Rode the Airline southwest from Kingsley Rd., Windham, to Colchester via the spur trail on October 15. The trail is in excellent condition, with stone dust and cinder the whole way, and was completely dry even the day after a hard rain. Kudos to those maintaining this trail -- an excellent job grading. A detour via Cook Hill Rd. is necessary as mentioned in a previous post , even though it appears you can continue across Village Hill Rd. -- the trail dead ends at a fence near Spinning Mill Brook about halfway across this section and you have to backtrack. Colchester is a fun place for lunch before turning around. Our trip was 14 miles each way.

This review is written (August 1, 2011) so that persons contemplating experiencing the Air Line Trail South as new trail will have good basic knowledge of where to park, and what to expect.
We ride this trail section often, and all agree it is a truly great ride. The changing seasons offer a constantly morphing view of water, foliage, flowers, and wildlife. We park at the commuter lot at CT Rte 2 exit 16 (you can't miss it). From there we can ride ~6-7 miles in either direction (note that one section starts right at the commuter lot, and the other section is a few hundred feet up the hill under the Rte 2 overpass on the right. You can actually ride quite a bit longer than the 6-7 miles, the trails have been extended but we typically do the ~6-7 mile run (~12-to 14 miles as an out & back ride, which takes us approx. 1hour and 30 mins).
The hard packed with loose granular stone surface trail is well maintained in either direction and both sides offer some great natural features. It seems no matter which direction you pick from the commuter lot, the trail has a slight climb, and the return ride is quicker than the ride out. The trail itself is not very challenging, it is kid friendly, and can be ridden by almost any one (the real skinny road tires are not advised but I have seen people using them). We take friends/family who are bike novices, and born again cyclists out on the trail with us because it is easy for them to get [back] into cycling and seems a lot safer than riding on a public road. Thus far all have been "return customers" so we have a constant supply of new riding partners.
NOTES-
*There are some amenities scattered along the trail which include signs, trail markers, maps, picnic tables,
and benches.
*Sorry no toilets or potable water anywhere on the trail.
*The commuter lot offers plenty of hassle-free parking
*This is a nature trail and there aren't any consumer services such as restaurants or markets except at the
East Hampton (trail head) new section continue past the pond & parking lot.
*The trail is open sunrise to sunset.
*The 6-7 mile run is all trail and no on-road passages to get to a connecting section. Though you do have
to cross intersecting roads.
I hope you find this review helpful, some of the other info and reviews are dated, misleading, or assume you already know what they are referring to. So if you have trail info to share please be plain spoken, and tell us exactly where to park and what to expect.

This is a great trail. If you have never ridden this trail I suggest you start in East Hampton, started our trip at the Willimantic river, the ride was slightly uphill the whole way. Don't know how they came up with 22 miles, unless this is both ways. One way my bike showed just over 10 miles. Great ride with plenty of places to stop and get your feet wet or just enjoy the scenery. Amston is another great place to start. Bet this trail is extra nice in the fall.