The Helen and Alice Bristow Sanctuary and Wildwood Preserve was established in 1924 as bird watching was gaining traction in New Canaan society.  Founded one year after Theodore Roosevelt’s near-by Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Oyster Bay, our 17 acre park is home to a wide variety of species including warblers, tanagers, vireos and woodpeckers.  Archival documents noted 100 different bird species in 1924!

The layout of Bristow Park lends itself to several  walking trails, a beautiful duck pond and many trickling streams and brooks. 

Bristow Park is not only a stronghold for common and threatened bird species but a vital neighborhood park that is the missing link in New Canaan’s Green Link Trail system.  These 17 acres hold the key for so much vitality and this potential can only be realized with your help as a Friend of Bristow Park. 

The Bristow Bird Sanctuary Park continues to monitor the shifting developments of COVID-19 in Connecticut.  Bristow Park remains open to the public; please wear a face covering and keep at least 6 feet from others while visiting the Park. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash and dog waste removed.