Sandy beach
Yes
Hike-in Required
No
Surfing
No
Snorkeling / SCUBA
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

A mere 50 miles from Manhattan is Burying Hill Beach, a surprisingly beautiful 2.4-acre park in the seaside town of Westport Connecticut, an affluent New England suburb in southern Connecticut.  

What makes Connecticut’s coastline unique is the Long Island sound, a tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the south shore of Long Island and the coast of Connecticut.  The water is brackish, which means it contains a mixture of salt and fresh water. While the water is considerably more salty than a fresh water lake, the current can be just as still. Once you get 10 to 15 feet past the coastline during high tide, the water gets deep and the rocks disappear.

Sunsets are remarkable from the Connecticut shores.  The calm, reflective water acts a mirror for the colorful and complex northeastern skies, at times making it easy to forget that you’re in Connecticut.

Considering that it can sometimes take up to 2 hours to get to Rockaway Beach from Manhattan on a busy weekend, Connecticut is a great alternative to the more popular sandy destinations close to the city and for residents of the greater Connecticut area. From New York, take Metro North from Grand Central in Manhattan and walk 5 minutes from the Greens Farms stop in Westport to avoid paying day use fees.

Logistics + Planning

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

General Day Use Fee

Pros

Amazing sunsets. Few people. Wildlife.

Cons

Fees. No dogs. Rocky sand.

Features

Picnic tables
Tide pools
Wildlife
Bird watching
Tide pools

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

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