We spent a whole season at Dash Point State Park, giving us the ability to explore almost every inch of this sprawling bit of wild space. The park is one side day-use and, across the street, a campground. We already covered the day-use facilities, so this week we’ll talk about the campground and trail systems.
Dash Point State Park: Camping Side
The campground at Dash Point State Park is located south of the highway. This separation is fairly common for mixed-use campgrounds. It’s separated into 3 loops with a mix of full hookup RV slots, partial hookups, tent spots, and several cabins. There are two bathhouses and an amphitheater, though while we were working for the park, the amphitheater was being rebuilt. The camp sites are all on the smaller side with heavy tree cover. For a small family car camping close to home, this can be ok. The campground has a link to the trail system that gives a safe pedestrian corridor to the day-use side of the park.
Dash Point State Park: The Trail System
The majority of the land reserved for Dash Point State Park is dedicated to 5+ miles of trails. All the trails have whimsical names, though the signage for these trails can be hard to spot, if not totally missing. The main trails that people will travel are:
- Thames Creek Trail: This is the main trail between the beach and the campground. It roughly follows Thames Creek before climbing sharply to the campground. This trail, like all the others, is densely forested, a setting that makes it easy to forget you’re in the middle of a city. While it’s the main pedestrian path, it’s not ADA accessible, with stairs at points, and some deep sand at the intersection with Old Boundary Trail. From the beach, there is a section of boardwalk that is accessible, but it doesn’t go all the way to the campground.
- Old Boundary Trail: This is an offshoot of Thames Creek, climbing quickly into a series of up and down ridges. It can be tough, but a good workout. It eventually hooks up with the Outbound Trail, which links up with Thames Creek Trail and the campground.
- Picnic Point Trail: This is a very short, but very steep, trail from Picnic Point to the Beach. The trail drops (or rises) about 200 feet of elevation over its roughly 700-foot length.
Outer Trails
Mom, on occasion, walked what we called “the back 40” trails, and had many points to add.
- Lots of the trails have very colorful and creative names that park staff are trying to slowly change.
- The trails are generally well-kept by local volunteers who regularly trim overgrowth on the trail and pick up trash.
- All the trails have lots of ups and downs, which require some level of fitness, but there are benches you can rest on.
- Some of the trail signs have been decorated by local graffiti artists. One larger sign used to have information behind plexiglass, but that was broken.
- The rangers and maintenance staff are stretched thin, so the small bridges are not always in good repair.
- Locals often hike these trails. Many trails lead into the surrounding neighborhoods.
- One trail even leads to a local park and playground. This is the only playground equipment accessible at Dash Point State Park.
One other note on the trail system: Since this park is literally in the middle of a city, several homeowners have cut desire paths linking their back yards to the trail system. The trails themselves are fairly clear, but if you’re hiking and see a rough spur, it’s very likely not official. While hiking the “back 40,” we’d recommend using a smartphone with GPS, as most of the trails are visible on Google Maps, which can help keep you on track.
Whether you’re taking a day trip to the beach, want to escape the city for some tree therapy, or want to do some light camping, Dash Point State Park has a little bit for everyone!