East Rock Park, 427 acres of naturalistic landscaping shared by New Haven and the town of Hamden, surrounds the mountainous ridge named East Rock. The entire 427-acre (173 ha) park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was developed with naturalistic landscaping. This is a popular outdoor recreation destination for residents and visitors of the greater New Haven region.
From the clifftops, your view spans metropolitan New Haven, Long Island Sound, and Long Island. The park is open year-round to hikers and walkers; the automobile road is open April 15 to November 1, 8 a.m. to sunset, and November 1 to March 31 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 8 a.m.
to 4 p.m., weather permitting. You can hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, picnic, bicycle on roads and city-designated mountain bike trails only, boat on the Mill River, watch birds, and walk dogs. Rock climbing, swimming, and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
A number of hiking trails traverse the ridge, most notably the Giant Steps Trail which ascends to the summit at a near-vertical section. Notice the clifftop views reaching across New Haven, Long Island Sound, and Long Island from up here.