Sherwood Island Beach

Sherwood Island State Park has more than a mile of sandy beach on Long Island Sound, split into East Beach and West Beach by Sherwood Point. Swimming is free for anyone who walks in; cars with Connecticut plates park free, and out-of-state cars pay $15 on weekdays or $22 on weekends and holidays. Each beach has its own bathhouse and parking lot, and free beach surf chairs are available first come, first served.

East Beach and West Beach

DEEP divides the park into three parts, and two of them are built around a beach.

• East Beach is on the east side, next to the Nature Center, the salt marsh and the model airplane field. It has a public bathhouse, restrooms, picnic tables and grills, and the East Beach picnic shelter that can be reserved in summer.
• West Beach is on the west side, next to the wooded picnic grove and the disc golf course. It has its own bathhouse and restrooms, with picnic tables and grills spread through the shade.
• Sherwood Point, between them, holds the 9/11 Living Memorial and the main pavilion with the snack bar. The pavilion is closed for the 2026 season.

DEEP's park map marks a swimming area off each beach, a stone jetty and a wood jetty, and separate East Beach and West Beach parking lots. Park in the lot for the beach you want: the walk between the two is long with a cooler and chairs.

Three Colours of Sand

Look closely at the waterline and you will see something DEEP points out on its own park page: three colours of sand. Red grains are garnet, white grains are quartz and black grains are magnetite. Because the grains have different weights and shapes, the waves sort them into separate lines along the beach. DEEP's geology notes add muscovite, the flaky mica that glints in the sun.

The beach is also known for shells. The waves leave a steady supply on the shore, which is great for collecting and hard on bare feet. DEEP recommends water shoes to protect your feet from sharp shells and rocks.

Swimming

The water off Sherwood Island is the western end of Long Island Sound, sheltered from open-ocean swell, so it is usually calm. Swim inside the marked swimming areas shown on DEEP's map. DEEP publishes beach regulations and swimming-safety rules for all state park beaches on its swimming page.

Before you go, check the water quality report. DEEP tests the water and updates the report weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and a beach can be closed to swimming after heavy rain. The tide chart helps too: at low tide the beach is wider and the shallows run further out.

Accessibility

DEEP lists accessible parking, restrooms, picnic tables and the 9/11 Memorial among the park's accessible features. Accessible beach surf chairs are free on a first-come, first-served basis; ask at the bathhouse or park office, (203) 226-6983.

What to Bring

• Beach chairs, an umbrella and shade for midday
• Water shoes for the shells and rocks
• Food: the main pavilion snack bar is closed for 2026, so pack lunch
• A kite: the open shore is one of the park's best-known kite spots
• No alcohol: Sherwood Island is on DEEP's list of parks with an alcohol ban

Getting There and Paying

The park entrance is at the end of the Sherwood Island Connector, off I-95 exit 18 in Westport. Fees, the season pass and how to pay are on the parking page; opening hours are on the hours page. Dogs are not allowed in the park from April 15 to September 30 (see dogs).

Westport's Other Beaches

Sherwood Island is the only state beach in Westport. The town runs Compo Beach and Burying Hill Beach, which in season need a Westport parking emblem or a daily fee at the gate, and Old Mill Beach, which in season is for Westport residents with a parking emblem only. See Westport beaches compared.