Where Will You Be Kicking Off The Unofficial Start Of Summer? Here Are Some Ideas ...

When you live in Madison, the choice of where to go to celebrate Memorial Day weekend can be tough. ? ? ? Your neighborhood beach? ? A hike in Preserve? Or perhaps Chatfield Hollow State Park in nearby Killingworth? Or you could hike one of the many trails owned and maintained by the Madison Land Conservation Trust.

Below we are providing you with a list of all 23 state park beaches, along with a list of the Madison Land Conservation Trust trails. We also have uploaded several brochures about Rockland Preserve in North Madison, including a trail guide and a guide to wildflowers there.

So, take your pick. Then let us know which one you like best in the comments. We'd love to have your photos too. Videos? Even better. Just upload them right to the story.

Wherever you go, remember to come Monday morning to the Memorial Day Parade and for the ceremonies afterwards to honor our vets. It'd be great to see crowds of people stay after the parade to attend the ceremonies, listen to the speeches and honor the people who have sacrified for our country.

All 23 state park beaches where water quality tests are conducted are open for Memorial Day weekend, according to a press release from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Four shoreline parks and 19 inland lakes and ponds are included in the list.

Shoreline

• Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison
• Rocky Neck State Park, Niantic
• Sherwood Island State Park, Westport
• Silver Sands State Park, Milford

Lakes and Ponds

• Black Rock State Park, Watertown
• Burr Pond State Park, Torrington
• Chatfield Hollow State Park, Killingworth
• Cockaponset State Forest (Pattaconk), Chester
• Day Pond State Park, Colchester
• Gardner Lake State Park, Salem
• Gay City State Park, Hebron
• Hopeville Pond State Park, Griswold
• Indian Well State Park, Shelton
• Kettletown State Park, Southbury
• Lake Waramaug State Park, Kent
• Mashamoquet Brook State Park, Pomfret
• Mount Tom State Park, Litchfield
• Pachaug State Forest (Green Falls Pond), Voluntown 
• Quaddick State Park, Thompson 
• Squantz Pond State Park , New Fairfield
• Stratton Brook State Park, Simsbury
• Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield
• Wharton Brook State Park, Wallingford

Note: Water quality information is updated Friday afternoon and then again starting on Mondays. For the most up-to-date information on the status of beaches over the weekend, please call the Water Quality Report Information Line at 1-866-CTPARKS (option #5).

Here is a list of Madison Land Conservation Trust trails:

• Bailey Trail North
• Bailey Trail South
• Blinnshed Loop
• Blinnshed Ridge
• Camp Hadley
• Double Loop
• Indian Rock Shelters
• Indigo Woods
• Ironwoods Preserve
• Jefferson Park
• Lost Pond
• Mica Ledges
• Neck River
• Neck River Uplands North
• Neck River Uplands South
• Oil Mill Brook
• Overbrook Trail
• Ox Pasture
• Papermill Trail
• Shepherds Trail
• St. Francis Woods