Visit a State Park or Beach for Free this Holiday Weekend

Admission to state parks and beaches which are open for the Labor Day holiday weekend will be free according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

“At the direction of Governor Malloy we are waiving admission fees for the holiday weekend – starting Friday – and opening our gates to park visitors free of charge,” said DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty. 

“We know there are still many residents of our state waiting for the power to come back on and still working to recover from the storm.  But, we hope that as many people as possible will take advantage of the Governor’s offer and get outside to enjoy a relaxing day at one of our parks over the holiday," Esty said.

 Close to 50 state parks and several campgrounds have reopened Esty said.  

The free admission to state parks and beaches applies only through Labor Day and does not apply to state park campgrounds, where normal camping fees will be charged.  

State parks now open are:

• Hammonasset Beach 
• Peoples State Forest 
• Squantz Pond 
• Stratton Brook
• Fort Trumbull State Park 

Eight of the 23 state park beach swim areas are also open:. 

• Gay City 
• Burr Pond 
• Hammonasset Beach, 
• Lake Waramaug 
• Mt. Tom 
• Pattaconk 
• Squantz Pond 
• Stratton Brook

Rocky Neck State Park and the beach there is expected to open tomorrow at noon.  The campground will open at 1 p.m. The campground at Hammonasset will also open at that time.

Other campgrounds that are open include Devil’s Hopyard, Hopeville Pond, Kettletown and River Camping Sites at River Highlands, Gillette, Hurd, and Selden Neck Island State Parks.

Advance recommendations for camping this weekend are necessary for most locations. Reservation can be made online at www.reserveamerica.com