Park
Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve
3 locals recommend,
Location
8 Memorial Park Dr
East Lyme, CT
Niantic
Tips from locals
Perfect for hiking throughout the year, the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve is a beautiful wooded area overlooking the Niantic River. Flora and fauna abound in this preserve, including endangered and at-risk species. Ospreys and bald eagles can be seen soaring above the tree line, and deer and turkeys are common. Along the way, you will encounter signs of the town’s past: Clark’s Pond, a source for ice for the fishing boats that plied Long Island Sound, and the quarries that provided the beautiful Niantic Pink Granite to buildings throughout the country. In spring, the groves of mountain laurel are glorious. The Nature Preserve, purchased by a combination of federal, state, town, and private money, is open to the public free of charge. The property and its trail system are maintained by a partnership of the Friends of Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve and the East Lyme & Niantic Land Conservation Trust, Inc. The Preserve may be accessed from its main entrance, at Veterans’ Memorial Park, off Pennsylvania Avenue (Route 161), or from Damon Heights Road (also off Route 161). For additional information about the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve or the Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, please visit: www.oswhills.org.
Perfect for hiking throughout the year, the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve is a beautiful wooded area overlooking the Niantic River. Flora and fauna abound in this preserve, including endangered and at-risk species. Ospreys and bald eagles can be seen soaring above the tree line, and deer and tur…