Griswold Point Preserve

Note: To protect the nesting birds at this site, Griswold Point Preserve is closed to the public through Labor Day weekend.

Why You Should Visit
At the mouth of the 410-mile Connecticut River, this wind-swept barrier beach affords a unique perspective on the river’s estuary and Long Island Sound.

Location
Old Lyme

Hours
Dawn to dusk

Size
25 acres, including upland areas.

Conditions
Breached by a winter storm in 1993, this mile long sandspit can only be completely explored at low tide. Visitors are asked to respect the signs and fences and keep their dogs leashed.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see our “Preserve Visitation Guidelines” page.

Directions
Summertime access is by boat only:

• Take Interstate 95 to Exit 70. 
• If northbound, turn right on Route 156 and go south for two miles. If southbound, turn left on Lyme Street and go 1.5 miles through Old Lyme, then turn left on Route 156 and continue for 0.3 mile. 
• Turn right on Smith's Neck Road and follow it to the state boat launch at the end of the road.

Griswold Point can be reached on foot between Labor Day and Memorial Day:

• Continue past Smith's Neck Road to Old Shore Road 1.5 miles on your right, immediately after you cross the bridge over the Black Hall River. 
• Follow Old Shore Road to White Sands Beach Road at the right less than a quarter mile from Route 156. 
• Drive all the way to the end of White Sands Beach Road and park. 
• Walk west (to your right) along the beach for about a half mile. You will see a sign welcoming you to Griswold Point.  Please stay on the beach to avoid walking on private property

What to See: Plants
Sea rocket among the driftwood on the upper beach, with purple flowers from July through September, thereafter developing a distinctive double-seed pod. By the dune’s edge, look for beach pea, which joins the beach grass in stabilizing the dunes.

What to See: Animals
Piping plovers and least terns nest here in the summer; a wide variety of wading birds and other waterfowl visible year round.  Their nesting areas are clearly marked during nesting season -- please do not enter them.  Nesting osprey visible in spring and summer on various platforms around Griswold Point and nearby Great Island.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
This important area was protected beginning in 1974 in a series of bargain sales involving four landowners, one of whom, Dr. Matthew Griswold of Old Lyme, donated his interest in the land to the Conservancy. In addition to being an exemplary barrier beach, Griswold Point is nesting habitat for the federally threatened piping plover and the least tern, which is threatened in Connecticut.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Conservancy staff and volunteers monitor the populations of least terns and piping plovers at this and two other beaches in Connecticut in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Protection.