Explore the best rated trails in Southbury, CT. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Walkway Over The Hudson and Windsor River Trail . With more than 70 trails covering 552 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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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...
The Naugatuck River Greenway will one day span 44 miles from Torrington to Derby in western Connecticut, but is currently open in a few short disconnected segments totaling just over 5 miles. The...
Offering a picturesque and family-friendly adventure, the Hudson Valley Rail Trail stretches 7.1 miles through hardwood forests, over Black Creek, and under two spectacular stone-arch bridges....
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...
The Kings Park Hike & Bike Trail runs for 1.5 miles between Old Dock Road at Church Street in Kings Park and Nissequogue River State Park. The trail is a town of Smithtown park and follows an...
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 Jones Point Path occupies an abandoned motor vehicle route (old US Route 9W). The path provides bicyclists with a relatively safe bypass to a dangerous section of busy US Route 9W near Bear...
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...
While not a "rail-trail," the Hook Mountain/Nyack Beach Bikeway is a very scenic trail along the Hudson River in Rockland County. The southern half of this trail is flat and runs right along the...
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 Klara Sauer Trail (formerly known as the Beacon Riverside Trail) runs for 1 mile along the Hudson River on the west side of New York's village of Beacon. The trail occupies the same corridor as...
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...
This shared-use path was built as part of the improvement of NY State Route 347 in Suffolk County. SR 347 is a 15-mile arterial between Hauppauge and Port Jefferson, and the trail is envisioned to...
The Savin Rock Trail offers just over a mile of paved pathway along West Haven’s coastline. Along the way, you’ll enjoy picturesque views of Long Island Sound and access to its sandy beaches. The west...
The South County Trailway rolls 14.4 miles through one of the most densely populated parts of New York, but its route through pocket woodlots, parks, and golf courses and along riverbanks makes it...
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...
The former “Old Put” commuter rail corridor that ran from the Bronx to northern bedroom communities in Westchester and Putnam Counties is popular once again, only this time it’s for people riding...
The nicely paved Bethpage Bikeway runs alongside suburban roads for long segments of the route, but it’s much more than a suburban trail. Each on-road suburban stretch is broken up by one of three...
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...
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...
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Built on the former Erie Railroad main line, the 15-mile Heritage Trail runs through the small Orange County towns of Goshen, Chester, Monroe, and Harriman. The shaded trail runs through different...
The Klara Sauer Trail (formerly known as the Beacon Riverside Trail) runs for 1 mile along the Hudson River on the west side of New York's village of Beacon. The trail occupies the same corridor as...
The Larkin State Park Trail meanders 10.8 miles through the woods and around the lakes and low hills of southwestern Connecticut. The rail-trail follows the route of the New York & New England...
When complete, Connecticut’s Shoreline Greenway Trail will be a scenic 25-mile route through four quaint New England towns off Long Island Sound. From Lighthouse Point to Hammonasset Beach State Park,...
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...
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The Rockville Spur, a section of Vernon Rails-to-Trails, is a stone-dust rail-trail stretching 4.2 miles into the heart of historical Rockville. The trail begins on Warren Avenue in Vernon, but you’ll...
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 Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway is a 12-mile linear park that runs from the town of Ossining north to Westchester County's Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill. The trail is built on land...
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 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 Naugatuck River Greenway will one day span 44 miles from Torrington to Derby in western Connecticut, but is currently open in a few short disconnected segments totaling just over 5 miles. The...
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...
The Mohansic Trailway is a rail-trail providing an important link between the North County Trailway and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park. The trailway occupies a short-lived spur of the New...
Running alongside both the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers, the Derby Greenway demonstrates a seamless integration of Connecticut’s natural river systems and parks with man-made interventions of the...
The EPCAL Alternative Transportation Path loops around the 2,900-acre Enterprise Park at Calverton (hence its name: EPCAL) on New York’s Long Island and links to the Town of Riverhead’s 65-acre...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
Tallman Mountain State Park Bike Path is partially paved and bisects the Tallman Mountain State Park. The route provides a motor-vehicle-free way for bicyclists using US Route 9W to connect with...
The Stratton Brook State Park Trail presents a great way to work up an appetite for a picnic at Stratton Brook State Park, the first state park in Connecticut to be entirely wheelchair accessible. The...
The Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail stretches just over 3 miles along Long Island’s north shore. Construction was completed in two phases with the first trail section opening in 2009...
The Ridgefield Rail-Trail meanders for nearly 2.5 miles through the forested exburbs of Ridgefield, Connecticut. The trail passes among suburban acreages, along a creek at one point, and past a couple...
When complete, Connecticut’s Shoreline Greenway Trail will be a scenic 25-mile route through four quaint New England towns off Long Island Sound. From Lighthouse Point to Hammonasset Beach 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 nicely paved Bethpage Bikeway runs alongside suburban roads for long segments of the route, but it’s much more than a suburban trail. Each on-road suburban stretch is broken up by one of three...
The Maybrook Trailway is a paved multiuse trail stretching across Putnam and Dutchess counties in New York state. The trail, which is owned and was built by Metro North Rail, occupies the former...
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...
Built on the former Erie Railroad main line, the 15-mile Heritage Trail runs through the small Orange County towns of Goshen, Chester, Monroe, and Harriman. The shaded trail runs through different...
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 Middlebury Greenway provides a paved, off-road option for a self-propelled journey across suburban Middlebury. The trail touches on several business districts and parks, ending at an amusement...
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...
Paralleling the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders, which lie only a few miles away, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a beautiful paved wooded pathway along the former New York & Harlem Railroad...
The Kings Park Hike & Bike Trail runs for 1.5 miles between Old Dock Road at Church Street in Kings Park and Nissequogue River State Park. The trail is a town of Smithtown park and follows an...
The Air Line State Park Trail winds nearly 55 miles from the northeast corner of Connecticut, where the state borders Massachusetts, down to East Hampton in the heart of the state. The pathway is...
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 Klara Sauer Trail (formerly known as the Beacon Riverside Trail) runs for 1 mile along the Hudson River on the west side of New York's village of Beacon. The trail occupies the same corridor as...
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...
Open in several disconnected segments, the Billings Trail is a dirt path that traverses a lovely scenic and wooded landscape outside Norfolk in northern Connecticut. Built on the abandoned railbed of...
The Old Erie Path reveals spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley as the rail-trail rolls along cliffs that border the river’s western shore. Although fairly short, it joins two other...
At first glance, there’s no evidence that an aqueduct ever existed along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The trail is often a singletrack dirt pathway that winds through communities and trees and...
The 3.1-mile Kress Family Trail in Roxbury occupies the former route of the Shepaug Valley Railroad (the Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern Railroad). The railroad was famously known as the “crookedest...
The Savin Rock Trail offers just over a mile of paved pathway along West Haven’s coastline. Along the way, you’ll enjoy picturesque views of Long Island Sound and access to its sandy beaches. The west...
I recently rode the entirety of the North County Trailway starting in Elmsford and ending at Somers. The entire trail is paved and in perfect condition, no cracks, bumps or tree roots in sight. Starting in Elmsford makes the return trip significantly easier. Given the completion of the Empire State Trail new signage and mile markers have been installed. There are a few towns along the way for food and there were two major trailheads with bike repair stations but no public water or bathrooms that I could see.
I rode on a very hot day but most of the trail is shaded which provided great relief. The on-road sections mentioned in the description have been separated with a guard rail so no riding with traffic. There are a handful of road crossings, some busy, but I found drivers to be very polite. My only criticism is that the scenery is typical rail trail; forests, streams, some farmland and residential areas. All very nice to look at but nothing breathtaking.
Parking for Holmes access is at the Community Center on 292 (not the apartment building on the corner) unless you want to get towed, they aren't very nice about it but can't really blame them.
I have done the trail in sections and I have done the entire loop. I recommend doing the whole loop if you can. The Farmington River Trail is quite scenic and offers a mix of closed paved trail, closed dirt trail, trails through parks, roads, and sidewalks. Along the trail there are plenty of places to stop and relax, shop, eat, even play mini golf, there are views of the river, and open areas. In Collinsville there are places to eat or grab a snack. Simsbury offers plenty of dining choices as well, and not far from the trail is the Drake Hill Flower Bridge. The trail along the river south of Collinsville can get really busy especially on weekend afternoons. Overall a great trail but combining it with the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail section that makes it a loop of just under 30 miles makes it a great ride.
The southern section is beautiful along the river. I rode from Simsbury to the Heritage trail. Cinder part is ok. Had a few problems with signage and luckily had downloaded the trail map. I had to stop Often to make sure I was in the right place
Nice and smooth paved path. Is hilly at certain points. Crosswalks are safe, with pedestrian flashing lights that are supposed to auto activate. 2 or 3 not working properly, 1 or 2 were.
Is clearly a men made trail. Is almost perfectly leveled so you aren’t really dealing with hills. I so people of all ages and types of bike riding the trail without really struggling. There are 2 very small patches around the sought area of the trail that does seem prone to getting nasty with rain. So I would say don’t go the day after rain unless you cool with getting mud on you and your bike. The rest of the trail had plenty of gravel. The south area had bigger gravel, so rougher terrain and more prone to flats if you aren’t careful, but again, on my rode bike I still had no issues at all. Once you reach the first big bridge the trail becomes much more smoother and easier to travel. All in all, I’m very happy with the trail. Very relaxing. Totally covered by trees, besides the small patches where you pass through a town where you can stop and rest and get some food if you want. Totally recommend for anyone. And unlike some other reviews I don’t feel like you need a mountain bike for it.
Took a bike ride up and down the trail and it’s very well done. Well paved and marked. Very well thought out with port-a potties and stop areas. Highly recommend it.
Enjoyable ride overall. Used my road bike with a few friends and had a great ride. Few amenities so pack a lunch and plenty of water. A few scenic spots along the way but rare massive vistas if that’s what you like. If you’re a distance rider you would enjoy since it is shaded nicely and does connect further up for more scenic pieces of the Empire State trail systems
Great trail! From Goshen mile 1.5 and on is a long 2 mile gentle elevation gain. Very shady especially before noon. Can be tricky at spots particularly the awkward 3 road crossings which are very steep on either side. Saw several ppl get off and walk the bike up to the crossings. Otherwise a nice ride.
Our inaugural ride on the Maybrook trailway today. Rode from Lake Tonetta (Town of Southeast Park) in Brewster to Whaley Lake in Patterson and back, about 25 miles.
A real treat to ride on this brand-new trail, part of the Empire State system. The route out from Brewster starts flat and then becomes a very gradual uphill grade to Whaley Lake. Not really anything to be concerned about…very doable, and we enjoyed the gradual downhill for the second half of the ride. The route is very open – since the trail parallels the old (still there) tracks, there’s a feeling of openness – bright sun the entire way. The sections through Lake Tonetta, the “Great Swamp,” and the “Ice Pond” are very picturesque, with occasional view of hills in the distance along with the lake views. The best part is a 2 mile section along Whaley Lake – beautiful views of the lake and some very nice houses on the opposite shore. All in all, a great new trail – and in Fall this is going to be spectacular. A few notes: bathrooms available at Southeast Town Park (start of trail, adjacent to Lake Tonetta). I didn’t see any other bathrooms along the route, haven’t yet explored on-road possibilities e.g. nearby stores at the crossings. Bring sunscreen – very open, lots of sun. The route continues to Hopewell Junction where it picks up another section of the Empire State Trail – lots of info on the web.
Very smooth and safe. Great with kids and beginners. Lots of trees and not too crowded. Highly recommended.
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