In the spring of 2024, photographers caught Darien discovering Great Island for the first time in more than a century. A father carried his four-year-old daughter on his shoulders down a paved loop. A mother walked her five-year-old son past the old riding ring. A runner slowed to look out at the Sound. It was opening weekend, in a manner of speaking. Pedestrian access had just started, sunrise to sunset, no dogs, no bikes, no cars past the gate, and nowhere to park except a beach lot a mile away. Most people who went that first weekend treated it like a museum with odd hours: worth one visit, hard to build a habit around.
That habit is possible now. On July 3, 2026, the town expanded pedestrian access to Great Island to all seven days, dawn to dusk, ending the weekend-only schedule that had defined the property's first two years as public land. If the picture in your head still says "that place you can only visit on Saturday," it needs updating.
What Actually Changed on July 3
The town closed on Great Island in May 2023 for $85 million, buying it from the Steinkraus family, descendants of the Ziegler family that had owned the 60-acre island for more than a hundred years. A soft opening followed in March 2024, but the rules stayed tight while crews widened the entrance road, Route 23A, to handle two-way traffic. During that stretch, walking access was limited to weekends. The Board of Selectmen approved a new set of access rules on July 2, 2026, and the expanded hours took effect the next afternoon at 4 p.m.
Here's what shifted, and what didn't:
| Through July 2, 2026 | Starting July 3, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Days open | Weekends only, tied to road construction | All seven days |
| Hours | Sunrise to sunset | Dawn to dusk |
| Getting there | Park at Pear Tree Point Beach, walk about a mile | Same on foot, but cars can now drop off at the traffic circle |
| Bicycles | Not allowed anywhere on the property | Racks now sit at the traffic circle, though riding past the gate is still off limits |
The traffic circle marks the hard stop for vehicles. Past it, everything is on foot, and there is still no parking lot on the island itself. In March 2026, the Board of Selectmen formed a Great Island Parking Design Committee specifically to work out where a lot might eventually go, which tells you the town sees this as unfinished business rather than a solved problem.
A Baking Powder Fortune and a Very Different Neighbor Next Door
The island's first owner was William Ziegler, a baking powder magnate who co-founded the Royal Baking Powder Company and later spent part of his fortune funding polar expeditions aimed at planting the American flag at the North Pole. He bought Great Island in 1902 and built the 13,000-square-foot manor that still sits on its rocky bluff, along with a stable, a farmhouse, and a beach cottage. When First Selectman Monica McNally closed the deal on May 5, 2023, she told residents, "Congratulations, we did it," and called the purchase only "Chapter One" of a longer project.
What most people miss is what happened to the rest of the estate. The Ziegler property was split in two: the 60 acres Darien bought, and a separate 52-acre parcel called Ziegler Farm, still owned by the family. That second parcel sold to a private buyer in December 2023 for $57.5 million, and it already carries town approval for up to 14 new homes. Same family, same century of ownership, same waterfront, and two completely different futures: one side became a public shoreline walk, the other is zoned for a subdivision. That contrast is easy to miss if you only follow the story of the park.
What's Still Off the Table
The island isn't finished, and the town has been clear about that. A landscape architecture firm, Reed Hilderbrand, was brought on in July 2024 to lead a Vision Plan and Master Plan, running through a year of community workshops and surveys before any permanent changes get built. Until that plan takes shape, a few things remain closed:
- The manor and the horse stables are not open to the public. One tenant, Serenity Show Stable, chose not to renew its lease and has since moved out, but the buildings themselves are still off limits while the town decides how to reuse them.
- There is no private event policy yet. The Board of Selectmen is still drafting one, so weddings, parties, and organized gatherings are not being booked on the island.
- Bicycles are restricted to the traffic circle. Once you're past the gate, it's walking only.
First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky has said he wants Great Island to become, in his words, "the finest municipal asset on the water anywhere on the east coast." The current rules are the early, careful version of that ambition, not the finished one.
The Eagles Got the Trail First
Before the July expansion, the island already showed signs of functioning as a real habitat rather than a landscaped park. In the spring of 2025, a section of the bridle trail closed from February 1 through July 15 after a pair of bald eagles chose Great Island as a nesting site. The closure was approved by the Great Island Advisory Committee with guidance from Connecticut DEEP wildlife staff, and it protected the birds through their breeding season. The salt marshes at Scott's Cove, part of the island's shoreline, support the same kind of migratory activity, which is worth remembering if you plan a spring visit and find a stretch of path rerouted.
How to Actually Go
Park at Pear Tree Point Beach and walk roughly a mile along Route 23A. The road crosses a stone bridge near Ring's End before reaching the traffic circle, which is now the drop-off point for anyone arriving by car. From there, the walking route is a paved loop a little over a mile long, passing the old stable and running close to the water most of the way. There's no parking on the island, no working restrooms yet, and no pets allowed. Bring water, and go anytime between dawn and dusk, any day of the week.
For full details on current rules and any updates from the Parking Design Committee, the Town of Darien's Great Island page stays current, and the Great Island Vision Plan site is where the master planning process is documented as it moves forward.
Why This Is Worth Knowing
A hundred years of private ownership ended with one closing in 2023, and it took until this July for the town to fully open the doors on what that purchase actually means day to day. If you've been saving Great Island for a special weekend, you can stop. It's part of the regular rotation now, alongside Weed Beach and Pear Tree Point, and the rest of the plan for it is still being written by the people who live here.
I spend a lot of time walking Darien's coastline with clients who are trying to understand what makes this town different from the next one over on the map. Great Island is a good example: a piece of local history that changed hands, changed rules, and quietly became something residents can use every single day. If you're curious about what else has shifted in Darien this year, or you're weighing a move here yourself, I'd be glad to talk it through. Stephanie O'Grady offers a complimentary market consultation for anyone who wants a clearer picture of the town beyond what the map shows.
