Directions & parking / head of the housatonic
General Guidelines: Parking at Indian Well State Park is reserved for cartoppers, boat trailers, team buses and vans, and passenger vehicles with handicap parking tags. Space for cartopping scullers is limited, so all scullers will be required to unload their boat before moving their car to its parking spot.
All other competitor cars will park offsite (please see below for the GPS address for “Competitor Cars”). Constant bus service is provided between the offsite parking location and Indian Well State Park. Allow a minimum of 30 minutes for transit time during peak hours. Note that propane tanks are not allowed on the shuttle buses.
Parking costs $25 at our offsite location. Half the fee goes to our volunteer partners from Habitat for Humanity, and the rest to offset the cost of our shuttle bus service. We strongly recommend all spectators prepay for parking to ensure a swift and smooth experience at our offsite location.
Please click the button below for instructions on how to prepay for parking for the Head of the Housatonic. If you want to skip the instructions and go directly to the site to prepay, please click here.
Roads near the park entrance will be marked and enforced as a tow-zone. Please do not attempt on-street parking near Indian Well State Park.
Drop-offs at the park entrance are not permitted for safety reasons.
Dogs are prohibited from Indian Well State Park for group events like our regatta. Likewise, camping and alcohol are not allowed in the park.
We do not allow exceptions to these rules. If you are running late, go directly to offsite parking. Trying to get dropped off at Indian Well State Park will only delay you more. Be sure to check the event schedule and leave enough time to park and ride the shuttle.
Boat Trailers
Boat trailers are permitted to park and unload at Indian Well State Park on Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 6:30 p.m. A security guard will be stationed at the park until midnight, but New Haven Rowing Club and the State of Connecticut are not responsible for any damage that may occur to equipment stored overnight at Indian Well State Park. Direct your GPS to: Indian Well State Park.
All boat trailers must be in the park before 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. The park opens at 6:00 a.m. After 8:00 a.m. trailers may encounter delays. Crew buses and crew vans will be allowed in the park until we reach capacity in the parking lot dedicated to their use. After that, crew buses and vans will be sent to offsite parking after they have dropped off athletes at the park.
Competitor Passenger Cars
Offsite parking is on a private road. Direct your GPS to 1 Corporate Drive, Shelton, CT.
Please use Waze or Google Maps for GPS directions. Do not use Apple Maps as this may send you to the wrong location.
There is a $25 fee that helps offset the cost of our shuttle bus service. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU PREPAY ONLINE FOR PARKING. Click here for information on how you can prepay and download your parking pass.
Offsite parking opens at 5:45 am. The first shuttle bus will leave the parking area at 6:00 am.
Directions to offsite parking
heading South on Route 8:
Take Old Stratford Road Exit (Exit 9)
Turn right onto Old Stratford Road
After the traffic light at Bridgeport Ave, Old Stratford Road becomes Commerce Drive
Continue up Commerce Drive 0.6 miles to Progress Drive
Turn left onto Progress Drive, go past Corporate Drive about 150 yds and turn left
Follow signs for Regatta Parking
heading North on Route 8:
Take the Old Stratford Road Exit (Exit 9)
Turn left onto Old Stratford Road
After the traffic light at Bridgeport Ave, Old Stratford Road becomes Commerce Drive
Continue up Commerce Drive 0.6 miles to Progress Drive
Turn left onto Progress Drive, go past Corporate Drive about 150 yds and turn left
Follow signs for Regatta Parking
Heading South on Rt 111/Rt 110 connector:
Follow Rt 110 South toward Shelton 3.7 miles to the streetlight intersection of Leavenworth Rd. (Rt 110) and Maple Ave
Turn right onto Maple Ave and continue 0.1 miles to Meadow Street
Turn left onto Meadow St and continue 1.9 miles to streetlight intersection of Meadow and Shelton Ave (Rt 108)
Take a right onto Shelton Ave/Rt 108 and continue for 0.6 miles to streetlight intersection of Shelton Ave/Rt 108 and Nells Rock Road/Constitution Blvd
Take a left onto Nells Rock Rd and continue 1.5 miles to streetlight intersection of Nells Rock and Bridgeport Ave
Take a right onto Bridgeport Ave and continue for 1.5 miles to streetlight intersection of Commerce Drive
Take a right onto Commerce Drive and continue up Commerce Drive 0.6 miles to Progress Drive
Turn left onto Progress Drive go past Corporate Drive about 150 yds and turn left
Follow signs for Regatta Parking
Heading West on Rt 34:
Follow Rt 34 West and bear left to Main St, Derby/Rt 34
Enter Rt 8 South entrance ramp on the left
Follow Directions Heading South on Rt 8 above