Your description is incorrect. It states the trail is in Northwest Connecticut when in fact it is Northeast Connecticut.

Although this trail is not that long, it make a nice addition to riding the Vernon trail. It's a nice quiet ride and a must to experience.

If you park in Bolton State Park to start on the east end of the Charter Oak Greenway you won’t find any markings for the entrance. It actually starts right at the RT44 West highway entrance to the park. So you need to go down into the lot to park and then go back up the entrance ramp to find the beginning of the Charter Oak Greenway, which is not even marked as such though.

Also fair warning to older riders I only went the first five miles west but that portion at least has very little flat areas, almost all of it is uphill or downhill. Heading west, mostly downhill, but heading back east mostly uphill, including one extended relatively steep climb. No problem for younger riders or riders in great biking shape, but pretty difficult for a casual rider.

On the plus side that portion of the trail at least is very well paved with virtually no divots or surface cracks.

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.

The trail is relatively long, is scenic, manages to avoid too many road crossings, is easy to follow without getting confused, doesn't have a ton of cracks in the pavement, keeps crowds relatively low (I rode it on Labor Day) so you aren't stopping every 5 minutes, etc.

I really felt like I could glide along peacefully at a good clip.

The only slight issue was there are a few roots under the pavement that have broken it making mini speed bumps.

Very convenient trail that runs along 384 up though Bolton. Three beautiful bridges cross brooks below. Trees and valley views add to the ambiance. Highly recommend for a fairly easy bike ride.

Found a 20-mile gem on the TrailLink app. Great ride until you hit the 6 1/2 mile mark to the 8-mile mark. It’s all mud and horseshit, but I was able to get through it. The first 6 miles are great for the family after that; advance riders only

I have done the trail four times so far, and it is a great experience. I usually take route 25 up to Monroe, hang a right off of 25 to the park, and park my car there. The last leg of the north end takes you to an abandoned factory, and it’s a little sketchy. I don’t recommend it. But if you take the south route all the way down to Trumbull round-trip at 15 miles it is beautiful. The paths are extensive, and as a bicyclist, you could call out to everyone if you were on their left or right. It’s a very safe and fun trail for the whole family.

The trail surface is beautiful from Pomfret Station southwest toward Chaplin/Hampton, though it gets pretty bumpy after Goodwin Forest/Pine Acres Lake. This section has few road crossings and beautiful farms/ponds along the way. I am curious when the bridge going northwest from Pomfret Station will be open and what the trail surface is like in that direction.