Find the top rated bike trails in Branford, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Rode October 2026, easy access off 84, beautiful Fall day, scenery is varied, paved surface was flawless.
So I started this trail in Portland, Connecticut, and about 3 to 4 miles into it. It stops at a marsh river area. There is no sign to tell you that it does or what detour to take. You would have to get on the main road to avoid this section. And the way people drive on that road I wouldn’t trust it. From what I heard, they were supposed to build a bridge over this section but said they were waiting for EPA to be involved which was years ago so I would highly recommend that you start in East Hampton for continued access.
Rode Pawley Trailhead to Hopewell Junction and back. Perfect, smooth, clear, pavement. No downed trees . Few easy road crossings, shady throughout. Nice lunch at Daddy Os in Hopewell Junction.
This rider was going Northeast from Willimantic towards Hampton NOT Southwest from Willimantic to East Hampton. Having ridden both stretches I can say his description is completely wrong about the gorgeous and open riding Southeastern route and not completely wrong but somewhat overly harsh about his route which can get iffy for stretches.
Hubby & I went this morning for a trial run with my new e-bike! It was tons of fun!!!!
Mostly cinder. Started from access lot off of RT 7. Shared RT Trail with the Town Of new Milford. Parallels an active track. Good variety of terrain and scenery..
Wonderful trail. Part of the larger Empire State Trailway. This part from Eastview to Baldwin Place is the section I ride the most. Mostly shaded once you're north of Millwood with plenty of spots where you can stop for a bite or veer off for road riding near the reservoirs.
The trail is not accessible for a 3-mile stretch. From Green Haven and then Eastbound is impossible to pass. Trees have fallen down virtually every 50 yards blocking passage. I carried my bike past about 6 trees and each time I saw another tree blocking the trail. I came across a clean up crew that told me the downed trees went all the way to Green Haven. I was 3 miles east of Green Haven when the mess started. There is also debris along the entire section which I was fortunate not to get a flat tire. The cleaning crew told me they have only 4 people and they will try to hire a contractor to clear the trees. There is no way a crew of 4 people could handle this. It would take them months to clean it up. (July 10, 2026)
The Trailways Bridge over the river in Brewster is open, eliminating the on-road detour. The eastern end is currently at the NY/CT line at Farrington Woods (with trail parking) in CT. Long range plans are to develop the CT portion of the RR path to Danbury.
There are far more legit parking areas than currently shown on TrailLink. Services are few and some might seem close lack easy access from route to road. High point is Whaley Lake. The trail is in good condition for it's entire length.
Great ride. First time on a gravel surface and found it pretty easy going with a few rough spots. It rained the night before and early morning, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Trail was damp but no big puddles. I took in 28 miles of the 40 out and back. Will do it again and try to get the whole distance.
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