Find the top rated birding trails in Bristol, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We enjoyed this short path to cap off the weekend after having ridden in the cape. Loved the train stop building, wish you could go in and read up and see pictures of the history; instead they had picture signs dotting the ride. Also there were some stone benches along the way and a bike shop I’d say at the halfway point. We saw bunnies too.
I give 1 star as a bike trail rating; 4 as a walk. We did this as a walk and that was good. Biking - I would not recommend. Their is sooo much foot traffic a bike Would be a nuisance. On busy days parking can be filled and there is a fee to go to the beach 2018 at least. Walk it the sights are great. We chose to walk back on the side walk adjacent the road so we could see the shops n restaurants
Tuesday July 09, 2019, 5:30 pm.
Weather 88' F, low humidity, very light clouds.
Great weather for riding this great trail. Massachusetts really sets the bar for bike trails. This one has a line down the middle to help the careless riders better their performance. There are benches near view spots with poems and examples of flora and fauna carved into boulders. There are granite mile markers on both poles and pavement stones at the side of the trail. The pavement was very smooth and there are only some slight inclines. Tunnels and bridges, a variety of scenery, this is both a community trail and a destination trail. I drove 2.5 hours for this one and the much shorter Canalside trail a half hour away in Turner Falls, doing both on the same day with a mid-trip visit to the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. All 3 places worth the trip, but now I have to complete the other sections of the Mass Central Greenway. Good job Massachusetts!
Parked at the trail head in Millwood & rode North. Did total 35 miles. 17 1/2 one way.Rode into the Putnam railway,as they run into each other.The trail is very scenic.You ride pass some towns. But is hilly & can be challenging ..for some..There are sections that are bumpy.. (tree roots) a lot are marked..just have to pay attention..There are some road crossing..all & all we had a good ride..but don't think this trail is for everyone,not just an easy flat trail.. We had lunch at the Tazza cafe on Rt 133,near where we parked,it was great. Toward the healthy side,loved it..
We biked south to north from Wassaic to Millertown(?)....a great way to spend the 4th of July on an absolutely beautiful trail having lunch in the diner then turning around and going back...21 miles felt like 5....
very nice 5 mile trail. great for walking. surface is rather bumpy even on my hybrid. can't beat the views. lots of wildlife.
Long Wharf to Yale is partially on-road, busy and tricky. Agreements with landowners have been completed and future construction will eliminate some of the on-road. 2018 trail completions in Cheshire and Southington make the trail continuous for 23 miles.
The remaining section in Southington is scheduled for construction in 2020. The Plainville section is currently in design. Construction could start in 2021. It might be phased, so construction might be complete in 2024 or later. When the Southington section is complete it will be relatively safe to ride on-road across Plainville.
From Northwest Dr on the Plainville/Farmington border the trail goes continuously to Main St Westfield about 34 miles. A few railroad bridges in Westfield have to be rebuilt to complete the trail to the Westfield River
North of the Westfield River the railroad is active. The best on-road routes include hilly and traffic. In Southampton the trail will be on the abandoned railroad right of way, but the right of way has not yet been purchased.
Getting to the trail in Easthampton requires about 10 miles of on-road. The last 7 miles of the trail to Northampton are complete
We love all of Main St, South Windsor, and it's perfect for a bike ride. I recommend starting at the top of Main St rather than by Chapel Rd as suggested here. It's a sample of old New England with lots of well-maintained vintage homes (including the birthplace of Jonathan Edwards), tobacco barns, fields, & farms. The road itself is a very moderate incline, similar to rails-to-trails. The bike trail alongside I291 is also very easy biking. We only had time to go about halfway on that portion before we needed to head back. An absolutely perfect ride!
We rode this trail on 6/16/19 North from the Tait Road parking lot to its end in Newtown and back, approximately 20 miles total. Almost constantly shaded by trees, very removed from highway traffic, felt like I was in the deep woods at many points. Initial section runs along a ridge and you can look down and see the rivers. Some parts are cinder, some paved, some dirt; there were one or two short sections of gravel; you need a hybrid or a mountain bike (no skinny road bike tires). But overall a very nice ride and worth your time! The section near Tait Road had a number of walkers and families with kids; as we got further north it was much less crowded. As noted, there are several points where you have to cross a road or ride on-road for a short section to get to the next part of the trail, so if you're riding with kids please be aware of this. But we found those sections fairly easy to navigate, even though the signage isn't as good as it could be. There are a few small uphills but they're very short ... just about all flat. Nice to have something like this close to our home in Fairfield County!
This is the 1st trail I rode since started biking 7 years ago. It is still one of my favorites. Close to the north end there is a small town with nice restaurants and a surprisingly good small museum displaying local history. It is well worth a visit.
My wife and I have been riding the North County Trailway off and on for about 10 years now. Always enjoyable; passes through several small towns but often through unpopulated areas. Trail continues to the south (South County Trailway) and to the north (Putnam County Trailway), so it's possible to start at the NYC border and bike for 40+ miles on well maintained trails.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_139112_st.jpg)
