Rocky Neck State Park —
Your Complete Guide
710 acres on Long Island Sound with a half-mile sand beach, a shoreline campground, salt-marsh trails and free parking for Connecticut cars.
What is Rocky Neck State Park?
Rocky Neck State Park is a 710-acre Connecticut state park on Long Island Sound in East Lyme (Niantic), with a half-mile stone-free sand beach, a 160-site campground, a five-mile trail network and a salt marsh. Parking is free for cars with Connecticut plates; out-of-state cars pay $15 on weekdays and $22 on weekends and holidays. The park is open every day from 8 a.m. to sunset.
Despite the name, the beach is soft white sand. DEEP describes it as a gently sloping crescent where Long Island and Fishers Island break the open-ocean swell, so the water is usually calm. Swimming is allowed at West Beach only; East Beach, past the jetty, is not a swimming area (beach guide). The Amtrak line runs along the back of the beach, and trains crossing the 1851 rail bridge are part of a day here.
The park sits between two waters: the Four Mile River, a tidal river on the west side, and Bride Brook, a salt-marsh creek on the east side where alewives run every spring. Conservationists secured the land in 1931, and the Works Progress Administration built the cobblestone Ellie Mitchell Pavilion on the bluff above the beach between 1934 and 1937 (history).
Rocky Neck State Park at a Glance
What to Do at Rocky Neck State Park
DEEP lists biking, camping, fishing, geology, hiking, history, multi-use trails, nature, picnicking, swimming and winter use.
Beach & Swimming
A half-mile crescent of stone-free white sand. Swim at West Beach only; free beach wheelchairs are first come, first served.
Beach Guide →Camping
160 wooded and open sites in five loops plus 3 rustic cabins. $20 resident / $30 non-resident per night. No pets, no hookups.
Campground Guide →Hiking
A five-mile network of multi-use paths, bridges and boardwalks. The 2.5-mile Rocky Neck Loop reaches Tony's Nose and Baker's Cave.
Trails →Fishing & Crabbing
Blackfish, flounder, bluefish and striped bass off the jetty all year, plus crabbing in designated spots.
Fishing Guide →Bride Brook
The salt-marsh creek where schools of alewives swim in on high spring tides to spawn, with marsh viewing platforms.
Alewife Run →The Pavilion
A WPA-built cobblestone pavilion on the National Register, rented for weddings and events of up to 300 guests.
Pavilion History & Rentals →Trails at Rocky Neck
Distances from DEEP. All trails are non-motorized multi-use.
DEEP's featured loop: coastal thicket, salt marsh and meadow, with Tony's Nose, Baker's Cave and views of the Sound.
Colour-coded paths, bridges and boardwalks open to walkers, runners, cyclists, birders, snowshoers and skiers.
How to Get to Rocky Neck State Park
One main entrance off Route 156 (West Main Street), with beach lots by the pavilion.
Entrance
244 W Main Street, Niantic, CT 06357. Parking and fees.
Campground
Separate campground road from the entrance circle. Campground office (860) 739-1339. Camping.
Park Office
DEEP main line (860) 739-5471. Contacts.
Niantic, Next Door
About two and a half miles east (DEEP puts Hole-in-the-Wall Beach 2.4 miles away), the village of Niantic has the town's own beaches and the Niantic Bay Boardwalk, a free waterfront walk that runs from Cini Memorial Park to Hole-in-the-Wall Beach. The town beaches need a Town of East Lyme pass from Memorial Day to Labor Day; Rocky Neck does not (East Lyme beaches compared, things to do in Niantic).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rocky Neck State Park free?
Yes for Connecticut cars: DEEP charges no parking fee for vehicles with Connecticut plates. Out-of-state vehicles pay $15 on weekdays, $22 on weekends and holidays, or $7 after 4 p.m., and a season pass is $112.
Where is Rocky Neck State Park?
244 W Main Street, Niantic, CT 06357, in the town of East Lyme on Long Island Sound, between the Four Mile River to the west and the Bride Brook salt marsh to the east.
Can you swim at Rocky Neck State Park?
Yes, at West Beach only. DEEP's map marks East Beach, past the jetty, as no swimming. DEEP posts the water-quality results weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Is the beach at Rocky Neck rocky?
No. DEEP calls it a half-mile crescent of soft, white sand that is stone-free. The rocks are on the headlands and the jetty, which is where people fish and climb.
Are dogs allowed at Rocky Neck State Park?
Partly. Leashed dogs are allowed in the picnic area and on the hiking trails north of the train tracks. From May 1 to October 1, pets are not allowed on the beach, the boardwalk or in the campground south of the tracks, and the campground bans pets all season.
Can you camp at Rocky Neck State Park?
Yes. The campground has 160 sites in five loops and 3 rustic cabins, open from mid-May to late September. Sites are $20 resident / $30 non-resident per night plus a processing fee, booked through ReserveAmerica.
What are the hours at Rocky Neck State Park?
DEEP lists the park as open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset.