CFPA Trails & The Blue Trails Challenge

Connecticut Forest & Parks Association Trails
2006 –

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There are nearly 1,000 miles of CFPA hiking trails in many different towns in little ol’ Connecticut. This list follows the organization’s Blue Trails Challenge List and their published Walk Books.

The CFPA is a fantastic organization that has been around since 1895. 1895! A non-profit, assisted by legions of volunteers, CFPA is an advocate, a fighter, a doer, and an endurer. When I began writing CTMQ as Connecticut Museum Quest, it was to be “just museums…” but almost immediately expanded to include CFPA trails because, well, I had to.

For decades, there existed something called the Connecticut 400 Club which recognized those who have hiked all the CFPA trails of Connecticut. Since the “Club’s” creation, over 400 more miles were added to the task, but no one bothered to update the name.This is an interesting read; an old NYT article about the CT 400.

Since “400” made no sense, the CFPA changed things up in 2015 and retired the Club. Now you can earn rewards by hiking various lengths of CFPA trails: 200, 400, and 800 miles. I’m okay with the change.

Another 21st century change was the designation of The New England Trail as a National Scenic Trail. This includes the Menunkatuck, Mattabessett, and Metacomet Trails in Connecticut. (It continues north through Massachusetts to New Hampshire for a total of 215 miles.) Soon after that happened, we got a new edition of the Connecticut Walk Book (my favorite book) and an online map.

Let’s hike!

CFPA Blue Trails Challenge Trails

Alain & May White Nature Trails, John Muir Trail, and Walcott Trail, Torrington
American Legion & Peoples State Forest Trails, Barkhamsted
Appalachian Trail & Area Trails, Sherman to Salisbury
Aspetuck Trail, Newtown, Redding, & Easton
Chatfield Trail, Killingworth
Cockaponset Trail & Area Trails Haddam & Chester
East-West Trail Intro, Bloomfield to Cornwall (Potential Future Trail)
Falls Brook Trail Hartland
Field Forest Trails, Durham
Finch Brook Trail, Wolcott & Waterbury
Hancock Brook, Jericho, & Whitestone Cliffs Trails, Waterbury to Thomaston
Hibbard Trail, Lebanon
Highlawn Forest Trails, Middletown & Middlefield
Housatonic Range Trail, New Milford
Iron Trail, Canaan & North Canaan
Kettletown State Park, Pomperaug, & Zoar Trails, Southbury, Oxford, & Newtown
Lillinonah Trail, Newtown
Macedonia Brook State Park Trails
Mattabesett (NET), Lone Pine, & Area Trails, Berlin to Middletown
Mattatuck & Prospect Mountain Trails, Wolcott to Cornwall
McLean Game Refuge Trails, Granby & Simsbury
Menunkatuck Trail (NET), Guilford
Metacomet (NET), Ragged Mountain, & Hatchery Brook Trails, Berlin to Suffield
Mohawk Trail, Canaan to Cornwall
Narragansett Trail, North Stonington & Voluntown
Natchaug Trail Ashford to Hampton
Naugatuck Trail, Beacon Falls & Bethany
Nayantaquit Trail, Lyme
Nehantic Trail, Voluntown & Griswold
Nipmuck & Bigelow Hollow State Park Trails, Mansfield/Windham to Union
Old Furnace Trail, Killingly
Pachaug Trail, Voluntown to Griswold
Paugussett Trail, Shelton & Monroe
Pequot Trail, Ledyard & Preston
Quinebaug Trail, Griswold, Plainfield & Voluntown
Quinnipiac & Sleeping Giant SP Trails, Hamden, Bethany, & Cheshire
Regicides Trail, Bethany to New Haven
Salmon River Trail, Colchester
Saugatuck Trail, Weston, Redding, & Easton
Scovill Loop Trail, Middletown
Shenipsit & Area Trails (Gay City SP, Case Mountain, Valley Falls, Risley Pond), East Hampton to Stafford
Stony Creek Trails, Branford & Guilford
Sunny Valley Preserve Trails, Bridgewater
Tunxis & Tunxis Area Trails Southington to Hartland

Connecticut Forest & Park Association
CFPA Map
CTMQ’s Hikes, Bikes, & Paddles
CTMQ’s 10 highest peaks in Connecticut