Marcus Brown

With 110 state parks and 32 state forests, the summer recreation and tourism season offers state residents and visitors numerous outdoor options to enjoy.

Explore the fun by visiting Connecticut’s official state parks website at CTparks.com as well as the state tourism website at CTvisit.com.

Shoreline beaches and inland state parks with swimming areas are staffed with lifeguards, and Connecticut campgrounds are fully open for the season. Through the Passport to Parks program, drivers with Connecticut-registered vehicles do not have to pay a fee to park at any state park and forest.

State parks are overseen by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). DEEP state parks website (CTparks.com) helps visitors discover and access all 110 state parks, 32 state forests, 14 campgrounds and 23 designated swimming areas.

There are thousands of miles of trails and hundreds of thousands of acres to enjoy with hiking, camping, swimming, boating, fishing and picnicking. The website can also help with finding nearby restaurants, shops, hotels and other attractions.

Reservations for campgrounds can be made online through Reserve America at connecticutstateparks.reserveamerica.com or by calling 1-877-668-CAMP (2267).

In addition, Connecticut is once again expanding access to state parks and beaches through the ParkConneCT program. Through Labor Day, DEEP and the Connecticut Department of Transportation are partnering to provide public rail and bus service to helps residents and out-of-state visitors get to Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, and Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden.

State parks are one of Connecticut's largest tourism attractions with outdoor recreation contributing $4.6 billion annually to the state’s economy.