Silver Sands State Park features a long accessible boardwalk across tidal wetlands and along a narrow sand beach. The park offers many opportunities for wildlife viewing along with ocean views.
It also connects to Walnut Beach, owned and managed by the city of Milford.
The State Park acquisition of Silver Sands, ultimately involving over 300 parcels, began after Hurricane "Diane" destroyed 75 homes in 1955. The City of Milford, needing help to renovate the battered beach, asked the Park Commission for help with the nearly overwhelming task. When the land transfers were complete in 1960, Silver Sands became the state's fourth shoreline park.
Early vision of the park was to create both extensive buildings and infrastructure and an inviting shorefront and also to reclaim the inland acreage from its prior use as a municipal landfill. The present master plan seeks to return the site to its historic coastal past including ecologically healthy interior tidal wetlands separated from Long Island Sound by sand dunes, and to only build limited structures needed to support the park's visitors.
2011 saw the ribbon cutting for the cross-park boardwalk which merges seamlessly with the City's Walnut Beach boardwalk to provide a unique and extensive coastal access experience.
Current information on swimming water quality.
This park is managed by the following CT DEEP Park Headquarters:
Take Exit 35. Follow Schoolhouse Road south to Route 1 (Bridgeport Avenue). Turn left onto Route 1 then right at first light (Silver Sands Park Way). Follow Park Way across Meadowside Road and continue down hill to main parking lot.
Take I-95 to exit 35. Follow Schoolhouse Road south to Route 1 (Bridgeport Avenue). Turn left onto Route 1 then right at first light (Silver Sands Park Way). Follow Park Way and turn left at next light (Meadowside Road). Follow Meadowside 0.7 mile and turn right at Robert Treat Parkway which then becomes Surf Avenue. Follow Surf Avenue to end at East Broadway and turn right. After hours fishing parking lot is at the end of East Broadway.
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