Best great views in Connecticut

Overlooks, fire towers, and ridgetops with the best sightlines in the state, including plenty you can reach at sunset.

Great Views

Old Furnace State Park

Cliff-top overlook above Ross Pond in Killingly's quiet northeast corner. Short steep climb to a rocky ledge with a clean view over the…

Great Views · Stonington

Stonington Point

A narrow finger of land at the far southeastern corner of Connecticut, with water on three sides and views of Fishers Island Sound and…

Great Views · Madison

Meigs Point

The eastern tip of Hammonasset Beach, where a rocky point juts into the Sound with good birdwatching and dramatic rock formations exposed…

Great Views · New Haven

Lighthouse Point Park

A New Haven city park at the mouth of the harbor with a historic lighthouse, a working antique carousel, and a wide stone pier jutting into…

Great Views · Waterford

Harkness Memorial State Park

A quiet, elegant state park in Waterford on Long Island Sound, with the Eolia mansion, formal gardens, and a pebbly beach. Feels nothing…

Great Views · Clinton

Hammonasset Beach State Park

Connecticut's biggest and best state beach, stretching two miles in Madison. Wide sandy beach, warm water by late July, a campground, and…

Great Views · Simsbury

Penwood State Park

A ridge trail above the Farmington Valley in Bloomfield with multiple overlooks toward Hartford and the Connecticut River. The trail runs…

Great Views · Sharon

St. John's Ledges

Massive granite ledges above the Housatonic River in Kent, reached by a short but steep climb. The views down to the river and across to…

Great Views · Norfolk

Dennis Hill State Park

A pavilion sits at the 1627-foot summit of Dennis Hill in Norfolk with panoramic views of the Berkshires and Litchfield Hills. The trail up…

Great Views · North Stonington

Lantern Hill

A quartzite peak rising abruptly out of the coastal lowlands in North Stonington. The short but steep trail (about 30 minutes up) rewards…

Great Views · Salisbury

Caleb's Peak

Just down the ridge from Lion's Head in Salisbury, Caleb's Peak is a quieter alternative with excellent views east toward the Housatonic…

Great Views · Salisbury

Lion's Head Trail

In Salisbury near the MA border, this 4-mile round trip climbs through birch forests to a dramatic rocky summit at 1738 feet with open…

Great Views · Meriden

Castle Craig

A stone tower on the summit of East Peak in Meriden at 1002 feet. Drive or hike up through Hubbard Park, then climb the tower for a…

Great Views · Avon

Talcott Mountain State Park

The Heublein Tower sits at 1080 feet and has been a landmark since 1914. The hike up is 1.25 miles of steady climbing through the woods,…

Great Views · Canaan

Falls Village Falls

The Housatonic River drops 40 feet here at Falls Village — the largest waterfall by volume in Connecticut. The old hydroelectric station is…

Great Views · Berlin

Ragged Mountain

Volcanic traprock ridge with clifftop views and a popular rock climbing area below. The overlook faces west for spectacular sunsets. Trail…

Great Views · New Haven

West Rock Ridge State Park

Dramatic traprock ridgeline overlooking New Haven and Long Island Sound on clear days. The ridge stretches for miles with multiple…

Great Views · Simsbury

Heublein Tower

A 165-foot stone tower atop Talcott Mountain with sweeping views of the Farmington River Valley. The 1.7-mile hike up is well-marked.…

Great Views · Haddam

Gillette Castle

A medieval-style stone castle perched above the Connecticut River in East Haddam, built by actor William Gillette in 1919. The grounds…

Great Views · Meriden

West Peak — Hanging Hills

The highest traprock peak in CT and one of the most dramatic ridgeline views in southern New England. Part of Hubbard Park in Meriden. The…