Collis P. Huntington State Park

1,000 acres of trails, ponds & wide-open woodland

📍 Redding, CT Free Entry

4.8 (528 Google)

📍 9 Dodgingtown Rd, Redding, CT

📞 (203) 938-2285

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Huntington State Park spans over 1,000 acres across Redding, Newtown, and Bethel with ten miles of wide, easy-to-navigate trails looping around five ponds and a scenic lagoon. The gentle gravel paths are perfect for grandparents and grandkids at any pace, with plenty of wildlife spotting along the way including deer, turtles, and migratory birds. Free to enter and open daily from dawn to dusk.

Grandparent-Friendly Details

Walk-in

Walk-ins welcome

Accessibility

Limited accessibility

Parking

Easy parking

Noise level

Quiet

Outdoor seating

Covered / shaded

Typical visit

~1.5 hours

Best age range

Ages 2–14

Fun Things to Do Here

Ideas to make the most of your visit to Collis P. Huntington State Park

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Find a feather, a bug, 3 different leaves, something smooth, something rough, and one thing nobody else spots.

Cloud Shapes

Lie on the grass and take turns naming what clouds look like. No wrong answers here.

Bird Count

Keep score of every different bird species you spot on the walk. Grandkids take this surprisingly seriously.

Stick Olympics

Find a stick and compete: longest throw, best skip across water, who can balance it longest on one finger.

Bench Race

Pick two routes to the same bench. Who gets there first? Let the grandkids pick their route.

Free printable: Park Scavenger Hunt

Download

Budget & Insider Tips

Grandparent Money Tips

• Most county parks are free to enter during the week — the parking fee is the main cost, and many lots don't have attendants before 9am.
• Pack a picnic. A park visit with a homemade lunch beats a restaurant every time for grandkids, and costs a fraction.
• Free ranger programs run most weekends at state parks — check the DEC or DEEP calendar before you go.

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