Parked in new haven and had a great ride to Cheshire. A lot of streets to cross at the beginning and end but still nice in new haven. Once things open up it is a perfect ride.

We took the advice of a previous reviewer and began our ride at the athletic fields on Kroc Street in Keene. We headed southwest and ride to Monadnock Speedway . The first several miles are well pack and relatively smooth. After that the trail is a mixed bag. A couple short sandy sections, a couple very muddy areas, and some narrow grassy riding. The grades are easy and overall the trail is very rideable. On our next outing here we will start by the Speedway, where there is enough parking for several cars.

We rode the Hop River trail on 6/13/20 from Willimantic (parking lot adjacent to Mackey’s Pet Store) to the Bolton Notch State Park and back, about 28 miles. If you’re looking for a packed dirt/cinder trail through the woods, this is just about perfect. Trail is in very good shape, almost all shaded, really takes you away. The trail from Willimantic to Bolton Notch features a long, gradual uphill – but really once you start pedaling it’s not difficult at all, and the route is so picturesque that you don’t really notice. Long sections run high along the river. Really a nice trail, highly recommended. Please also note that from this parking lot you can connect to the Air Line Trail…you’ll ride a path under Rt 66 and follow the paved trail along the river back towards Willimantic. The Air Line is also highly recommended!

Very well paved, very pretty, and almost empty, which is a big plus in the time of COVID-19.

Very well paved, very pretty, and almost empty, which is a big plus in the time of COVID-19.

We did part of the northern section starting in Keene.
As we rode further from Keene the trail became more rustic and sandy.
The next day we rode from the southern end. This part of the trail was also a challenge in spots. However the river and the history made both rides enjoyable.

I have trouble with my legs and was able to complete this walk. There are benches along the way. The trail is wide and paved.

Summary first (in case you don't wanna read my drivel): I will be back...might dust off my rollerblades too :) I gave the trail four stars because sections one and two (plus the short section to downtown Winchendon) are very very nice. Lost a star for poor signage between sections, not having completed connectors between the sections, and the poor condition of the third section from Rt 140 towards Gardner.

Parking/Starting Point: Parked at the Glenallen Street/Rt 12 junction parking lot just outside of WInchendon. The lots were plenty big enough and very nicely kept with benches and picnic tables and flowers and plantings.

Plan: ride South completing section one between Glenallen Street and N Ashburnham Road (about two miles), connect up to section two between Gardner Road and Rt 140 (about 3.5 miles) and see how I felt and if I could find more trail worth doing. Was hoping to have enough energy on the return trip to pass my starting point and ride the one mile section from Glenallen Street into downtown Winchendon.

Crowds: the trail was not very busy because it was a Monday afternoon but I could see this trail being quite active after work or on the weekends. It is very well maintained and suitable for walkers/dog walkers, rollerbladers (yes I saw several today) and cyclists. Obviously the further you get from downtown Winchendon the lighter the crowd (mostly just cyclists after section one).

Signage: I guess I needed to print off the information here because the signage isn't good. If not for a couple of guys I would have not found the connector between section one and two. This is an easy fix, shame on those maintaining the trails.

Connectors: Again this was a Monday afternoon so I had no traffic issues between sections one and two...even crossing Route 12 on to Gardner Road was easy peasy but I have driven this road at other times and it can be busy and cars can be moving fast. Careful.

The trail: really nice! Not only is it well paved and maintained but I heard very little road noise and quite scenic! This could be a five star trail if the connectors could be fixed...and they upgraded section three from Rt 140 South to wherever it goes.

The third section South of Route 140 is not great. I was riding my hybrid and I have no issues with hard pack dirt but this was basically uneven stone and rock. I spent more time swerving back and forth to avoid the larger rocks that I finally gave up after 3/4 miles and turned around and headed back to Winchendon. Not enjoyable unless you are on a mountain bike.

With my ride shortened on the South end I decided to do the last mile into downtown past my parking lot to get my mileage up to fifteen roundtrip. Good decision (thumbs up) because that last mile was very scenic riding along Whitney Pond and watching people fishing.

My wife and I rode this trail on 5/30/20, riding about 28 miles in all in a circle that also featured the Farmington Canal Trail. There are a number of different sections to this ride you need to be aware of before you go. We started at the parking lot on Red Oak Road, near the start. The first part of the trail, heading Northwest, runs on a very pretty course alongside the Farmington River, with lots of water views. Very scenic. There are several small towns along the way...in particular, Collinsville has a nice little downtown with places to eat, and places to stop with picnic tables alongside the river. The route then proceeds back East, until you get to the intersection with Route 202/44/Albany Turnpike. There is then some riding along regular roads: Lawton, Notch, West Mountain. The roads are basically flat with good sight lines, not difficult if you're an experienced rider (I wouldn't take kids on this section). Off of West Mountain, you'll find an entrance (a little hard to spot, there was a temporary sign there) to a hard packed dirt/cinder trail that proceeds for a short distance. It ends, and then following the markings on the road, you'll again ride on-road (Town Forest Road) again for a short distance, at which point you'll pick up another dirt/cinder trail (Stratton Brook State Park Trail) which ends at Brushy Hill Road. Cross Route 309/Farms Village Road and on the other side of the street is a paved trail that takes you down to Simsbury, where you pick up the Farmington Canal Trail south that takes you back to the Red Oak parking lot. Be aware that there are some varied signs/directions as you ride through Avon that take you behind offices etc. in a confusing way...I guess they didn't have the room to just cut the trail straight through. But soon you'll be back on the conventional trail. But as for the ride:
What's nice about this ride was its diversity: the section along the river, some riding on country roads, the dirt/cinder path through the woods, and the more conventional trail from Simsbury south. Lots of places to stop and eat (especially Simsbury), many trail parking lots, we saw a lot of bathroom options . We know the Farmington Canal Trail well, were glad to discover this very nice connected option! Definitely check out the map at their website before you go. One more thing: we used our road bikes, and we were able to navigate the short dirt sections pretty easily...you don't need a mountain bike just for that.