Sleeping Giant State Park

The Park Itself
The Sleeping Giant Park, a gift to the people of Connecticut, is operated and maintained by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. It is located largely in the town of Hamden, on Mt. Carmel Avenue which runs between Hartford Turnpike in North Haven and Whitney Avenue (Route 10) in Hamden. From I-91 take exit 10 which is Route 40 which will drop you off on Whitney Avenue. The park is just a few miles north on Rt. 10.

Tables, fireplaces, water, restrooms and a shelter for rainy day comfort are available for picknicking.

A trail system has been developed by The Sleeping Giant Park Association furnishing many interesting hikes of various lengths and difficulty. Maps are available at the park. No motor vehicles are allowed on any of these trails.

A Nature Trail leads through a beautiful woodland of mixed trees, plants and bushes native to our area. Identifying tags help all to become better acquainted with the natural growth. There is an easily traveled improved trail that leads to a tower on the Giant's left hip. The tower offers panaromic views to the south. You may obtain a free guide book at the bulletin board in the Picnic Area.

You are welcome to enjoy the beauty and recreational priviliges of the Sleeping Giant. It is the duty of all to protect the area against fire and litter. Dogs must be on leashes at all times while in the Park. Cutting or marking trees, picking or gathering shrubs or flowers would , of course, detract from the old mountain's natural beauty and is therefore prohibited. No fires are allowed anywhere inthe Park except in the picnic and camping areas.

The Legend of the Sleeping Giant
From the New Haven Harbor the outstanding landmark on the skyline to the north is the silhouette of the Sleeping Giant lying on his back, feet to the East, head to the West and his prominent rocky chin thrust upward to the sky.

One wonders if he opened a questioning eye when Theophilus Eaton in 1638, for eleven bolts of cloth and a coat, purchased 130 square miles (including the Gian) from chief Montowese of the Mattabeseck Tribe.

One Indian legend tells how a spell of eternal sleep was cast on the spirit Hobbamock because he had diverted the waters of the Connecticut River. Another recounts how an ancient chief ate so many oysters he was overcome with drowsiness, from which he never recovered. Interwoven with the legends was evidence that the Giant of old was honored by the Indians as the abode of the spirits of their race.

Whichever story you subscribe to, the slumbering old man has a very definite living personality, which those who scramble over him or picnic in the shadow of his protective bulk, soon come to love.

Here you will find distant views from rocky crags, remote quiet woods, pleasant pine groves, and mountain streams with tumbling waterfalls ... many sports both restful and challenging. Explore the Sleeping Giant to discover for yourself what a wondreful old fellow he really is.