I'm reviewing the Southwick Rail Trail and Colombia Greenway Trail together as I rode up from the Farmington Canal trail and didn't see where one ended and the other began.

The two trials are smooth, relatively scenic, well-marked, avoid too many road crossings (especially nice when in a neighborhood), and are a pleasant ride for any skill level.

The Southwick Rail Trail is good in that it seamlessly connects on either end to other trails such that one could got for a metriccentury including it.

I wish I could give this 4.5 stars.

It is really two separate trails with a five-mile gap. I rode both sections. The bottom section was slightly nicer and might have squeaked out 5 stars on its own.

Most of the trail is shady and scenic. the pavement is generally smooth but a few roots. However, in the northern section it is not really well-marked and a bunch of times I needed to pull out my GPS, either to guess which way to go at a fork or as the poor marking meant I went off trail. The lower section has a part in northern New Haven where it is not kept up as well and there are lots of road crossings.

My wife and I tried this trail because it is a fairly short drive to Hoosick Falls. It is NOT your typical bike trail. It is gravel (hard packed crushed stone) but not difficult to ride on. We parked in a lot in town at the middle of the trail, rode north which was very nice and not too long. The north end is a bit desolate. We rode back and attempted to continue on the southern part, however it was not marked at all and we could not find any visible "access" point. We eventually made our way through the town and found a sign pointing us toward the trail.
This eventually brought us to the southern end of the trail near some little league ball fields. We rode northward again on gravel for about a mile when the gravel abruptly stopped. We spent 5 or 10 minutes contemplating whether to continue or not. Ahead of us was just grass, but not something that looked like a trail. After about 100 yards it became a mowed grass path which was definitely an old railroad bed, rather high with the river to our left and a ditch to our right. To say the least , it was NOT what we expected. This section was directly behind peoples homes and we were not even sure if we were on a trail at this point. It eventually went under a train bridge and came out where it was not marked at all, a few blocks from where our car was parked. To say the least, we wish we had read a review similar to this so we would have known what to expect. Hopefully this will help to inform someone else in the future.

Once we got to the Sanitation site north of Keene the trail wasn't more then a goat trail. Muddy, rocky narrow, and not very much fun. We turned around. Maybe it would be better from Walpole south.

This was moderate to difficult. But I am in my advanced 50s and over weight. It is 85% uphill, a lot of rocks. Not sure if all the rocks are from hurricane Irene or if it has always been rocky. A hiking stick was helpful for balance. My husband, same age, not over weight found it moderate to difficult, but navigated the rocks much more easily. The falls are incredible! Worth the hike.

Southern section very rough, significant ATV use (officially sanctioned). Washed out slopes can be unsafe with large cobbles, exposed bedrock, and washouts. If you manage to escape the ATVs it's quiet.

I live about 7 miles from the South Londonderry trail head and only wish the trail was better suited for my hybrid bike. The first 3 miles (approx) to the Winhall campground are in bad shape (dirt festooned with rocks, roots, ruts and mud puddles). I don't know when the article summary was written, but I have a different idea of what "well maintained" means. Those with mountain bikes or fat tire bikes should have a much easier time with it though.
The trail ride is sandwiched by a campground road for a couple of miles. It's asphalt, and other than navigating several speed bumps, is an easy ride to another dirt path on the Jamaica side. It's in better shape than the South Londonderry portion. It's not in great shape for riding either but very manageable.
The two dirt path portions follow the contour of the tree lined West River. The view is particularly vivid, particularly in Autumn, and a favorite spot to hike with my dog. As a bike trail though, it needs work.

This was a bike ride from Depot Street in Hinsdale to Keene State College area. Beautiful views of Ashuelot River along ride and several covered bridges. Several old mill buildings in various state of disrepair to look at. The trail from Depot Street to near Riverside Lane in Swansey has good sections of loose gravel with several sections of puddles and mud. This part of the trail is good for mountain bikes and for those that don't mind going through puddles that vary in length from a few feet to over 20 feet long. Some are deep too. A few potholes and gopher holes in this section and one bridge with bad decking boards. I'd rate this first section of the ride a 2. From Riverside Lane up to Keene trail is wide with good gravel base. Easy for most bikes to navigate this. I'd rate this section a 4.

It's a great trail and it would be good to have a map of it but this site is missing quite a bit of the trail.