Rode this trail on 7/25/20 from the Vernon stop to Parker Bridge Road and back. Ideal for a hot day – shade virtually the entire length, especially beautiful stretches along a raised ridge. The section about 3 miles in is cut out of the side of an incline, and there are a few spots with a bit rougher surface…easily negotiated with trail or mountain bikes, and I think you could do it even with a road bike (excluding the skinniest tires) if you took your time. Mostly well packed dirt/gravel/stone dust. Slight grade uphill until Bolton, then slight downhill to the turnaround point at Parker Bridge. This was our second ride in a month on this beautiful trail, so appreciate the well maintained starting point/parking lot in Vernon complete with picnic table and a tool stand. A real gem- those local to this are lucky!

Like many trails, it has its uses and limitations. If you live in the area and want to go for a quick run or walk, this trail is certainly a better alternative than the streets: more scenic and no traffic. And it is fine if you have kids and want to go on a short ride with them. But the trail is just too short to put the bike on the car and drive there.

Once or twice a year I’ll ride it off the Hop River Trail to add a few more miles to my ride. It’s not that there’s anything bad about the trail, but I don’t see any reason to ride it on a regular basis when the connecting Hop River Trail is far longer, far fewer road crossings, and generally better maintained. If you live in Vernon, it’s a great way to connect up to the Hop River Trail. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to ride it.

The trail is over 50 miles so it’s tough to give it an overall rating as some stretches rate five stars, and some less than five stars. I’ll try to break down each town, starting at the southern end. I’ll note upfront that the entire trail is paved and well maintained and most stretches can get crowded. And the trail is mostly flat and straight but there are some hills and twists. New Haven: I’ve only been on the section a few times and they’re still working on finishing it. It’s a urban trail with little scenery and lots of street crossings. If you live in New Haven, it certainly is a great place to start a ride. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to ride on it. Three stars. Hamden: Overall, a good section as it is scenic and there’s a 6-7 mile stretch with no street crossings. This is the only section of the trail that is hilly, but they’re mostly short and not too steep. There are a few spots where the trail is bumpy. Five stars. Cheshire: another enjoyable stretch with nice scenery. There are a number of street crossings and for whatever reason, I’ve found the drivers in this area to be overly obnoxious and not letting you cross without an issue. But I could just be my bad luck in the area. Four stars. Southington: the southern end is fine. But I rarely ride the bulk of the trail in Southington. It’s crowded, not scenic, many street crossings, and little protection from the sun or wind. Also, the trail currently ends before I84. One plus is there are spots to stop for a bite to eat. Two stars. Farmington: the newly opened southern two or three miles is wide open with few trees to stop the sun or wind. There’s nothing wrong with it but it’s just not the nicest section. The original three or so miles is a five star section with lots of trees, scenery, and few street crossings. Another plus is you can connect with a 10 mile trail to Canton. Four stars. Avon: the first two or three miles is a great extension of the trail in Farmington. But the trail ends at the Avon public works garage and then it’s cutting through a parking lot, down a road, on a sidewalk, through the police department parking lot, on another sidewalk, and then crossing busy route 10. Overall, three stars. Simsbury: like Avon, a mixed bag. The southern section is going through residential sections, behind car dealerships, few trees, crossing route 10, and riding on sidewalks. Once you hit the downtown area, it improves. Overall, three stars. East Granby: a nice section with some minor hills, curves, open areas, and some flat areas with trees. This is one of my favorite stretches as it offers diversity. Five stars. Suffield: another good stretch. There’s a few spots where tree roots have pushed up the pavement but it’s not too bad. Five stars. Massachusetts: technically, it’s a different trail but it’s really a continuation of the same trail. I think there’s about seven miles currently paved with another mile or so planned. There are a few minor hills and there are some open sections with little sun or wind protection. But overall a nice ride. And this section generally isn’t too crowded. Toss a coin on whether it’s a four or five star stretch.

First, the trail is 10 miles, not 16. I don’t consider the 6 miles on a road a trail because, well, it’s a road and not a trail. Focusing on the 10 miles, it’s a nice trail - paved, scenic, wide, mostly shaded which helps block out the sun and wind, no major hills, and there’s plenty of parking. There are a few negatives: crowded, busy roads to cross, roots have pushed up the pavement in spots, and the stretch in Collinsville isn’t well marked and you have to ride on narrow boardwalks in spots. But overall, I highly recommend it. And a huge positive is it connects to the canal trail which offers a great 30 mile ride all the way to Westfield, MA and will eventually provide a nonstop trail all the way to New Haven.

There are better options in Central Connecticut if you’re looking for a leisurely ride. The trail is hilly in spots, mostly runs near a highway, there’s little protection from the sun or wind, and there are some busy streets to cross. It certainly beats riding on busy roads, but it’s subpar compared to other bike trails. With all this said, you can certainly have an enjoyable ride, it’s just that there are better options.

Overall, a great trail. But it is over 50 miles long so there are some better areas than others. The East Hampton to Rt. 2 is scenic but it is steeper than other areas and the gravel is looser in spots. The 12 mile stretch from Rt. 2 to Willimantic is perhaps the best section - scenic, well maintained, not too steep, and hard packed. I’ve only been on the Willimantic section once and it’s nothing special. North of Willimantic is good though there are a few stretches that are rougher than other areas - barely passable on a hybrid bike. The trail is narrow in many areas so you’ll have to ask walkers to move over. Most of the trail is under a tree canopy which helps keep you cooler on hot days.

Simply one of my favorite trails. The first two or three miles in Manchester and Vernon are nothing too special but the rest of the trail is great - scenic, hard pack dirt, not too crowded (especially the closer you get to Willimantic) and there’s a tree canopy almost the whole way so you can stay cooler on hot days. They’re still working on completing the last mile or so in Columbia/Willimantic - I think it’s supposed to be done in 2021 or 2022. But there’s an easy bike-around on roads where you can connect up with the Airline Trail, which is also a great trail.

We started north from the Ashuelot River Campground. North ride was much nicer than the southern ride. North trail nice and wide and obviously well taken care of. Going south, not so nice . Basically ends up being and old narrow and rough ride. Could be muddy, if raining. Be careful of an old iron, wood beam bridge. Many rotten boards and nail heads popped up. That was enough, we road back on the road.