CT
Pond
Burr Pond State Park
Torrington, Connecticut
Burr Pond State Park has a seasonal Connecticut pond swim beach with lifeguards, picnic areas, paddling, and a 2.5-mile shoreline loop.
Walk: longerTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4
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Showing 48 of 243 guides.
CTTieredRoaring Brook Falls
Cheshire, Connecticut
CT's tallest single-drop waterfall: an 80-ft traprock horsetail at the end of Roaring Brook Road in Cheshire.
Walk: mediumTrail: moderateParking: trailheadCrowd: 3
CTCascadeKent Falls
Kent, Connecticut
Signature Housatonic Valley cascade in Kent Falls State Park. Paved ADA path to the base, stairway trail up the tiers.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4
CTCascadeEnders Falls
Granby, Connecticut
Five-tier cascade in Enders State Forest, Granby. Popular (and unofficial) swim pools — cliff jumping is extremely dangerous.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: trailheadCrowd: 4
CTCascadeYantic Falls
Norwich, Connecticut
Historic ~40 ft drop on the Yantic River at Uncas Leap Heritage Park; gorge, mill ruins, and overhead footbridge.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: trailheadCrowd: 3
CTCascadeGreat Falls of the Housatonic
Canaan, Connecticut
50-ft dam-controlled Housatonic falls at Falls Village. Spectacular after spring releases; no swim/jump.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: trailheadCrowd: 3
CTCascadeWadsworth Big Falls
Middlefield, Connecticut
Alternate entry for the ~30 ft Coginchaug horsetail in Wadsworth Falls State Park. Swimming prohibited.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: trailheadCrowd: 3
CTCascadeChapman Falls
East Haddam, Connecticut
60 ft stair-step cascade on Eight Mile River in Devil's Hopyard State Park. Short viewing path from the picnic lot.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4
CTCascadeButtermilk Falls
Plymouth, Connecticut
55–60 ft tiered Hancock Brook cascade in Plymouth's Buttermilk Falls Preserve. Short Mattatuck Trail walk from Lane Hill Road.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: trailheadCrowd: 3Amos Lake Beach
Preston, Connecticut
Private beach-club shoreline on Amos Lake, Preston; public access is a state boat ramp only, no open swim beach.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Angus Park Pond
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Toddler-depth Glastonbury town pond with a sandy swim beach at the south end; shallow, mellow, ice-skates in winter.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleBabb's Beach
Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield town beach on Lake Congamond with lifeguards, pavilion, and wheelchair mats; $20/car for non-residents.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Swim possibleBantam Lake
Morris, Connecticut
Connecticut's largest natural lake; mostly private shoreline, with Sandy Beach and Morris Town Beach as the public swim doors.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Sandy Beach at Bantam Lake
Morris, Connecticut
Sandy Beach on Bantam Lake — Morris-run lifeguarded beach with concessions, volleyball, and a canoe launch.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleBashan Lake
East Haddam, Connecticut
Private-shoreline East Haddam lake; access is the state boat launch only, no public swim beach, hydrilla posted.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Beach Pond
Voluntown, Connecticut
CT/RI border pond off Route 165. State launch posts no-swim; town-run Finn Beach handles swim access.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleBennett's Pond State Park
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Former Ridgefield estate with carriage trails around a rhododendron-lined pond. No designated swim.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Bicentennial Pond
Mansfield, Connecticut
Mansfield's lifeguarded town pond in Storrs. Open late June through late August; swim only when lifeguards are on duty.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleBigelow Hollow State Park
Union, Connecticut
Quiet water and pine-shaded shoreline on Mashapaug Lake and Bigelow Pond in Union. No designated swim area; unofficial shoreline entries only.
Walk: longerTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Birge Pond
Bristol, Connecticut
Page Park's stocked Bristol fishing pond. Shoreline loop and picnic tables; no designated swim.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Black Rock State Park
Watertown, Connecticut
Lifeguarded pond swim under basalt cliffs in Watertown. Short Mattatuck Trail climb for Naugatuck Valley views.
Walk: longerTrail: moderateParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Bradley Hubbard Reservoir
Meriden, Connecticut
Hubbard Park reservoir under Castle Craig. Metacomet Trail ridge overhead; swimming is posted prohibited.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Brookfield Town Beach
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield's lifeguarded Candlewood Lake town beach. Swim raft, picnic area, and an adjacent boat launch.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Swim possibleBunnell's Pond
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Olmsted-era Beardsley Park pond in Bridgeport. Fishing and a shaded loop; swimming is posted prohibited.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Candlewood Lake Town Beach
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield's Candlewood Lake Town Park lakefront. Swim raft, picnic area, and a neighbor boat launch.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleCandlewood Town Park
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury's 200-yd Candlewood Lake beach. Lifeguards, concession, playground; non-residents pay daily rates.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleCargill Falls
Putnam, Connecticut
Quinebaug River mill dam in downtown Putnam. River Trail overlooks; no swim, strong dam hydraulic.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Dist: shortChaplin Natchaug River Swimming Spots
Chaplin, Connecticut
Ledgy Natchaug River pools along Route 198 in Chaplin. Diana's Pool gorge nearby; swim at your own risk.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: trailheadCrowd: 3Chatfield Hollow State Park
Killingworth, Connecticut
Lifeguarded pond beach in Killingworth's Chatfield Hollow. CCC-era stonework, shaded trails, and a shallow family swim.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Cockaponset State Forest
Haddam, Connecticut
CT's second-largest state forest across Haddam and Chester. Forest trails and brooks; the swim beach is Pattaconk.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Pattaconk Recreation Area (Cockaponset State Forest)
Haddam, Connecticut
Pattaconk Lake swim beach inside Cockaponset State Forest. No lifeguard; DEEP-tested in season.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleCrescent Lake Park
Southington, Connecticut
Southington watershed pond with shoreline loop trails. No designated swim; trail and dog walker traffic.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleCrystal Lake (Middletown)
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown's Ron McCutcheon Park. Veterans Memorial Pool for swim; lake has seen contamination closures.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleCrystal Lake Sandy Beach
Ellington, Connecticut
Ellington's Crystal Lake Sandy Beach on Route 140. Resident passes, non-resident walk-in fees, carry-in/carry-out.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleDay Pond State Park
Colchester, Connecticut
Small lifeguarded pond swim in Colchester. Quiet family day under the hemlocks.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Eastbury Pond
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury's family pond beach — gentle sand, summer lifeguards, daily per-car fee.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleEichler's Cove Beach
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown's Lake Zoar town beach beside Eichler's Cove Marina. Weekly E.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Swim possibleFinn Beach
Voluntown, Connecticut
Voluntown town beach on Beach Pond inside Pachaug State Forest. Swim-at-your-own-risk; no lifeguards.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Swim possibleFreshwater Pond
Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield town pond off North Main. Fishing pier and walking loop — not a designated swim spot.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Gardner Lake State Park
Bozrah, Connecticut
Small DEEP sand beach on 528-acre Gardner Lake. Tiny lot — closes early on hot weekends.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleGay City State Park
Hebron, Connecticut
Pond swim beach inside Gay City State Park, Hebron. Ghost-town mill ruins on the trails.
Walk: longerTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4Godfrey Pond
Weston, Connecticut
Hike-in pond inside Devil's Den Preserve, Weston. No swimming — hike-and-watch only.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Granite Rock Passage in Westwoods
Guilford, Connecticut
Narrow granite rock corridor on Westwoods' Loop 10 in Guilford. A hike feature, not a real swim hole.
Walk: longerTrail: moderateParking: trailheadCrowd: 3Great Falls (Housatonic) at Falls Village
Canaan, Connecticut
Dam-controlled Housatonic cascade in Falls Village. Swimming prohibited — multiple drownings on record.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Great Hollow Lake
Monroe, Connecticut
Monroe's Wolfe Park lake — 700 ft of sand, town-resident-priority summer access.
Trail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Swim possibleHigganum Reservoir State Park
Higganum, Connecticut
Undeveloped CT DEEP reservoir park in Haddam. No designated swim — trail loop, car-top paddling, fishing.
Walk: longerTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Hop Brook Lake Recreation Area
Middlebury, Connecticut
US Army Corps recreation area in Middlebury. Swim beach was closed in 2024 for algae — always check before you drive.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 3Hopeville Pond State Park
Griswold, Connecticut
Lifeguarded pond beach in Griswold's Hopeville Pond State Park. Campground and Pachaug Trail access.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: confirmed / officialCrowd: 4