Sleeping Giant State Park
A ridge shaped like a giant lying on his back, with a classic trail to a stone tower at the summit, views of Long Island Sound and popular fall foliage.
Sleeping Giant is in Hamden, about 15 km north of New Haven. A chain of basalt hills looks from afar like a giant lying on his back. Legend says the Indigenous spirit Hobbomock was condemned to sleep here forever. The park has about 50 km of trails. The most popular is the Tower Trail, a wide, gentle dirt path about 2.5 km long that leads to the stone observation tower built in the 1930s on the giant’s left hip, with views over New Haven and Long Island Sound. The park is next to Quinnipiac University, and parking lots fill up on weekends.
Opening hours
08:00 to sunset
Nearby sights
- East Rock Park
- Yale Peabody Museum
- Modern Apizza
- West Rock Ridge State Park & Judges Cave
- Grove Street Cemetery
- Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
- Sterling Memorial Library
- Yale University Old Campus & Harkness Tower