Eisenhower Park - Hiking

Review

Intro

Eisenhower is arguably the best park in Milford, CT. It has tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a wheelchair-accessible playground, a dog run, a model airplane runway, and a community garden. It also contains hiking trails that provide views of woods, meadows, and a pond that waterfalls into a tiny stream. 

What Makes It Great

Once upon a time someone painted blazes on some of the trees, but the remaining markings are so faint and so infrequent you may not even notice them. It hardly seems to matter, though, as all roads circle back on each other. It's practically impossible to get lost here, yet you can still experience the wonder of not knowing exactly where you are. You can safely let the kids pick the route and lead the way.

Who is Going to Love It

Families will find this an easy first hiking experience for young children.  The trails are reasonably flat and wide, there are pretty things to look at, and you'll never be more than 20 minutes from the bathrooms/port-a-potties at the playground. Kids will especially love tracking the footprints of the horses that frequent the park (read: watch your step).

There seems to be an unwritten rule that you must be accompanied by at least one dog while walking on the trails; having a child with you is an acceptable alternative. A sign says dogs must be on leash on the trails, but pretty much everyone lets their dogs run free in the woods at Eisenhower. The stream is shallow, and dogs seem to love splashing in it.

Directions, Parking, & Regulations

There are two parking options here:

The main parking lot is by the playground on North Street just south of Kozlowski Road - look for the blinking yellow traffic light. There is an overflow lot down the driveway - it puts you a bit closer to the trails and pond.

For the dog run, use the parking lot on West River Street just north of Wolf Harbor Road. There's no signage, so keep an eye out for the chain link fence around the dog run, on the east side of the street.

Open til sunset.