Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Longmeadow, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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 Locks. Due...
Paralleling the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders, which lie only a few miles away, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a beautiful paved wooded pathway along the former New York & Harlem Railroad...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
The Stratton Brook State Park Trail presents a great way to work up an appetite for a picnic at Stratton Brook State Park, the first state park in Connecticut to be entirely wheelchair accessible. The...
The Chicopee Center Canal Walk offers a short pleasant route in Chicopee, a small city on the outskirts of Springfield in southern Massachusetts. The pathway closely follows the slow-moving canal and...
The Middlebury Greenway provides a paved, off-road option for a self-propelled journey across suburban Middlebury. The trail touches on several business districts and parks, ending at an amusement...
Built in the 1910s by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) as part of the Connecticut River Division Main Line, the route introduced daily service to the B&M Fort Hill Branch in the early 1920s to meet...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
Throughout history, the Blackstone River has been an important waterway, from its use by American Indians who fished its once-abundant salmon to its role as a major artery for the transportation of...
The North Central Pathway is envisioned as a trail network connecting points of interest through and between Winchendon and Gardner. Several completed sections of trail make for a lovely ride or walk...
It’s hard to pick a favorite season to experience the Hop River State Park Trail, set amid the dense forests of Eastern Connecticut. Sections of the 20-mile rail-trail dive through steep rock cuts...
The Putnam River Trail extends between Arch Street in the Putnam District and Providence Street to the south. The trail follows the east bank of the Quinebaug River between the river and Kennedy...
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
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...
A part of Connecticut's first bus rapid transit line, the CTfastrak Trail serves as recreational and multi-use path for walking and bicycling between Downtown New Britain and Newington Junction. The...
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...
The Southwick Rail Trail extends from the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line north to the Westfield town line and connects to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. Along the way, it travels through...
Open in several disconnected segments, the Billings Trail is a dirt path that traverses a lovely scenic and wooded landscape outside Norfolk in northern Connecticut. Built on the abandoned railbed of...
Coming in at just under 3 miles, the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway is anchored by the towns of Winchester to the north and Torrington to the south. It occupies the right-of-way of the Naugatuck...
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
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...
Coming in at just under 3 miles, the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway is anchored by the towns of Winchester to the north and Torrington to the south. It occupies the right-of-way of the Naugatuck...
The North Central Pathway is envisioned as a trail network connecting points of interest through and between Winchendon and Gardner. Several completed sections of trail make for a lovely ride or walk...
Open in several disconnected segments, the Billings Trail is a dirt path that traverses a lovely scenic and wooded landscape outside Norfolk in northern Connecticut. Built on the abandoned railbed of...
It’s hard to pick a favorite season to experience the Hop River State Park Trail, set amid the dense forests of Eastern Connecticut. Sections of the 20-mile rail-trail dive through steep rock cuts...
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...
A part of Connecticut's first bus rapid transit line, the CTfastrak Trail serves as recreational and multi-use path for walking and bicycling between Downtown New Britain and Newington Junction. The...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
The Chicopee Center Canal Walk offers a short pleasant route in Chicopee, a small city on the outskirts of Springfield in southern Massachusetts. The pathway closely follows the slow-moving canal and...
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The Rockville Spur, a section of Vernon Rails-to-Trails, is a stone-dust rail-trail stretching 4.2 miles into the heart of historical Rockville. The trail begins on Warren Avenue in Vernon, but you’ll...
This 5.8-mile trail is part of the planned East Coast Greenway, an off-road path that will eventually run from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. The Moosup Valley State Park Trail will connect with...
The Air Line State Park Trail winds nearly 55 miles from the northeast corner of Connecticut, where the state borders Massachusetts, down to East Hampton in the heart of the state. The pathway is...
The Middlebury Greenway provides a paved, off-road option for a self-propelled journey across suburban Middlebury. The trail touches on several business districts and parks, ending at an amusement...
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 Locks. Due...
Paralleling the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders, which lie only a few miles away, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a beautiful paved wooded pathway along the former New York & Harlem Railroad...
The Westville Lake Community Trail offers a short, scenic excursion along the east bank of Westville Lake in Southbridge. Much of the crushed-stone pathway is under a lush tree canopy. Along the way,...
The Southern New England Trunk Line Trail (aka the "SNETT") was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1994. It is built upon a segment of the former right-of-way of the New Haven Railroad's...
The Larkin State Park Trail meanders 10.8 miles through the woods and around the lakes and low hills of southwestern Connecticut. The rail-trail follows the route of the New York & New England...
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...
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail offers just over 2 miles of paved, tree-lined pathway through Westfield in southwestern Massachusetts. The trail runs from Main Street, across the Great River Bridge...
The Railroad Ramble occupies a corridor abandoned by the Central New England Railroad, which provided service from 1871 through 1967. In Lakeville, the trail can be found just off of Route 41 behind...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
The Southern New England Trunk Line Trail (aka the "SNETT") was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1994. It is built upon a segment of the former right-of-way of the New Haven Railroad's...
The Stratton Brook State Park Trail presents a great way to work up an appetite for a picnic at Stratton Brook State Park, the first state park in Connecticut to be entirely wheelchair accessible. The...
Paralleling the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders, which lie only a few miles away, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a beautiful paved wooded pathway along the former New York & Harlem Railroad...
A part of Connecticut's first bus rapid transit line, the CTfastrak Trail serves as recreational and multi-use path for walking and bicycling between Downtown New Britain and Newington Junction. The...
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...
The Rockville Spur, a section of Vernon Rails-to-Trails, is a stone-dust rail-trail stretching 4.2 miles into the heart of historical Rockville. The trail begins on Warren Avenue in Vernon, but you’ll...
The Putnam River Trail extends between Arch Street in the Putnam District and Providence Street to the south. The trail follows the east bank of the Quinebaug River between the river and Kennedy...
It’s hard to pick a favorite season to experience the Hop River State Park Trail, set amid the dense forests of Eastern Connecticut. Sections of the 20-mile rail-trail dive through steep rock cuts...
The Larkin State Park Trail meanders 10.8 miles through the woods and around the lakes and low hills of southwestern Connecticut. The rail-trail follows the route of the New York & New England...
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...
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
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The Trolley Trail runs through Plainfield and is a key link the East Coast Greenway. Plans are to use this trail as a link between the Moosup Valley State Park Trail and the Airline State Park...
The Middlebury Greenway provides a paved, off-road option for a self-propelled journey across suburban Middlebury. The trail touches on several business districts and parks, ending at an amusement...
Open in several disconnected segments, the Billings Trail is a dirt path that traverses a lovely scenic and wooded landscape outside Norfolk in northern Connecticut. Built on the abandoned railbed of...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
The North Central Pathway is envisioned as a trail network connecting points of interest through and between Winchendon and Gardner. Several completed sections of trail make for a lovely ride or walk...
Built in the 1910s by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) as part of the Connecticut River Division Main Line, the route introduced daily service to the B&M Fort Hill Branch in the early 1920s to meet...
September 5 2019. Best Rail to trail we have ridden on. We started at the parking area in Hamden and went north 12 miles. Most of the trail was smooth as fresh tar. We almost did not do this trail because of the reviews but they were wrong. If you like smooth riding and well marked, this is the trail for you
This trail was nice. We found parking at the rotary park lot. There were outhouses at this lot. Another parking lot was across from the Pall Corporation. It is busy with street sounds near the downtown area but it quiets down as you continue. We did not do the whole trail- we actually were on foot to see what it was like. We will go back on the bikes later. I wish that the shrubbery by the river was cut; I would have liked to see more of a view. There is a dog park at one end of the rt we saw as we drove by. Since we didn’t do the whole walk my question was if it circles around on the other side of the river or if it is a there and back walk
The bridge over the Willimantic River is now done and looking great. The Hop River Trail from the bridge has been bushed back and is easily passible to Flanders Road. Follow Flanders St to the 1st left and get back on the Hop River Trail. Last 1/2 mile connection project starts next year and will take 1 1/2 years to finish.
First, I’m 60 years old and ride a hybrid bike about 100 miles a week. Twenty years ago when I was mostly riding a mountain bike, I’d probably have rated it three stars. But based on my current riding, the trail is a complete waste of time.
The trail has many areas of loose sand, patches of mud (even though it hasn’t rained in days), three or four areas where you have to walk your bike, and is extremely narrow in parts. I’d say the trail is poorly marked, but that implies it is marked, just poorly. The reality is it essentially has no markings.
If you plan on walking it, it’s fine, but it’s nothing more special than 500 other walking trails in the state.
If you want a great dirt trail through the beautiful Connecticut woods, try the Airline Trail or Hop River trails - far better than Larkin.
Date: Thursday August 29, 2019, afternoon
Weather: Beautiful, 78-82 F, few light clouds, low humidity
I rode the southern section of the trail and enjoyed it thoroughly. My 26x1.50 tires handled the unpaved, but very smooth and hardpacked surface quite easily. There are some rough and soft spots as with any trail paved or unpaved, but even with rain the night before, it was all easy. There is a LONG slight incline up to East Hampton. And in East Hampton village there are all the food and drink places you need as well as AirLine Cycles, a bike shop with nice, helpful staff glad to talk to visitors such as myself, who drove 3 hours from my home to ride this trail. (I am a trail collector.)
This is a forest trail, puncutated by ponds and streams, with one or two expansive views. At every road crossing there are parking areas. I imagine it must be heavenly spectacular in the autumn when the leaves have turned their glorious colors, and also much farther vista views. It's a great trail to ride at least once anytime. Now I have to back and do more of it since I only saw about 13 miles, making a 25-mile round trip.
I enjoyed the waterfalls and there were some challenging hills. I wish there were more areas to stop and enjoy shops or restaurants. There are a couple of parks. All in all not a bad bikeway.
Watch for poor signage and dangerous conditions from Douglas into 146Bring tools because the rough areas will beat up your bike Check for tics oftenDo not trust the map to be the best route through the gaps.
I love the I-384 bike trail, but I have a concern. The stop ahead signs are way too close to the actual stop sign. With a 21 speed bike, an going down some down-grades there isn't enough time to prepare to stop, especially Westbound between exit 5 and Rte. 85. But they all need to be moved back at least 40 feet. Otherwise, I love the trail!
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Weather upper 80's F, humid. Slightly cloudy.
This is a very nice trail for riding or walking. The surface is good, the scenery spectacular, no food or drink stands. There is only one "hill" as the path goes up a bridge over the railroad tracks. Not bad. There are 2 road crossings near bridges and the crosswalk signal is not long, favoring non-drivers. I even rode back and forth on the 2 auto bridges to extend my ride a bit further with more river scenery and they are nice too. Definitely worth a visit to the CT Riverwalk. Springfield seems like a nice city and they have this nice amenity. It also host the basketball hall of fame museum for sports fans.
You can combine this trail with the Windsor Locks canal trail on the west side of the river, which is about 5 miles long. It's about a 15-20 minute drive between each trail. I enjoyed both on the same day.
Warning : don't trust the parking lot addresses on Traillink. If you are driving further than half an hour always bring several addresses to try.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Weather upper 80's F, humid. Slightly cloudy.
I drove 2.5 hours last year to arrive here at a trail closed due to insurance problems. Grrrr....
This year it was great. A nice parking lot at either end, the trail between is a nice mix of sun & shade, seclusion and water views. Yes, the asphalt trail can be a bit bumpy, but it is still better than unpaved. I have to admit, the best time to view this trail would be in the autumn when the leaves are at peak color, or after they have fallen for the best views everywhere. But it is worth a visit. You can combine this trail with the Connecticut River Walk in Springfield, MA, which is a bit shorter, but rightr along the river and very nice. It's about a 15-20 minute drive between each trail. I had a wonderful day doing both trails.
Warning: some of the trail photos are not from the Windsor Locks trail that I rode 5 days ago. I do not recognize them.
Warning 2: don't trust the parking lot addresses on Traillink. If you are driving further than half and hour always bring several addresses to try.
My wife and I have been using this trail for years primarily for in-line skating. It is a fantastic trail that is extremely enjoyable each time we are there, however we have noticed over the last few years a real deterioration in the sections in Cheshire and Hamden. The wooden bridges are breaking down that is it dangerous to skate over them, due to the holes that are developing. The inevitable tree roots are getting more and more noticeable and need to be addressed before the ruin the trail any further. The trail needs to be swept and blown regularly, as the stones, gravel and branches all over the trail are noticeable and a hazard to both in-line skaters as well as bikers.
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