Bristol, CT Fishing Trails and Maps

1337 Reviews

Looking for the best Fishing trails around Bristol?

Find the top rated fishing trails in Bristol, whether you're looking for an easy short fishing trail or a long fishing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a fishing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
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14 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

49.1 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Farmington River Trail

16.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Grand Trunk Trail

6.9 mi
State: MA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Hartford Riverwalk

1.7 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Manhan Rail Trail

9.5 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Mass Central Rail Trail

56.36 mi
State: MA
Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Putnam Trailway

11.8 mi
State: NY
Asphalt

Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail

1.3 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway

7.8 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

New Milford River Trail

5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Niantic Bay Boardwalk

1.1 mi
State: CT
Boardwalk, Concrete, Gravel

Naugatuck River Greenway

7.4 mi
State: CT
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
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...
CT 49.1 mi Asphalt
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...
CT 16.5 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
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...
MA 6.9 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
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...
CT 1.7 mi Asphalt
The Manhan Rail Trail, well integrated into the local communities it serves, offers a pleasant ride or stroll. It conveniently weaves together parks, community points of interest, neighborhoods, and...
MA 9.5 mi Asphalt
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. The Mass Central Rail Trail runs for 36.36 miles from...
MA 56.36 mi Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The old New York Central rail line that ran from the Bronx to communities north of the city in Westchester and Putnam Counties carried commuters during the workweek, but on the weekends, tourists...
NY 11.8 mi Asphalt
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...
CT 1.3 mi Asphalt
The William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail—named for the Dutchess County executive who championed it—is a treasure in New York's Hudson Valley region. The 13.8-mile trail runs through what seems...
NY 13.8 mi Asphalt
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...
MA 7.8 mi Asphalt
The first phase of the New Milford River Trail runs southeast from Gaylordsville via the scenic but lightly traveled River Road, through Sega Meadows to Boardman Bridge, a distance of about 5 miles....
CT 5 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Bookended by beaches and offering gorgeous vistas of Niantic Bay, the Niantic Bay Boardwalk is a must-do excursion in the small Connecticut village of Niantic, part of the larger Town of East Lyme....
CT 1.1 mi Boardwalk, Concrete, Gravel
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...
CT 5.4 mi Asphalt
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 7 miles. The...
CT 7.4 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Hop River State Park Trail

Truly Amazing

September, 2025 by mtheis.45

Was visiting the area and am so happy I got my gravel bike out to do this trail. As others have mentioned, it is very, very well maintained and quite smooth, enabling fast riding (I rode the entire trail as listed). As a former rail, this trail has nice and gradual elevation changes and has cool features like the tunnels and bridges. I'd highly recommend and hope to be back for another spin soon.

Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail

Nice Biking spot for a 10-ish mile ride

September, 2025 by mtheis.45

Had a great evening bike ride out at the Windsor Locks Canal trail earlier this month (Aug, '25). The trail is paved, and as others have mentioned, it is not super smooth in some areas where the tree roots are pushing the asphalt up but can be navigated pretty easily. I was riding my gravel bike setup with 42mm tires and was able to go quite fast - averaging 15mph on the ride so it really was not that beat up / bad.

The scenery on the river is very nice, and the canal on the other side was also fun - lots of wildlife to see. Would recommend if in the area!

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

Rode the entire trail…

September, 2025 by willipar

Rode the entire Farmington Canal Heritage Trail as part of a 2 day ride from Northampton to New Haven. What a fabulous experience! So much variety and New England splendor packed into one journey. It was very interesting to see how each of the towns maintained the trail differently. Everything from the paving to the signage changed as you moved from one village to the next. What an amazing treasure!

Accordion

Columbia Greenway Rail Trail

Beautifully Designed and Maintained

September, 2025 by willipar

A pleasure to ride!

Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway

River trail

August, 2025 by dawgpound99

Short for bike, nice views, benches and even a real train.

Mass Central Rail Trail

A Delightful Ride on The Norwottuck Section

August, 2025 by gettinlate

June 6th 2025
The Mrs and I rode this beautiful trail from North Hampton to just short of Belchertown, and back.
The weather was great and the trail is mostly shaded, so the ride was superb.
I'd have no objection to doing it again.

Air Line State Park Trail

Willimantic to East Hampton - Just AWFUL!

August, 2025 by geminird

The claim of this being a 61 mile trail is very deceptive. Almost 40 miles of this trail is nearly unrideable except for mountain bikes (and even that would be unpleasant). We are experience riders and were on hybrid bikes with wide tires and front suspension. And while our plan was to cycle 40 miles from Willimantic to E. Hampton, we only did the first 10 mile section from Willimantic to James L. Goodwin State Forest.

The trail started out as just OK, but deteriorated in less than 2 miles. After crossing S. Brook Rd, the trail the trail was extremely gnarly and super overgrown. When we reached Goodwin State Forest, we were so happy to bail out and call it quits! Luckily, we had a SAG vehicle with us so we weren't forced to cycle back over the same awful trail.

Be warned, the entire trail we rode from Willimantic to Goodwin Forest was large, loose gravel, and the scenery is incredibly boring. There are places where the trail is extremely rough. At S. Brook Rd. the trail becomes unrideable, expect by maybe some die-hard mountain bikers. We used our SAG van to pop into other points along the trail from Goodwin to E. Hampton the trail only seemed to get even worse.

Honestly, just a really unpleasant ride.

Air Line State Park Trail

A Fabulous, Friendly, and Easy Trail !!!

August, 2025 by pedego2015

We (5) Friends Have Biked This Trail in It’s Sections from E. Hampton to Willimantic for Many Years. We Have Always Considered it to be 4-5 Star Rated, (For a Gravel Trail). Since 2015, We Have Switched to E-Bikes which makes the Trail 3x more FUN !! Having the Best of Both Sun & Shady Sections, It Has Only One small Section of about 300’ Near the Start leaving E.Hampton Where it’s sandy & .Loose

Harlem Valley Rail Trail

Rural trail with outstanding surface

August, 2025 by andrix

Parked at northern end just S of Orphan Farm Rd, NY; Trail surface is outstanding including numerous portions of elevated sections over wetlands. Did not see much in the way of wildlife. Quite rural with the 1st p potty 10 miles south; Turned back at Millerton; Shade 50% or so.

Maybrook Trailway

The Weeds Are Gone

August, 2025 by robertgerry

I just rode the trail today and the weeds mentioned in a previous review have now been mowed and the tree leaning across the trail near Whaley Lake has been cut. The trail is now in excellent condition with none of the typical rail trail root bumps encountered today. BobG.

North Shore Rail Trail

Love the trail, but.............

August, 2025 by pawerfel

Great trail, ride it frequently with my wife. Good workout for 22 miles. Main issue is not the road crossings; we ride many trails with more crossings than this, but on those, the towns take down the brush and you can see cars approaching the intersections. On this trail, you pretty much have to stop and inch out into the road to see these cars, many of whom are not "impressed" by the flashing yellow lights that you need to push a button for. Many drivers are looking at their phones rather than the road these days. You must appraoach these intersections as if you are invisible. Be safe

Maybrook Trailway

Great Ride!

July, 2025 by douglas.klion

A friend and I did this ride today starting from Brewster to Hopewell Junction, continuing on the Dutchess Rail Trail for ~4 miles and back. The ride was excellent, a little over 50 miles with a gradual decent (~10 miles) on the way to Hopewell and ascent back. The trail was very smooth, there were a couple of spots on the Dutchess side that had growth into the trail and one downed tree blocking the way.

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