Description
The 4.5-mile Windsor Locks Canal Trail follows the Connecticut River and the Windsor Locks Canal between Windsor Locks and Suffield. This trail provides scenic views of the river and canal, and the corridor is home to a variety of wildlife. In addition, you'll find beautiful 19th-century stonework in the aqueducts and bridges.
The Windsor Locks Canal was built between 1827 and 1829 so that barge traffic could get around the tricky Enfield rapids of the Connecticut. The barges carried produce from farms to Hartford. Today the paved path carries recreationists. There are plans to continue the trail across the Connecticut River on the Route 190 bridge to Pearl Street.
Parking and Trail Access
To start at the Canal Road parking lot, take I-91 to Exit 47W and follow Route 190 West for 1.3 miles. Turn left onto Route 159 South and take the first left onto Canal Road; follow it to the parking lot.
To start at the Route 140 mill complex, take I-91 Exit 45 to Route 140 West. Just after you cross over the Connecticut River the mill complex is on your right. Take the narrow road down along the canal to the parking lot.
Always a nice ride
By
orion940
in
September, 2012
This is one of the most scenic trails I've been on around here. It's got the canal on one side and the river on the other. There's a whole bunch of photo ops, I always take my camera with me on this ride. The canal has a lot of fallen trees, so the reflections ...
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Fantastic trail!
By
matthew lupoli
in
July, 2012
The Windsor Locks Canal trail is a beautifully maintained bike trail. It features some great views and excellent opportunities for viewing river wildlife. The only problem I had with it was that despite the fact that it's paved, it is a tad bit bumpy. ...
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Beautiful Trail
By
kaden1982
in
July, 2011
The trail is re-opened, and it's pretty phenomenal. We biked from the Windsor Locks end yesterday, and had perfect weather for such an event. It'swater on both sides...definitely worth the trip. It's a short trail, but has active train bridges overhead, ...
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