Wadsworth Falls State Park (designated swim pond)
This park’s actual designated, lifeguard-staffed swimming area is a pond separate from its namesake waterfalls (Big Falls and Little Falls)
Connecticut
Burr Pond State Park
A developed, sandy swim beach on a scenic pond, with a separate dedicated boat launch to keep boating and swimming
Lake Waramaug State Park
A scenic, historically named lake (after a Wyantenock tribal chief) offering swimming alongside camping, a 7-mile shoreline path for walking
Mount Tom State Park
A spring-fed lake with a sandy beach, paired with a hike up to a scenic stone lookout tower — a
Chatfield Hollow State Park
A relaxing brook-side swimming spot paired with trails to rocky ledges and caves with local Indigenous history and lore, giving
Gardner Lake State Park
A lake straddling the borders of Bozrah, Montville, and Salem, with the state park’s public access concentrated on the south
Mashamoquet Brook State Park (“Wolf’s Den”)
Named for good fishing in the local Indigenous language, this park pairs brook swimming with a genuinely notable piece of
Day Pond State Park
A quieter eastern Connecticut pond offering a simpler, less-crowded swim option compared to the more heavily trafficked Litchfield Hills waterfalls.
Indian Well State Park (Housatonic River)
A supervised Housatonic River swim beach in Shelton, with lifeguards on duty in season — one of the more reassuringly
Bulls Bridge (Housatonic River)
A historic 1842 covered bridge over a scenic but genuinely fast stretch of the Housatonic River — worth noting the