the beach today
Connecticut Shoreline

Rocky Neck
State Park

Shoreline Days

A crescent of clean white sand on Niantic Bay in East Lyme, backed by a historic stone pavilion, a salt marsh and a campground. Calm Long Island Sound water, gentle swimming and some of the best shoreline crabbing in Connecticut.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Garages, lots & meters

Sunset

Sunset countdown & live cam

Dining

Where to eat after the sand

Things to Do

Cruises, sails & tours

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Rocky Neck Beach

Crescent white-sand beach on Niantic Bay

State park · lifeguards

Hole in the Wall Beach

Niantic town beach by the boardwalk

Residents · guests

McCook Point Park

Niantic bluff-top park and beach

Town park · views

Niantic Bay Boardwalk

1.1-mi shoreline boardwalk into town

Walk · train watching

Rocky Neck Campground

160+ wooded sites near the sand

Camping · reserve ahead

Hammonasset Beach

CT's biggest shoreline park, 30 min west

State park · boardwalk

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Niantic

5 min east

Main Street shops, the Book Barn and the bay boardwalk

Old Lyme

15 min west

Florence Griswold Museum and the American Impressionists

New London

15 min east

Ferry port, Ocean Beach Park and the waterfront

Mystic

30 min east

Mystic Seaport, the aquarium and the drawbridge

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Rocky Neck State Park. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Rocky Neck, the water is 59°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 61°F but feels like 56°F. Wind is 10 mph from the SW and the UV index peaks at 4 (moderate) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 193 minutes right now. Today’s tides: High 3:51 AM, Low 10:24 AM, High 4:23 PM, Low 11:06 PM. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.