 Ridgefield - Fairfield County Area Parks
The Ridgefield, Connecticut area offers ample opportunity to take advantage of the city, Fairfield County and Connecticut State Parks and Nature Centers that dot the area. From small city and county parks with jogging trails, to state parks with mountains, lakes, boating and canoeing, you'll find it as close as Ballard Park which is across the street from the Elms Inn.
Hop in your car and take a quick drive to one of many parks in the area and take a brisk walk or jog. Or, take a break with your family from the fast food and sometimes faster vacation pace to enjoy a picnic under a spreading tree next to a New England lake.
Map links provide driving maps and instructions from the hotel to the location selected.
Ballard Park •
0.1 miles • Map
Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877
A landmark in Ridgefield, this five-acre park was designed by Ridgefield resident, Frederick Law Olmstead, the famous landscape architect of Central Park in Manhattan. Changes have been made to the original site, most notable among them is the gazebo built in 1975 that can be seen from Main Street. The wood-frame gazebo is octagonal, 20 ft. across, with wooden benches surrounding the interior and a floor of old red brick. Ballard Park was donated to the town by Elizabeth Biglow Ballard and is used for community performances during outdoor festivals.
Woodcock Nature Center •
3.5 miles • Map
56 Deer Run Road, Wilton, CT 06897, 203-762-7280
Located on the Wilton/Ridgefield border, the Center's 146 acres is a haven for aquatic life and a remarkable variety of birds. Visitors to the Woodstock Nature Center can find miles of easy hiking trails beside historic stone walls and stands of old maple, beech, oak and hickory. An Everglades style boardwalk allows rare access through part of the rich, abundant wetlands nestled in these prime, New England woods. WNC is a private, non-profit institute.
Pierpont State Park •
3.5 miles • Map
184 Barlow Mountain Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877, 203-438-2008
Come see the many different habitats and excellent overlooks on the trails at Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve. This park is a designated "walk-in" facility. Parking is available at the entrance, Car Top Boat Launch.
Aldrich Park •
3.7 miles • Map
184 Barlow Mountain Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877, 203-438-2008
Aldrich Park offers 37 acres, marked hiking trails, baseball diamond, entrance on New Rd.
Directions: Route. 35 to Farmingville Rd. Make right onto Farmingville Road. Go approximately 1-1/2 miles to New Rd. Make left onto New Road. Make 1st left into Aldrich Park. Note: Map directions are to New Road only, distance is approximate.
Weir Farm National Park: Nature Center •
4.4 miles • Map
735 Nod Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897, 203-761-9945
Weir Farm National Historic Site is located in the Southwest Hills Ecoregion in the southern part of Connecticut. The park, located in the towns of Ridgefield and Wilton, includes successional old fields, mesic successional hardwood forests, vernal wetland areas, streams, Weir pond, rocky ridges and two farmsteads with their associated outbuildings. Two new parcels of land, located one half a mile away, totalling 11 acres, have recently been added to the park.
Lake Windwing •
5.5 miles • Map
7S Shore Dr, Ridgefield, CT 06877
Lake Windwing is set on over 100+ acres and is located in the Ridgebury area of Ridgefield. A lovely retreat that enables one to take advantage of the surroundings by fishing in the lake, camping and or hiking on the lake shore, additionally offering the opportunity to participate in a game of baseball on the fields provided.
Collis P. Huntington State Park •
12.7 miles • Map
492 Black Rock Tpke, Redding, CT 06896
Life-like sculptures of bears and wolves welcome your arrival to this peaceful and tranquil setting featuring open fields and dense woodlands. The Collis P. Huntington State Park was donated to the citizens of Connecticut by the internationally renowned Huntington family. Canoeing Horseback Riding, Cross-Country Skiing, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Pond Fishing (5 ponds).
Connecticut Merritt Parkway Scenic Drive •
15.7 miles • Map
Map direction note: This takes you to approximately the midway point on the parkway. Total CT Merrit Parkway length - 37 miles; Allow a little less than one hour. There are no fees for traveling the parkway.
Transportation buffs will especially enjoy this corridor's design, which brilliantly integrates the crafts of the engineer and the artist in its bridges and landscaping. Drivers especially enjoy the colors of autumn on the Byway.
The Merritt Parkway is one of the most unusual highways in the country. Perhaps because it is one of the only roads listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a distinction usually reserved for buildings or battlefields. Or perhaps because locals consider the road the heart of their communities. Drive Merritt Parkway and see for yourself why it inspires both reverence and devotion among fans and supporters, many of whom use it daily or live near its winding path through Connecticut's Fairfield County. Built in the 1930s to cope with America's new fascination with the automobile, this Byway is enshrined in the hearts of many as an icon of the automobile age and a model of highway planning.
Traveling this Byway is much the same today as when it was built, as much a drive through a park as a trip on a modern highway. Wind your way past green, well-maintained park areas and under bridges created with both function and aesthetics in mind, proving how beautiful a road can be. The road may have changed since the Thirties, but the feelings and symbolism behind this beautiful Byway remains.
Sherwood Island State Park •
16.8 miles • Map
492 Black Rock Turnpike, Redding, CT 06896
Connecticut's first state park is still one of its finest. Have a leisurely lunch in the shade of the picnic grove, swim in Long Island sound, or view marsh life from the observation platform at Sherwood Island.
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