In addition to a beautiful picnic area, beaches, shelters, and even a model airplane runway, Sherwood Island State Park is home to some interesting Connecticut State geology. Although there is a lack of actual rock outcrops, coastal geology is an important aspect of the park's distinctiveness.

Rock Types Found on Main Trail: 

Igneous (Basalt), Metamorphic (Schist, Gneiss)

Rock Units: 

Unknown (Artificial Fill), Surficial Deposits

Minerals of Interest: 

Muscovite, Biotite, Feldspar, Quartz

Interesting Geologic Features: 

Drumlin, Jetties, Garnet, and Muscovite Sand

9/11 LIVING MEMORIAL

Sherwood Island State Park is home to Connecticut's official memorial honoring to the victims of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

The park was selected for the memorial because on a clear day, visitors can see the New York City skyline from the shoreline including, prior to September 11, 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center. On that day, and for several days following, the smoke from the former World Trade Center was visible from this location, and many gathered here to pay their respects and mourn the innocent lives lost. Although never activated, the Governor’s office and the Office of Emergency Management designated the park as a staging area to lend support to New York City after the tragedy.

We Remember - Memorial Names

THE MEMORIAL 

The memorial is located on a peninsula within the park and features a nine foot-long granite memorial stone, set into a grassy area and oriented so that visitors face towards the Manhattan skyline as they read the inscription. The inscription reads, "The citizens of Connecticut dedicate this living memorial to the thousands of innocent lives lost on September 11, 2001 and to the families who loved them." The memorial was dedicated in September 2002, during which the names of the 161 Connecticut residents and close family members of residents who lost their lives that day were read aloud. One hundred fifty-three individual memorial names, flanking the main memorial stone, were installed and dedicated during ceremonies in September 2003.

Bio-plaques and a sculpture incorporating artifacts from the World Trade Center, both designed by Connecticut, were installed in the park’s main pavilion and dedicated during ceremonies commemorating the tenth anniversary in September 2011.

DONATIONS

Donations for on-going upkeep of the memorial may be made by check to, "Department of Energy and Environmental Protection". Write "9/11 Memorial Donation" in the memo line on the check or in the transmittal letter and mail to:

DEEP-State Parks & Public Outreach, 9/11 Memorial Donation
79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Parking fees to the public are waived each year on September 11 until 2025.
• Connecticut’s 9/11 immediate family members have been given lifetime parking passes. If you are an immediate family member of a Connecticut victim and would like to request a new or replacement parking pass, please call DEEP-State Parks at (860) 424-3200 or email us at DEEP.stateparks@ct.gov.

ART TRAIL SITE

Did you ever wonder what the Connecticut landscape looked like a century ago? Check out “Viewpoints”, a joint project of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Connecticut Art Trail, and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Outdoor exhibits reproduce works of art painted in the 19th Century, with information about the artist and the location. Visit the Connecticut Art Trail Website for a preview and look for the Viewpoint exhibits on your next visit to Sherwood Island and other host sites.
 

NATURE CENTER (Seasonal)

Learn more about Sherwood Island’s diverse ecosystem, including the hundreds of species of amphibians, mammals, birds, fish, mollusks, and insects that inhabit the park. Along with a wide variety of displays and exhibits, the Nature Center offers curious naturalists an opportunity to encounter live animals, ask questions, participate in engaging activities, go on nature walks, and learn about the area’s environment and history.

To visit the Nature Center: The Center is located between East Beach and the salt marsh nature trail.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Open seasonally, Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Friends of Sherwood Island | Nature Center
• Watch “A Visit to the Purple Martins Colony” 
• eBird Species Inventory
   

FIELD SPORTS 

Sherwood Island has not one, but two, disc golf courses. One is an 18-hole course that weaves through most of the park’s west side. The second course, on the east side near the Nature Center, has only a few holes and is designed for beginners.

But first, what is disc golf? Disc golf is a variant of golf…but with frisbees. In fact, you can leave the golf clubs at home. Instead of teeing off and trying to sink your ball, you throw a special type of frisbee — or flying disc — towards a target. Like in regular golf, the goal is to reach the target in as few attempts as possible, just tosses instead of strokes.

Though official disc golf equipment exists, a classic frisbee — the kind invented in Connecticut — works well, too. Disc golf not your thing? Hit the volleyball courts for a game or head to the runway and see if you can get your model airplane to fly.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• First-come, first-served — no reservations necessary. 
• If the park is too crowded, typically in summer months, portions of the 18-hole course may be unplayable.
• Disc golf course map

Grab a leisurely lunch from the park’s snack shack, relax in the shade of the picnic grove, bask in the sunshine, and soak in the sea air at one of the park’s many prime picnic spots. Need a break from the sunshine? Snag a spot in the shade at one of the pavilions. 

Set up your beach chair and an umbrella for a day of sun and surf. Sherwood Island’s beaches are iconic not just because they stretch over one mile along the Long Island Sound. If you stick your toes in the sand, you might notice three distinct colors of sand: red (garnet), white (quartz), and black (magnetite). Because the granules have different densities and shapes, the waves naturally sort each color sand into separate lines. Layered onto that beauty are a non-stop bounty of seashells the waves regularly deposit on the shore.

Accessible Swimming/Beach Surf Chairs: Available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Current Water Quality Report (updated weekly, Memorial Day – Labor Day)
• Beach Regulations and Swimming Safety Information 
• We recommend wearing water shoes to protect your feet from the sharp shells and rocks found on the beach.