State Parks Near Meriden, Connecticut
140 state park units lie within 50 miles of Meriden. The closest is Lamentation Mountain State Park, about 5 mi northeast of town. 53 parks are within 25 miles, close enough for an evening visit.
- Closest park
- Lamentation Mountain State Park5 mi northeast
- Within 25 miles
- 53of 140 within 50 mi
- With camping
- 123 with cabins
- Dog-friendly
- 08 with free entry
State parks near Meriden, nearest first
Straight-line distance from central Meriden; driving distance is usually longer. Showing the nearest 60 of 140.
Lamentation Mountain State Park
The park supports hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Lamentation Mountain State Park →Wadsworth Falls State Park
Visitors come for horseback riding, historic sites, swimming, biking, and fishing. The official site lists about 4.5 miles of trails.
Hours, fees and rules for Wadsworth Falls State Park →Tri-Mountain State Park
Popular activities here are hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Tri-Mountain State Park →Wharton Brook State Park
Things to do include swimming, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Wharton Brook State Park →Quinnipiac River State Park
Quinnipiac River State Park is a park in South Central Connecticut Planning Region County, about 8 miles south of Meriden.
Hours, fees and rules for Quinnipiac River State Park →Sleeping Giant State Park
Things to do include horseback riding, historic sites, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. Its trail network totals roughly 40 miles, according to the park. Camping is available: campsites, including tent sites.
Hours, fees and rules for Sleeping Giant State Park →Millers Pond State Park
Visitors come for hunting in season, biking, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Millers Pond State Park →River Highlands State Park
Popular activities here are fishing and hiking. Camping is available: campsites, including tent sites.
Hours, fees and rules for River Highlands State Park →Dinosaur State Park
Popular activities here are historic sites, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Dinosaur State Park →Dart Island State Park
Popular activities here are boating, wildlife watching, and fishing.
Hours, fees and rules for Dart Island State Park →Higganum Reservoir State Park
The park supports hunting in season, boating, fishing, and hiking. On the water side, there is a boat ramp.
Hours, fees and rules for Higganum Reservoir State Park →Naugatuck State Forest
The park supports hunting in season, boating, biking, fishing, and hiking. For overnight stays there are campsites (tent sites).
Hours, fees and rules for Naugatuck State Forest →Hurd State Park
Things to do include horseback riding, historic sites, biking, fishing, and hiking. Overnight options include campsites, with tent sites.
Hours, fees and rules for Hurd State Park →Whittemore Glen State Park
Things to do include horseback riding and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Whittemore Glen State Park →Cockaponset State Forest
Things to do include horseback riding, hunting in season, boating, swimming, and biking. Its trail network totals roughly 100 miles, according to the park. Overnight options include campsites, with tent sites.
Hours, fees and rules for Cockaponset State Forest →Haddam Meadows State Park
Visitors come for boating, fishing, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Haddam Meadows State Park →Haddam Island State Park
Popular activities here are boating, fishing, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Haddam Island State Park →C.P. Huntington State Park
Popular activities here are historic sites, hunting in season, boating, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for C.P. Huntington State Park →West Rock Ridge State Park
Popular activities here are historic sites, boating, biking, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for West Rock Ridge State Park →Chatfield Hollow State Park
Visitors come for historic sites, swimming, biking, fishing, and hiking. The official site lists about 18 miles of trails.
Hours, fees and rules for Chatfield Hollow State Park →Farmington Canal Greenway State Park
Visitors come for historic sites and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Farmington Canal Greenway State Park →Machimoodus State Park
Things to do include horseback riding, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Machimoodus State Park →Sunrise State Park
Things to do include horseback riding, boating, biking, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Sunrise State Park →Mattatuck State Forest
Things to do include hunting in season and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Mattatuck State Forest →Larkin State Park Trail
The park supports horseback riding, biking, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Larkin State Park Trail →Brainard Homestead State Park
Visitors come for hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Brainard Homestead State Park →Eagle Landing State Park
The park supports boating and fishing.
Hours, fees and rules for Eagle Landing State Park →Black Rock State Park
Popular activities here are swimming, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. Overnight options include 30 campsites, with RV sites and tent sites. Roofed lodging includes cabins.
Hours, fees and rules for Black Rock State Park →Horse Guard State Park
Covering about 105 acres, Horse Guard State Park lies in Capitol Planning Region County, about 9 miles northeast of Bristol.
Hours, fees and rules for Horse Guard State Park →Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve
Visitors come for hiking and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve →Farm River State Park
Popular activities here are boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Farm River State Park →Day Pond State Park
Visitors come for historic sites, swimming, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Day Pond State Park →Humaston Brook State Park
Things to do include fishing and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Humaston Brook State Park →Southford Falls State Park
Things to do include fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Southford Falls State Park →Salmon River State Forest
Visitors come for hunting in season, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Salmon River State Forest →Gillette Castle State Park
Popular activities here are historic sites, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. Overnight options include campsites, with tent sites.
Hours, fees and rules for Gillette Castle State Park →Windsor Meadows State Park
Popular activities here are boating, biking, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Windsor Meadows State Park →Talcott Mountain State Park
Things to do include historic sites, biking, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Talcott Mountain State Park →Osbornedale State Park
Visitors come for historic sites, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Osbornedale State Park →Penwood State Park
The park supports biking, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Penwood State Park →Indian Well State Park
The park supports snorkeling and diving, historic sites, boating, swimming, and biking.
Hours, fees and rules for Indian Well State Park →Selden Neck State Park
Popular activities here are historic sites, hunting in season, boating, fishing, and hiking. For overnight stays there are campsites (tent sites).
Hours, fees and rules for Selden Neck State Park →Gay City State Park
Things to do include historic sites, swimming, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. For overnight stays there are campsites (tent sites).
Hours, fees and rules for Gay City State Park →Hammonasset Beach State Park
The park supports historic sites, boating, swimming, biking, and fishing. For overnight stays there are 558 campsites (RV sites with water hookups and tent sites). There are also cabins for rent.
Hours, fees and rules for Hammonasset Beach State Park →Massacoe State Forest
Popular activities here are biking, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Massacoe State Forest →Kettletown State Park
Popular activities here are boating, fishing, and hiking. For overnight stays there are 55 campsites (RV sites and tent sites). There are also cabins for rent.
Hours, fees and rules for Kettletown State Park →Stratton Brook State Park
Things to do include swimming, biking, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Stratton Brook State Park →Air Line State Park Trail
Visitors come for horseback riding, biking, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Air Line State Park Trail →Topsmead State Forest
The park supports historic sites, hunting in season, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Topsmead State Forest →Satan’s Kingdom State Park
The park supports boating, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Satan’s Kingdom State Park →Devil's Hopyard State Park
Things to do include historic sites, biking, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. Camping is available: campsites, including tent sites.
Hours, fees and rules for Devil's Hopyard State Park →Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park
The park supports historic sites.
Hours, fees and rules for Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park →Bolton Notch State Park
Things to do include boating and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Bolton Notch State Park →Hop River State Park Trail
Things to do include hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Hop River State Park Trail →George Waldo State Park
Things to do include horseback riding, mountain biking, hunting in season, boating, and fishing.
Hours, fees and rules for George Waldo State Park →Rocky Glen State Park
Popular activities here are hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Rocky Glen State Park →Sunnybrook State Park
Visitors come for hunting in season, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.
Hours, fees and rules for Sunnybrook State Park →Mono Pond State Park
Popular activities here are hunting in season, boating, fishing, and hiking.
Hours, fees and rules for Mono Pond State Park →Silver Sands State Park
Popular activities here are snorkeling and diving, horseback riding, historic sites, boating, and swimming.
Hours, fees and rules for Silver Sands State Park →Mount Tom State Park
Visitors come for snorkeling and diving, historic sites, boating, swimming, and fishing.
Hours, fees and rules for Mount Tom State Park →
Best picks by activity
Camping near Meriden
- Sleeping Giant State Park 9 mi southwest · Campground listed
- River Highlands State Park 10 mi northeast · Campground listed
- Naugatuck State Forest 13 mi southwest · Campground listed
- Hurd State Park 13 mi east · Campground listed
- Cockaponset State Forest 15 mi east · Campground listed
+ 7 more in the list above
Cabins and lodging near Meriden
- Black Rock State Park 18 mi northwest · Cabins or other roofed stays
- Hammonasset Beach State Park 22 mi southeast · Cabins or other roofed stays
- Kettletown State Park 23 mi west · Cabins or other roofed stays
Swimming near Meriden
- Wadsworth Falls State Park 6 mi east · Beach, pool or swim area
- Wharton Brook State Park 8 mi south · Beach, pool or swim area
- Cockaponset State Forest 15 mi east · Beach, pool or swim area
- Chatfield Hollow State Park 16 mi southeast · Beach, pool or swim area
- Black Rock State Park 18 mi northwest · Beach, pool or swim area
+ 7 more in the list above
Hiking near Meriden
- Lamentation Mountain State Park 5 mi northeast · Hiking trails listed
- Wadsworth Falls State Park 6 mi east · Hiking trails listed
- Tri-Mountain State Park 7 mi southeast · Hiking trails listed
- Wharton Brook State Park 8 mi south · Hiking trails listed
- Sleeping Giant State Park 9 mi southwest · Hiking trails listed
+ 48 more in the list above
Fishing near Meriden
- Wadsworth Falls State Park 6 mi east · Fishing listed
- Wharton Brook State Park 8 mi south · Fishing listed
- Sleeping Giant State Park 9 mi southwest · Fishing listed
- Millers Pond State Park 9 mi southeast · Fishing listed
- River Highlands State Park 10 mi northeast · Fishing listed
+ 36 more in the list above
Free state parks near Meriden
- Dart Island State Park 12 mi east · No entrance fee listed
- Higganum Reservoir State Park 13 mi east · No entrance fee listed
- Whittemore Glen State Park 14 mi west · No entrance fee listed
- Horse Guard State Park 19 mi north · No entrance fee listed
- Humaston Brook State Park 20 mi northwest · No entrance fee listed
+ 3 more in the list above
Questions about state parks near Meriden
What is the closest state park to Meriden?
Lamentation Mountain State Park is the closest, about 5 miles northeast of Meriden in a straight line. Next are Wadsworth Falls State Park and Tri-Mountain State Park.
How many state parks are near Meriden?
140 state park units are within 50 miles, and 53 within 25 miles. That includes parks, recreation areas, historic sites and natural areas run by the state.
Which state parks near Meriden have camping?
12 parks list camping, the nearest being Sleeping Giant State Park, River Highlands State Park and Naugatuck State Forest. Check each park page for site types, hookups and how to reserve.
Are dogs allowed at state parks near Meriden?
None of the parks listed here say dogs are allowed. Check each park page before bringing a pet.
Are there free state parks near Meriden?
8 parks list no entrance fee: Dart Island State Park, Higganum Reservoir State Park and Whittemore Glen State Park. Camping and some activities can still cost extra.
State parks near other cities
- Near Middletown, CT7 mi east
- Near Bristol, CT13 mi northwest
- Near Waterbury, CT13 mi west
- Near Naugatuck, CT14 mi west
- Near Hartford, CT17 mi north
- Near New Haven, CT17 mi southwest
- Near Shelton, CT24 mi southwest
- Near Torrington, CT27 mi northwest
Or see all Connecticut state parks or every city we cover.
Built from official park data and updated as parks change; this list was last rebuilt Oct 30, 2026. Features shown are those the official source lists. Filter these parks on the map.