Explore the best rated trails in Orange, CT, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Windsor River Trail and Niantic Bay Boardwalk . With more than 70 trails covering 567 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The path is nicely paved and a lot of it goes thru wooded areas. There are a few hills that can challenge the casual rider.
I rode 20.5 miles of the southern section of the Air Line Trail from East Hampton to Willimantic on a very hot day in June. This section of the Air Line Trail offers gorgeous scenery, peaceful seclusion and a tightly packed gravel surface that is in very good condition throughout. Despite the heat the trail is very shaded which provided much needed relief from the sun. There are a fair amount of road crossings, most are very small, quiet roads and all of the busier roads have warning lights that can be activated to let motorists know you are crossing.
The only two small complaints I have is there is a lack of signage along the trail. There is one very short on road section that I almost missed getting back on the trail due to there being no signage, I just rightly assumed the small unmarked path on the road was the way to get back on the trail. The gates at the road crossings are on the narrow side which can make navigating through the road crossings difficult. I feel these two issues do not at all detract from what this section of the Air Line Trail has to offer.
I just rode the trail from Cheshire to New Haven Harbor. It gets confusing because of the lack of signage once you go under the Temple St Garage in New Haven. You get dumped out into a street and don't know where to go. The trail is on the road or sidewalk depending on what you prefer. Take a left onto Grove St. continue to the end and take a right onto Olive ST. Follow Olive St. to the end and pick up the trail again on Water St. Cross Brewery ST and take a right to continue on Brewery. Brewery changes to Sargent Drive. Take a left to go under I95 and the water will be in front of you. If you take a right and continue down for a little, along the water's edge, you will find dozens of food trucks to buy lunch before a return trip. It was well worth the trip.
I recently rode this on a cool day in May from Manchester to Willimantic and back, so right at 40 miles. The trail is well-maintained and foot/bike traffic was light, even though it was a holiday weekend. Very scenic for long stretches and low elevation gain. I rode a gravel bike with 45 mm tires. On a road bike with reasonable tires, this should be do-able (I saw a couple of them), but there is one rough section of about 100ft (30m) where you would need to walk. There is also one underpass that is dark enough to use a headlight...but it's passable if you slow down. There are a number of places to read about the history of the rail line, as well as a few locations with fix-it stations with bike tools and air pumps.
One final tip: Google maps takes you to an intersection on Colonial Road for the Manchester trailhead...the parking lot has a tiny sign that is easy to miss.
This morning May 25, 25 we saw a doe and larger buck between east of Old Town Road.
Really doesn’t qualify as a trail, just a pocket park, it’s way too small but it is a very pretty surprise off the Okd Croton Aquaduct Trail
Entered @ Elmsford and found a parking lot where we unloaded . Well maintained nice scenery along the way as well as a few eateries and gas stations where you can get a drink or snack .
Artie Pescov and I were the initiators of this bike path when I was 17 years old ( I am 70 yo now) and he was 16 yo. I lived on Pine street backing Cedar Creek Park ( old timers would know our property because we had a chicken farm and the hens would cross Merrick Rd. The diner is now there where my grandparents house stood). It was his idea and I had a license. So we travelled around getting signatures to have this bikeway built. We then visited congressman Mr. Murphy ( I think that was his name) of Seaford and he loved the idea. Well, it went through and Artie and I never heard another word about it. Other people (adults not teens like us) took credit for it. However, I am glad that this bikeway still exists! I have long left Long Island but still good memories.
Mary Jo (Masone) Frohlich
I rode the entire northern section of the Farmington Canal Trail from Plainville into MA on a windy Easter Sunday. The trail itself is fully paved, in very good overall condition (there are a few bumps and cracks but nothing major). Simsbury offers a great stopping off point to get refreshments just a quick turn off from the trail. The scenery changes from light industrial parks, residential, marshes, a little farmland and some nice wooded areas.
I have one complaint that prevents this from being a five star trail. The signage could be better. There are times in the more urban areas that I lost the trail, a quick look at Google Maps got me back on and I never was too lost. There are a few signs that were helpful so just a few more would make this a five star trail.
Hadn’t ridden in at least 10 years; took it out from Van Cortlandt Park to Orchard Beach, City Island and the Country Club/Pell mansion areas . It is now in horrid shape. Patches bumps ruts. And more hills than I remembered LOL but that’s on me. But the bumps and holes do make hills harder. And also road crossings. No more FOMO
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