Madison, CT Cross Country Skiing Trails and Maps

916 Reviews

Looking for the best Cross Country Skiing trails around Madison?

Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Madison, 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.

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Activities
Length
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Type
24 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Air Line State Park Trail

60.3 mi
State: CT
Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

49.1 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Hop River State Park Trail

20 mi
State: CT
Crushed Stone

Kress Family Trail

3.1 mi
State: CT
Dirt

Litchfield Community Greenway

2.5 mi
State: CT
Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Maybrook Trailway

28.6 mi
State: NY
Asphalt

Pequonnock River Trail

14.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Sue Grossman Still River Greenway

3.4 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

CTfastrak Multi-Use Trail

4.4 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Concrete

Charter Oak Greenway

16.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

EPCAL Alternative Transportation Path

9.28 mi
State: NY
Asphalt

Larkin State Park Trail

10.8 mi
State: CT
Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Middlebury Greenway

4.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

New Milford River Trail

5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Shoreline Greenway Trail

4.6 mi
State: CT
Crushed Stone, Dirt

Derby Greenway

1.97 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Dirt

Moosup Valley State Park Trail

5.8 mi
State: CT
Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Norwalk River Valley Trail

12.2 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Accordion

Ridgefield Rail Trail

2.3 mi
State: CT
Gravel

Stratton Brook State Park Trail

1.2 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone

Trolley Trail (CT)

0.75 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Northport Rail Trail

0.75 mi
State: NY
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Air Line State Park Trail winds 60.3 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 nearly...
CT 60.3 mi Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
Closure notice: During the week of July 7th, the FCHT will be closed due to repaving from Copperhill Road to the Suffield line and then from RT. 189 to Floydville Rd. First a canal, then a...
CT 49.1 mi Asphalt
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...
CT 20 mi Crushed Stone
The 3.1-mile Kress Family Trail in Roxbury occupies the former route of the Shepaug Valley Railroad (the Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern Railroad). The railroad was famously known as the “crookedest...
CT 3.1 mi Dirt
The Litchfield Community Greenway runs along the former Shepaug Railway railbed in the Town of Litchfield. Operational from 1878 to 1948, the railroad line ran between between Litchfield and...
CT 2.5 mi Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Maybrook Trailway is a paved multi-use trail stretching across Putnam and Dutchess counties in New York state. The trail, which is owned and was built by Metro North Rail, occupies the former...
NY 28.6 mi Asphalt
Note: ALL Trumbull town parks require permit parking stickers year-round (also noted on the signboards at each park entrance).  Overview  The Pequonnock River Trail is the formal name for this...
CT 14.5 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Just over 3 miles long, the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway is anchored by Winsted to the north and Torrington to the south. It occupies the right-of-way of the Naugatuck Division of the New York,...
CT 3.4 mi Asphalt
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...
CT 4.4 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathways through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
CT 16.5 mi Asphalt
The EPCAL Alternative Transportation Path loops around the 2,900-acre Enterprise Park at Calverton (hence its name: EPCAL) on New York’s Long Island and links to the Town of Riverhead’s 65-acre...
NY 9.28 mi Asphalt
The Larkin State Park Trail meanders 10.8 miles through the woods and around the lakes and low hills of southwestern Connecticut. About the Route Horseback riders use this trail frequently and...
CT 10.8 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The 4.5-mile 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...
CT 4.5 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
When complete, Connecticut’s Shoreline Greenway Trail will be a scenic 25-mile route through four quaint New England towns off Long Island Sound. From Lighthouse Point to Hammonasset Beach State Park,...
CT 4.6 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
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 trail...
CT 4.2 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
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
Running alongside both the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers, the Derby Greenway demonstrates a seamless integration of Connecticut’s natural river systems and parks with man-made interventions of the...
CT 1.97 mi Asphalt, Dirt
This 5.8-mile trail runs between Moosup and the Rhode Island/Connecticut border. Wide and flat, this rail-trail is suitable for riders of all levels. The surface is a mix of paved asphalt and granular...
CT 5.8 mi Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel
When completed, the Norwalk River Valley Trail will run from Danbury to Long Island Sound in southwestern Connecticut, for a total of about 27 miles. Currently, several disconnected sections totaling...
CT 12.2 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Accordion
The Ridgefield Rail-Trail meanders for nearly 2.5 miles through the forested exburbs of Ridgefield, Connecticut. About the Route The trail passes among suburban acreages, along a creek at one...
CT 2.3 mi Gravel
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...
CT 1.2 mi Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone
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...
CT 0.75 mi Asphalt
The Northport Rail Trail runs for 0.75 miles in the suburbs of Northport on Long Island, NY. About the Route The northern end of the Northport Rail Trail is located along Elwood Rd. where a...
NY 0.75 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Recent Trail Reviews

EPCAL Alternative Transportation Path

great trail

July, 2025 by peter330

Great trail for riding. No MVs.

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

Quick notice: July 7 - 13: Section will be closed

July, 2025 by andrix

Beginning perhaps 2 miles north of the Simsbury Airport and continuing north for at least a few miles the trail will be closed for construction (looks like repaving + ?). I was on this trail yesterday and the "Will Be Closed" signs are abundant.

Air Line State Park Trail

Beautiful seclusion

June, 2025 by robert.richter89

I rode 20.5 miles of the southern section of the Air Line Trail from East Hampton to Willimantic on a very hot day in June. This section of the Air Line Trail offers gorgeous scenery, peaceful seclusion and a tightly packed gravel surface that is in very good condition throughout. Despite the heat the trail is very shaded which provided much needed relief from the sun. There are a fair amount of road crossings, most are very small, quiet roads and all of the busier roads have warning lights that can be activated to let motorists know you are crossing.

The only two small complaints I have is there is a lack of signage along the trail. There is one very short on road section that I almost missed getting back on the trail due to there being no signage, I just rightly assumed the small unmarked path on the road was the way to get back on the trail. The gates at the road crossings are on the narrow side which can make navigating through the road crossings difficult. I feel these two issues do not at all detract from what this section of the Air Line Trail has to offer.

Accordion

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

Completed through New Haven

June, 2025 by tswetts

I just rode the trail from Cheshire to New Haven Harbor. It gets confusing because of the lack of signage once you go under the Temple St Garage in New Haven. You get dumped out into a street and don't know where to go. The trail is on the road or sidewalk depending on what you prefer. Take a left onto Grove St. continue to the end and take a right onto Olive ST. Follow Olive St. to the end and pick up the trail again on Water St. Cross Brewery ST and take a right to continue on Brewery. Brewery changes to Sargent Drive. Take a left to go under I95 and the water will be in front of you. If you take a right and continue down for a little, along the water's edge, you will find dozens of food trucks to buy lunch before a return trip. It was well worth the trip.

Hop River State Park Trail

Great place for a ride, scenery, and history

May, 2025 by traillink.qmsck

I recently rode this on a cool day in May from Manchester to Willimantic and back, so right at 40 miles. The trail is well-maintained and foot/bike traffic was light, even though it was a holiday weekend. Very scenic for long stretches and low elevation gain. I rode a gravel bike with 45 mm tires. On a road bike with reasonable tires, this should be do-able (I saw a couple of them), but there is one rough section of about 100ft (30m) where you would need to walk. There is also one underpass that is dark enough to use a headlight...but it's passable if you slow down. There are a number of places to read about the history of the rail line, as well as a few locations with fix-it stations with bike tools and air pumps.
One final tip: Google maps takes you to an intersection on Colonial Road for the Manchester trailhead...the parking lot has a tiny sign that is easy to miss.

Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail

Saw 2 Deer on Trail!

May, 2025 by mx546x87dm

This morning May 25, 25 we saw a doe and larger buck between east of Old Town Road.

Moosup Valley State Park Trail

Great Little Trail!

April, 2025 by 9q8skpdwwc

I rode the Moosup Valley Rail Trail a few days ago from Moosup to Oneco. The trail is in excellent condition all the way, and beautiful! I rode 34mm knobbies, but would have had no trouble on 28 slicks. The only irritants were a guy on a motorized scooter in Moosup and 2 guys on screaming dirt bikes going the other way a bit farther along, but they passed quickly. In Sterling, dirt bikers had dug shallow ruts into a short stretch of path, diagonal to direction of travel, which made it bumpy but not hazardous. Otherwise lovely! I wish Rhode Island would step up to the plate and finish the connector to its Washington Secondary path.

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

A few signs hold it back from five stars

April, 2025 by robert.richter89

I rode the entire northern section of the Farmington Canal Trail from Plainville into MA on a windy Easter Sunday. The trail itself is fully paved, in very good overall condition (there are a few bumps and cracks but nothing major). Simsbury offers a great stopping off point to get refreshments just a quick turn off from the trail. The scenery changes from light industrial parks, residential, marshes, a little farmland and some nice wooded areas.

I have one complaint that prevents this from being a five star trail. The signage could be better. There are times in the more urban areas that I lost the trail, a quick look at Google Maps got me back on and I never was too lost. There are a few signs that were helpful so just a few more would make this a five star trail.

Cheney Rail Trail

Cheney Trail

September, 2024 by nicoleh742

Hubby and I discovered this trail last fall. We absolutely love it. It's a beautiful hike with all the leaves changing. Great for pets too as it's a pretty flat walk. It's def longer than 1.7 miles though. I love that the leaves are changing we will be frequented this trail alot during this fall season!

Cheney Rail Trail

Cheney Trail

September, 2024 by nicoleh742

Hubby and I discovered this trail last fall. We absolutely love it. It's a beautiful hike with all the leaves changing. Great for pets too as it's a pretty flat walk. It's def longer than 1.7 miles though. I love that the leaves are changing we will be frequented this trail alot during this fall season!

Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail

Great path but the abandoned warehouse is gone so seeing old building aspect gone, and they are not maintaining with the roots pushing up the road

September, 2024 by jrfarrell1991

Great path but the abandoned warehouse is gone so seeing old building aspect gone, and they are not maintaining with the roots pushing up the road

Moosup Valley State Park Trail

What an improvement!

September, 2024 by bopflu

When I attempted this trail in 2022, I called it "the worst ride of my life." I got covered in mud, and the numerous puddles teemed with mosquitos. But what a difference two years made!

The trail has been vastly improved, now offering a highly pleasant ride through Connecticut's Route 14 corridor. It does, however, become rougher shortly after you cross Route 14-A near the Rhode Island state line. I only hope further improvements will be made.

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