Not a Showcase Charter Oak Greenway, 15.4 Miles Bolton, Manchester, East Hartford Every other "trail report" for the Charter Oak Greenway is nothing more than some mileage markers and a few comments about its hills or propensity for highway proximity. Not CTMQ. Oh, no. So sit back and prepare for a billion of my … [Read more...]
Cycling, Multi-Use, & Rails-to-Trails Paths
Connecticut's Cycling, Multi-Use, & Rails-to-Trails Paths Hoo boy. I delayed putting this page together for a decade - a decade which saw massive growth and improvement of Connecticut's network of various multi-use trails. I was sort of waiting until my younger son was able to ride for 10+ miles to bother cataloging … [Read more...]
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail: Farmington River Loop
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail: River Loop Extension Red Oak Hill Road, Farmington to Hopmeadow Steet, Simsbury (~16 miles) July/August 2020 The northernmost section of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Connecticut has miles of beautiful stretches. But for my money, this loop extension Farmington River Trail … [Read more...]
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail: Section 2
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury to Red Oak Hill Road, Farmington (~11 miles) July 2020 If you'd like to check out section 1, here you are. You can also learn a bit about the history of the failed Farmington Canal and how it became the failed rail line there as well. We'll pick up … [Read more...]
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail: Section 1
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Massachusetts border to Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury (~11 miles) June/July 2020 Annnnd away we go! Definitely one of Connecticut's top few bike paths... greenways, rails-to-trails trails... whatever we call them. It bisects the state, right down the middle from Suffield to New Haven. … [Read more...]
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Intro
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Massachusetts border (Suffield) to New Haven The summer of 2020 - the pandemic summer of 2020 - sort of forced my son Calvin and I to begin riding Connecticut's rails-to-trails in earnest. Nothing was open for visits in any normal way, so why not ride our bikes. Unfortunately, Calvin … [Read more...]
Hop River State Park Trail: Section 1
Let's Get Hoppin' Colonial Road to Bolton Notch State Park, 6.9 Miles Manchester, Vernon, Bolton, June 2020 Alright, let's get going with this thing. 20.2 miles of graded stone dust trail from the center of Manchester east to the Airline Trail in Windham. (I suppose I should mention that means Calvin and I will … [Read more...]
Hop River State Park Trail: Section 2
Spurring Adventure Rockville Spur, 3.7 Miles Vernon, June 2020 I first began chronicling these rails-to-trails trails when my son Calvin could join me. I sort of ignored them for a many previous years until I realized that several are actually Connecticut state parks... and since I'm visiting every Connecticut … [Read more...]
Bloomfield Greenway
A Bloomin' Trail System Bloomfield/Simsbury Greenway May 2020 I want to believe that this page is sort of a placeholder for now. For I want to think that in the future, this little 2-mile section of paved multi-use trail will merely be a small part of a much longer link in the New Brunswick-to-Key West East Coast … [Read more...]
Hop River State Park Trail: Section 3
Another Notch in Our Belts Bolton Notch State Park to Parker Bridge Road, 8.5 Miles Bolton, Coventry, & Andover, May 2020 As Calvin and I rode the first mile or so of this section of the Hop River State Park Trail, I pondered aloud, "This may be one of the coolest stretches of Rails-to-Trails in all of … [Read more...]