Explore the best rated trails in Plainfield, CT. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Upper Charles Trail and Windsor River Trail . With more than 55 trails covering 416 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.
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Imagine a wealthy 19th-century textile mill owner building an 8-mile railroad to get coal to his plant or products to market, and then adding accommodations to carry vacationers to beach resorts or...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
Where a trolley once ran, now you can too on the south bank of the Mattabessett River. The electrified trolley shuttled passengers from Berlin to Middletown and beyond. The smooth blacktop and an easy...
Beginning from Calf Pasture Point Beach, the Quonset Point Bike Path offers a short-but-sweet path across North Kingstown on Rhode Island's eastern coastline. The 2.5-mile paved pathway is ideal for...
The Windsor River Trail is a paved trail along the Connecticut River in Windsor Meadows State Park. The trail begins at the state park’s parking lot on E Barber St. The Captain John Bissell Trail,...
The West Warwick Riverwalk is located in a park just behind West Warwick High School and John F. Deering Middle School. The paved trail goes for about a mile north following the Pawtuxet River. A...
Over 2 miles from start to finish, this U-shaped trail meets both the commuting and the recreational needs of local residents in Middletown. The trail begins on Middle St, marked by a trailhead with a...
First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail define the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the Massachusetts...
The Redstone Rail Trail is built on the former New York, New Haven & Hartford Armory Branch, which in turn is a former branch line of the New York & New England RR. Its name comes from the numerous...
A part of Connecticut's first bus rapid transit line, the CTfastrak Trail serves as recreational and multi-use path for walking and bicycling between Downtown New Britain and Newington Junction. The...
Riverpoint Park sits nestled into a bend of the Pawtuxet River in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The park accommodates the 400-ft arboretum which leads to 1.3-mile riverside path known as the Senator...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
The Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway provides a valuable crosstown connector of nearly 7 miles from downtown Providence to the city’s western neighborhoods and the nearby town of Johnston....
Ten Mile River Greenway, named for the waterway it parallels and not its length, runs 3 miles through a serene and green corridor connecting the City of East Providence and Pawtucket. The southern end...
The Hanover Pond Trail is a mile-long rail-trail in Meriden, Connecticut offering scenic natural escape combined with historical exploration. The smooth asphalt trail is open to a diverse range of...
Bloomfield Greenway Multi-Use Trail is 1.8 miles between Bloomfield and Simsbury. The trail is envisioned to someday act as a connector between the City of Hartford and the Farmington Canal Heritage...
The Westville Lake Community Trail offers a short, scenic excursion along the east bank of Westville Lake in Southbridge. Much of the crushed-stone pathway is under a lush tree canopy. Along the way,...
At the turn of the 20th century, Groton & Stonington Railway Company began to move passengers between Groton to Mystic via electric trolleys. But in 25 years, the line had been discontinued due to...
The Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail is a 1.3-mile rail-trail in Meridan, Connecticut. The trail occupies the former railbed of the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad, a 17-mile line which...
Note: Per the State of Connecticut's website, the trail is open from dawn to dusk April 1–November 14. Eagle nesting activities can delay the opening of the southern trail head in Windsor...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
The Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail runs on the corridor once occupied by the Southbridge & Blackstone line of the Providence & Worcester Railroad, transforming a corridor once designed to link rural...
The overall goal of the Grand Trunk Trail in south-central Massachusetts is to connect the communities of Brimfield, Sturbridge, and Southbridge by trail. Currently, two sections of the trail are...
The Arkwright Riverwalk, founded on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, is located in Coventry, a rural central Rhode Island town that was built around textile mills. The one-mile...
Where a trolley once ran, now you can too on the south bank of the Mattabessett River. The electrified trolley shuttled passengers from Berlin to Middletown and beyond. The smooth blacktop and an easy...
The Bissell name looms large in this part of New England, and has been immortalized in multiple ways, including the Bissell Ferry, the Bissell Memorial Bridge and now, the Captain John Bissell trail,...
The West Warwick Riverwalk is located in a park just behind West Warwick High School and John F. Deering Middle School. The paved trail goes for about a mile north following the Pawtuxet River. A...
The Southwick Rail Trail extends from the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line north to the Westfield town line and connects to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. Along the way, it travels through...
The Phenix-Harris Riverwalk, a short trail built on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, connects West Warwick and Coventry, two towns on the outskirts of Providence. The dirt...
The Hartford Riverwalk is a charming network of paved pathways for cyclists and pedestrians that runs along the banks of the Connecticut River through the state capital. The trail provides an off-road...
The pleasantly tree-lined Warren Bike Path, built along the former Warren-Fall River Railroad, runs just under a mile from Long Road west to the Kickemuit River. The trail ends in an 18-acre park...
The Massachusetts Central Railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, but the 104-mile corridor is being reborn as a cross-state rail-trail. Currently, nearly 50 miles from Boston to Northampton...
At the turn of the 20th century, Groton & Stonington Railway Company began to move passengers between Groton to Mystic via electric trolleys. But in 25 years, the line had been discontinued due to...
Imagine a wealthy 19th-century textile mill owner building an 8-mile railroad to get coal to his plant or products to market, and then adding accommodations to carry vacationers to beach resorts or...
The Qunnipiac Linear Trail is an easy multipurpose path in Wallingford, Connecticut. The trail skirts Community Lake while traveling a heavily wooded corridor along the Quinnipiac River. It is one of...
The Windsor River Trail is a paved trail along the Connecticut River in Windsor Meadows State Park. The trail begins at the state park’s parking lot on E Barber St. The Captain John Bissell Trail,...
The Cheney Rail Trail follows part of the corridor of the South Manchester Railroad, built by the Cheney brothers in 1869. The line was a 2.5-mile spur from the main Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill...
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The Trolley Trail runs through Plainfield and is a key link the East Coast Greenway. Plans are to use this trail as a link between the Moosup Valley State Park Trail and the Airline State Park...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
The Putnam River Trail extends between Arch Street in the Putnam District and Providence Street to the south. The trail follows the east bank of the Quinebaug River between the river and Kennedy...
Imagine a wealthy 19th-century textile mill owner building an 8-mile railroad to get coal to his plant or products to market, and then adding accommodations to carry vacationers to beach resorts or...
The Chicopee Center Canal Walk offers a short pleasant route in Chicopee, a small city on the outskirts of Springfield in southern Massachusetts. The pathway closely follows the slow-moving canal and...
The overall goal of the Grand Trunk Trail in south-central Massachusetts is to connect the communities of Brimfield, Sturbridge, and Southbridge by trail. Currently, two sections of the trail are...
The West Warwick Riverwalk is located in a park just behind West Warwick High School and John F. Deering Middle School. The paved trail goes for about a mile north following the Pawtuxet River. A...
The Phenix-Harris Riverwalk, a short trail built on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, connects West Warwick and Coventry, two towns on the outskirts of Providence. The dirt...
The Massachusetts Central Railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, but the 104-mile corridor is being reborn as a cross-state rail-trail. Currently, nearly 50 miles from Boston to Northampton...
Ten Mile River Greenway, named for the waterway it parallels and not its length, runs 3 miles through a serene and green corridor connecting the City of East Providence and Pawtucket. The southern end...
This 5.8-mile trail is part of the planned East Coast Greenway, an off-road path that will eventually run from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. The Moosup Valley State Park Trail will connect with...
The Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail is a 1.3-mile rail-trail in Meridan, Connecticut. The trail occupies the former railbed of the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad, a 17-mile line which...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
Over 2 miles from start to finish, this U-shaped trail meets both the commuting and the recreational needs of local residents in Middletown. The trail begins on Middle St, marked by a trailhead with a...
The Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway, which will one day run 21 miles along the river, currently has two open segments. The longest stretches 3.7 miles from the Chicopee town line to the South End...
The Bissell name looms large in this part of New England, and has been immortalized in multiple ways, including the Bissell Ferry, the Bissell Memorial Bridge and now, the Captain John Bissell trail,...
First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail define the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the Massachusetts...
The Trolley Trail runs through Plainfield and is a key link the East Coast Greenway. Plans are to use this trail as a link between the Moosup Valley State Park Trail and the Airline State Park...
The World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
A dozen miles west of Connecticut’s capital of Hartford, the Farmington River Trail forms a 16.5-mile arc that connects to the larger Farmington Canal Heritage Trail on both ends. The rail-trail was...
Riverpoint Park sits nestled into a bend of the Pawtuxet River in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The park accommodates the 400-ft arboretum which leads to 1.3-mile riverside path known as the Senator...
The Qunnipiac Linear Trail is an easy multipurpose path in Wallingford, Connecticut. The trail skirts Community Lake while traveling a heavily wooded corridor along the Quinnipiac River. It is one of...
The Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail, which was formally known simply as Quequechan River Rail Trail travels along the northern shore of scenic South Watuppa Pond. The project created a...
Great trail with smooth paved paths and picturesque scenery. path is a bit narrow for side by riding so be careful.
The trail is so boring only 1 biker in the entire trail
Great 14 mile round trip bike ride from the train station. Beautiful scenery with bridges, water and lines with trees. Train station has a nice bathroom and cool inside - historic, has a water fountain and a bathroom.
I went to ride this trail for the first time from New York State. It was fair at best. It’s probably fine for folks who live there and know where to go when the actual trail ends. Being it was my first ride there, I could have used a couple of signs to direct me in the right direction. I got to Collinsville and had no idea where I was going. Finally gave up and went back. It could use a little maintenance along the River where the tree roots break through the pavement. Not impressed.
We spent two days on the trail doing an out and back loop each day as we only had one car. I used a mountain bike; my wife had a Townie Go, with electric assist (both 2" wide tires). The first day we started at East Hampton, road 18 miles north and turned around. Great ride. The surface was cinders, maintained and smooth. There are no bathroom or water facilities. You really feel out in the woods and away from civilization - we saw no sandwich store or stops of any kind. But, a Super day in any case. Don't miss the covered bridge which is at the end of a down hill road adjacent to the trail (about 1.5 miles)
We stayed at the Daniel Rust B&B (cottage) which is well worth it. Very nice garden like yard. Room was clean, bright and good sized. Owners were very friendly. Unbelievable breakfast - better than home. Bikes were very safe kept outside our cottage.
Good food nearby - we went to the Hill top restaurant which was reasonable and offered good choices. It faces west for a very nice sunset.
Next day we started in Lebanon and parked near Kingsley road. Note the route from here has been changed. As you near the Willimantic river you cross a pedestrian bridge. At the end of the bridge the trail splits with the Hop river trail going left and the airline going right. No more dramatic drop off at the river or the remains of a bridge you can't cross.
Taking the Airline trail follow the river till you come to a rail yard. Go straight ahead riding on public streets behind old buildings. Follow Bike Trail signs and painted bike signs on the road (River road I think) till you get to the FROG bridge on Jackson St. Make a left, following the bike trail signs into a parking lot (referred to in the itinerary for day 2 parking) on the right side just past the bridge. Ride along the path away from the Frog bridge, the airline trail picks up at the far end of this parking area (it may be called a Green way on signs - not Airline. For a few miles the path is paved asphalt but then changes back to cinder.
We rode the next part of this trail for about 10 miles till we got to a road crossing with Parker Road. From here the trail became very narrow - single track and was very rough. Basically a combination of dirt with natural stones. It seemed unimproved - no sign of cinders or any serious trail work. We rode this for a mile or so then decided to turn around. Perhaps this was only a short section of nasty trail because the itinerary makes no mention of it.
This was a fun trail with the exception of the last section. The surrounding country side is beautiful and easy to navigate with your car. Food is plentiful and there are lots of antique stores and other neat things to see. This could be a really good ride during the fall foliage season. I'll be back.
From EBBP over mostly dedicated path or protected bike lanes:
Over Washington Bridge thru India Pt Park;
Under I-195 along S. Water St. crossing Wickendon St. onto bike path along Providence River;
Cross Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial (pedestrian) Bridge over river then head west uphill along Ship, Chestnut then Clifford Streets;
Clifford St over I-95 bridge, dogleg right/left onto Friendship St downhill left onto Broad;
Along Broad then right onto Peace St (next to St. Joseph's Med Ctr);
Peace turns into Waverly. Waverly left onto Cranston St.;
Cranston St. (unprotected) under Rte10 then left onto Depot St.;
Arrived!
Brutal…started at the trailhead in Douglas State Forest en route to the finish in Franklin…combo of compacted gravel, sand, asphalt, and river stone….
This trail is listed at 22 miles but my gps had it at 23.9 due to not taking into account the unconnected parts where you need to navigate main roads and streets(Millville 0.6 miles not on the map and Blackstone 1.0 miles not on the map). Start to finish back to start a 48 mile day.
Absolutely NO gain on this trail…you will be peddling for 99% of the ride due to little elevation changes…many erupted stones, fallen trees, and ‘porpoising’ swells along the track…oh and mud…
And there are only 3 locations to egress off if you have any problems along the way(Millville on rte 146a / downtown Blackstone / Bellingham near the Ri border near downtown Woonsocket)…other than that your in no man’s land…
Good point is that the paved greenway in Uxbridge is new and in excellent condition with great views and bridge trusses to cross…however there are trail sections with plenty of gnarly - one bike width only - narrow points to navigate(ie. Bellingham)
My son and I completed this end to end recently. You need plenty of patience as the directions and published maps are a joke…there are 2 areas that are “under construction” and say do not enter - feel free to ignore those…as this part of the trail is rideable but just awaiting a coat of asphalt on top of compacts clay/sand…to bypass would add another 5 miles to the voyage.
The best riders would be hard pressed to finish this coast to coast under 4hrs…you can make up time on the greenway but you will be constantly peddling on this beast of a trail if you wish to complete it…looking for a challenge and punishment this delivers…hydrate and stretch!
This is a well maintained trail. Great for little kids on bikes and walkers of all ages. A perfect example of a rail to trail conversion. There are places near both ends for lunch or a treat. There is no parking lot at the downtown end of the trail, but you could park at nearby O’Gara Field and access it from there.
(1) The continuous asphalt path south from Woonsocket to Central Falls is outstanding except for "missing" signage at Ashton Mills for southbound riders. You must turn right, but without any sign, quite a few cyclists on this trail for the first time, including me, continued straight on the path and wandered around the apartment parking lot and streets until we either looked back and saw bicycles riding from the left, or a kind soul told us to cross the river. There is a sign telling northbound riders crossing the river to turn left. (2) After the separate bikeway ends on the streets of Central Falls, turn signs are missing in both directions. I gave up trying to continue to Pawtucket at the Wyatt Detention Facility, though I am told the "trail" continues past it. There need to be signs at every turn where there is more than one option. It's especially confusing that there are brand new, well-marked bike lanes in Central Falls if you fail to turn left when you were supposed to but didn't know it. However, these lanes stop abruptly, leaving you downtown, blocks away from the trail.
I usually start just part the Farmington River Mini Golf, and head towards Canton. When the route shown ends at the nursery, is there a loop to get back to Farmington and not just go in reverse?Thanks.Dennis
This is my favorite bike path for scenic water views! It’s a long trail, paved, and flat. I suggest parking in between Barrington and East Providence, not at India Park. The ride from India park south for the first few miles is challenging. Bring cash to buy an iced Lemon drink at Dels.
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