park has a strict «no weapons for self defense» policy that has disarmed legitimate visitors and emboldened criminals to the point where joggers are now robbed in broad daylight. This park is insufficiently patrolled and unsafe.

Summary: Easy to moderate difficulty hiking with a great view.
If you are a beginning hiker or are just looking for a short climb with a great payoff then East Rock park is for you. The park has the best view of downtown New Haven around. The summit is paved and can be driven up when the park gates are open. East Rock is also home to the lovely Soldiers and Sailors Monument: a 366 foot granite and bronze monument to wars past. A must-​see for history buffs in the area.
Although East Rock has a lot to offer, it’s trail marking system is not well maintained and it is easy to get lost on your way up. Additionally, I would not East Rock as a spot for night hiking given the uptick in recreational activity here at after sunset.
Overall, East Rock is a nice place for a hike, jog, picnic, or scenic drive and is well worth a visit.

Stopped at the park on our way out of town and I was so glad we did! Beautiful panoramic view! I wish we had stayed to watch the sunset but it was fall and the leaves were just perfect!

East Rock Park is a great place for a short walk or long hike, and if you make it to the top, it’s a pretty nice area to spend some time. I live at the base of the park and get to explore it often with my dog. Whether we do a loop on the lower trail or hike all the way to the top, it’s like a mini-​retreat in my day, and I’m glad that this park is basically my backyard.
There are definitely better places to hike in the state, but with a pretty easy hike to the top, East Rock makes for a relaxing excursion. We have found needles on the lower trails, and there is a lot of litter as you get to the trails closer to the summit, but in general, the trails aren’t bad. There was a tree that fell and blocked part of a lower trail for about a week, but someone actually came and cleared it, so I think the trails are fairly maintained. At the summit, you can pretty much see the entire city, which is pretty cool. There are a good number of picnic tables and a big grassy area at the summit, so it’s also conducive for hanging out. You can also drive to the top, and there is a good amount of parking. I’ve driven by the garden area and walked through the playgrounds, both at the base of the park, so there’s more to do than just hike here, too.

East Rock Park is a unique geological formation that was formed ~200 million years ago during the great continental drift and is one of the many aspects of New Haven that qualify it for the #GSCIA hashtag. (Greatest Small City In America… initially took me some Googling to figure out what that stood for)
Even when I lived downtown, I would bring out of town friends to the summit because the view from 350 ft summit can’t be beat. And now that I live at the base of it, it’s quite amazing to have this incredible park right in my backyard. They recently installed some educational storyboards at the summit so you can appreciate the rich history and see historical pictures of what New Haven looked like in its heyday. While you can drive, or as I often do, ride up the paved Farnam Drive to the summit, there are also a number of different trails you can take if you’re looking for a more off-​road experience. From the base trails you can also find access points to the Mill River, if kayaking or paddle boarding is your thing. The trails are very well marked and easy to follow and there is a plethora of information on their City of New Haven website. (
) The Giant Steps trail is probably the most fun and challenging (and by challenging I mean still pretty easy) and is the most direct way to get to the summit.
On the summit there are public grills and lots of open grassy areas for you and your crew to post up, shadily crack open a few beers, and just take in the warm weather, although personally I prefer the 27-​acre Edgerton Park for that kind of chillaxing type of activity. If you live in New Haven and haven’t been here, then you are most certainly missing out.

Great park for running. Trails by the river are wonderful and have great shade. Also, beautiful houses on the street along one side of the park.

New Haven’s precious jewel. I can remember training in the trails of East Rock during my High School years. Great memories there.
Beautiful views of New Haven and a sensational spot to catch a sunset.

The most scenic overlook in New Haven. My family lives about eleven miles away but had never been. My aunt and I drove up– really great panoramic vista of New Haven on the sound. Maybe next visit my sister and I will hike up from the lower parking lot.

My boyfriend and I headed up here on a rainy morning during a long weekend in New Haven, and while you could not see anything, the fog over the town was a beautiful sight. It was also super quiet up at the summit because of the rain, which was great. Without any other people around, it felt a little spooky — in a good way.
However, a few hours later the rain cleared up and we went again in the afternoon and the view was fucking spectacular. We were not there for hiking, just soaking in the views, so I can’t speak for its trails, but a large group was having a picnic/​party and it seemed like a great area for that kind of thing as well.

I’ve lived in New Haven for about a year now and I still think the best view of the city comes from the summit of East Rock park on a clear, sunny day. You can see almost all the way down Orange St. (the spine of New Haven!) to downtown.
There are better places to hike (Sleeping Giant in Hamden, for instance), but I think for being an urban park, East Rock gives you everything you could want and a little more.
For one, I really enjoy the diversity and variety of people you see in the park on a nice afternoon. Huge families, grad students, younger kids playing football. You get a really good mix of people.
In the summer I frequently see a Good Humor truck and even the Caseus truck on the summit from time to time.
The hiking isn’t great, but they actually do have a few mountain bike trails which are pretty well-​maintained and present a decent challenge. There’s actually a few really steep declines, so you’ll definitely want to keep your eyes out (and your helmet on) if you aren’t experienced.
While there are nicer parks in the world, and certainly quieter, more peaceful parks with better hiking, I really enjoy East Rock Park and it’s one of my favorite places to hang out on a warm day in the Elm City.

Look I love the outdoors and nice views, but southern CT can do better (Sleeping Giant for example). A late summer weekend was pretty crowded, lots of people driving around, some smokers chucking their butts over the wall towards the cliffs, and so-​so views.
If you’re looking for quiet, serenity and a physical climb look elsewhere. If you’re in the area and looking for quick outdoor activity with interesting vantage points of NH hit up East Rock.

I went to East Rock park for a visit with my housemate recently. The GPS shows 2 entrances, you have to pay attention and not miss the small sign that points to a parking lot but that’s also the way up to the summit.
The summit is closed to cars during the winter season, for the obvious reason. =) We ended up parking our car and taking a short 15 min. hike up to the monument, that’s allowed, but the weather is crispy freezing.
It’s actually kind of nice to have the whole mountain top to yourselves, as this seem to happen a lot during off season in this part of the world. Not a single soul is sight, and only bumped into another couple at the summit for a few minutes.
The monument on top has just finished renovation on Oct. 16, 2010. The 4 sides show bias relief from 4 US wars: Revolution, War of 1812, Civil, and (?? forgot). Also statues of 4 virtues sitting atop each side.
There’s a small covered picnic area nearby, this’d be a wonderful but crowded place in the nice summer season.
The view of New Haven and Hamden below is incredible and memorable. But as my housemate says, «look to one side only!»
One can combine this summit drive in the summer with a 1.5 hr walk tour of Yale campus, plus visit the libraries and museums on campus. My favourite is the Beineke rare books collection. Those Vermont marble walls GLOW in the afternoon sunlight, especially towards dusk, they show firy orange and red patterns. Beautiful design!