Burying Hill Beach

Burying Hill Beach is a small Town of Westport beach — 2.39 acres of sand and rock on Long Island Sound at Burying Hill Road and Beachside Avenue, a few minutes from Sherwood Island State Park. It is open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cars need a Westport beach emblem or a daily fee: $25 on weekdays and $30 on weekends for Connecticut cars, $35 and $50 for out-of-state cars. Lifeguards are on duty 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in season.

What Is There

The town describes Burying Hill as a 2.39-acre park with a sand and rock beach, restroom and changing facilities, picnic tables and grills. It sits next to a wildlife area along the canal that borders the park, so herons and egrets are common sights. It is much smaller and quieter than Compo Beach, and much smaller than Sherwood Island.

Parking and Fees

Burying Hill is one of only two Westport beaches that sell a daily pass (Compo is the other). The daily fees, charged at the North Lot and including Connecticut sales tax:

• Weekdays: $25 for a Connecticut-registered car, $35 for an out-of-state car
• Weekends and holidays: $30 for a Connecticut car, $50 for an out-of-state car

Cars with a valid Westport Parks and Recreation beach parking emblem enter without the daily fee. Town emblems are required through Labor Day.

Compare: Sherwood Island, a few minutes away, charges nothing for a Connecticut car and $15 to $22 for an out-of-state car (Sherwood Island parking).

Hours and Season

• Open: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Lifeguards: Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except as posted. Swim between the buoys.
• Westport can close a beach when parking runs out or for public safety.

Rules

• No dogs April 1 to September 30, in or out of vehicles, on town property south of the entrance on Beachside Avenue (working animals hired by the town excepted).
• No kayaking or canoeing.
• No fishing in the swim area without Parks and Recreation permission.
• Westport's general beach rules apply: no glass, no alcohol, no smoking or vaping, no amplified music without a permit, and no tents without approval.

Burying Hill or Sherwood Island?

• Choose Burying Hill for a small, quiet beach with lifeguards and you don't mind the daily fee.
• Choose Sherwood Island for free parking with Connecticut plates, more than a mile of sand, a Nature Center, the salt marsh and the 9/11 memorial (plan your visit).

Both are on the same stretch of the Westport shore, so on a busy day you can try one and fall back to the other.

Related

Westport beaches compared · Compo Beach · Things to do in Westport

Planning a Visit

Burying Hill is small, so it fills on hot weekends. Arrive early, bring your own shade, and expect a rockier shoreline than Sherwood Island's sand; water shoes help. There is no concession listed by the town, so pack food — the picnic tables and grills are first come, first served, and Westport does not allow picnic tables to be reserved. Glass, alcohol, smoking and vaping are not allowed on town beaches.

If Burying Hill is full or you would rather not pay the daily fee, Sherwood Island State Park is a few minutes away and free for Connecticut cars, with over a mile of beach, bathhouses on both sides and a Nature Center. It is open 8 a.m. to sunset all year (hours).