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.

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.

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.

started at the southern terminus at rte 63 North of Northfield Mass. and South of Hinsdale. The trail starts across rte 63 from the large parking lot, up on the berm. The trail is in poor condition at this point. The trail is not much more than a unused fire road. A better starting point would be the Hinsdale rail station. My highlight was the Ashuelot Covered Bridge. I returned to my car from that point.

I have found a nice way to link to the Windham Depot to Derry Trail. At the southern end, cross over Rockingham Road onto Seasons Lane and turn left onto Coteville Rd. At the end of Coteville there is a short path through the woods that comes out on Franklin St Ext. Follow Franklin and turn right onto Mitchell Ave. At the end of Mitchell is a path that goes to the Windham Depot.

We rode much of the trail on a tour from the MA/NH line area north of Winchendon, MA to Keene, NH. It's a beautiful, relatively flat route with some great views though high water source areas, ponds and some views of Mt Manodnock then descends along the river into Keene. We were on semi-loaded touring bikes, so jumped off on roads when they paralleled the trail since the surface is a little bumpy. Hybrid or MTB's (as recommend) would be more comfortable, but for those on touring bikes, the direct route through some road less areas is well worth it.

***WARNING! This portion of the trail is challenging. I wouldn't attempt it w/o experience or a wider/gravity tire***

I started at the parking lot on Church St. Ext. It is right next to the Plummer's Landing parking lot, which is the launch site for using the river. You want the lot just past Plummer's Landing.

The trail starts off quite wide and is a very low, grassy area. It is not a well-worn dirt path. However, after approx a half mile the trail suddenly narrows and is a slender dirt line with tall, hip level grass and brush.

There are several sections with lots of very large tree roots and deep ruts in between them. There are also lots of large rocks that create issues for your pedals. You definitely need to evaluate pedal height and position to get through spots and avoid damaging your bike.

Good elevation changes at some points. Some areas were too steep to ride up. Other parts were right against the edge of the river with little to no room for error. A few deep holes were also washed out in the middle of the trail.

I'll also add that there are two bridges that are not bike friendly. There are steps at both ends, so you need to pick-up your bike.

This "greenway" section ended at E. Hartford Ave in Uxbridge, right across the street from Tri-River Health Center. All things considered, I successfully completed this portion of the trail, but it was really difficult. If I had known how it was, I would not have attempted it solo or w/o wider tires. Now you know too. For you "fat tire" folks, have a blast!

I started on a very warm day, at the parking lot on Glenwood Rd. in Rutland. This trail matches the description perfectly! Beautiful, well-shaded ride and that is pretty continuous. I learned Rutland is the higher point of the ride, so all my work was on the way back from Oakham. But, it was very manageable and well worth the 16+ miles roundtrip.

I wanted to love the Manhan Rail Trail, but it fell short of my expectations. I went on a Monday and it was fairly crowded. Obviously, covid. But still, lotsa people. The trail head wasn't that easy to find, but some people guided me well. The trail head is right under a bridge where some homeless people have set up their campsite. It was sad. I think I took some of that with me while I rode. But when I got to the other, shorter fork of the trail, there was bridge construction and they wouldn't let me through so I couldn't finish that spur. Bummer. The trail goes through some nice forest, but also some pretty nasty, toxic looking places. It's definitely a well worn paved trail, but I'll pass on it next time.