Connecticut Birding Trails and Maps

856 Reviews

Looking for the best Birding trails around Connecticut?

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

City Trails and Maps in Connecticut

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Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
41 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Air Line State Park Trail

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

Bloomfield Greenway Multi-Use Trail

1.8 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Branford Trolley Trail

0.6 mi
State: CT
Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Cheney Rail Trail

1.7 mi
State: CT
Crushed Stone

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

48.9 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Farmington River Trail

16.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Hanover Pond Trail

1 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Hartford Riverwalk

1.7 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

Pequonnock River Trail

14.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Quinebaug River Trail

4.8 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail

1.3 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Sue Grossman Still River Greenway

3.4 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Windsor River Trail

0.8 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

CTfastrak Multi-Use Trail

4.4 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Concrete

Captain John Bissell Trail

4.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Charter Oak Greenway

16.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

G & S Trolley trail

1.6 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Accordion

Larkin State Park Trail

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

Mattabassett Trolley Trail

2.9 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Middlebury Greenway

4.5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

New Milford River Trail

5 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Niantic Bay Boardwalk

1.1 mi
State: CT
Boardwalk, Concrete, Gravel

Putnam River Trail

2 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Quinnipiac Linear Trail

2.1 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Gravel

Railroad Ramble

1.7 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Dirt, Grass

Savin Rock Trail

1.2 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Concrete

Shoreline Greenway Trail

4.1 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

Ridgefield Rail Trail

2.3 mi
State: CT
Gravel

Stratton Brook State Park Trail

1.2 mi
State: CT
Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone

Billings Trail

3.3 mi
State: CT
Dirt

Naugatuck River Greenway

7.4 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Trolley Trail (CT)

0.75 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Middletown Westlake Area Bikeway

2.2 mi
State: CT
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
Overview 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...
CT 60.3 mi Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
Overview The Bloomfield Greenway Multi-Use Trail currently runs 1.8 miles between Bloomfield and village of Tariffville in the Town of Simsbury. The paved rail-trail passes through woods and fields...
CT 1.8 mi Asphalt
Overview The Branford Trolley Trail is essentially a 0.6-mile footbridge occupying an old bridge along the route of an abandoned trolley track. About the Route The long bridge links nature...
CT 0.6 mi Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Overview The Cheney Rail Trail is a 1.7-mile trail with a crushed stone surface in downtown Manchester. About the Route The trail is mostly shaded and a pleasant walk any time of the year....
CT 1.7 mi Crushed Stone
Overview First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail defines the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the...
CT 48.9 mi Asphalt
Overview 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...
CT 16.5 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Hanover Pond Trail is a mile-long rail-trail in Meriden, Connecticut offering scenic natural escape combined with historical exploration. The smooth asphalt trail is open to a diverse range of...
CT 1 mi Asphalt
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
Overview 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...
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
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
The Quinebaug River Trail exists in two segments in northwest Connecticut. The northern section parallels Park Road and Tracy Road for about 2 miles in an industrial section of Putnam with few trail...
CT 4.8 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
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
The Windsor River Trail is a paved trail along the Connecticut River in Windsor Meadows State Park. The trail begins at the state park’s parking lot on E Barber St. The Captain John Bissell Trail,...
CT 0.8 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 Bissell name looms large in this part of New England, and has been immortalized in multiple ways, including the Bissell Ferry, the Bissell Memorial Bridge and now, the Captain John Bissell trail,...
CT 4.5 mi Asphalt
Overview 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...
CT 16.5 mi Asphalt
At the turn of the 20th century, Groton & Stonington Railway Company began to move passengers between Groton to Mystic via electric trolleys. But in 25 years, the line had been discontinued due to...
CT 1.6 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Accordion
Overview 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...
CT 10.8 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
Where a trolley once ran, now you can too on the south bank of the Mattabessett River. The electrified trolley shuttled passengers from Berlin to Middletown and beyond. The smooth blacktop and an easy...
CT 2.9 mi Asphalt
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...
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
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
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...
CT 2 mi Asphalt
The Qunnipiac Linear Trail is an easy multipurpose path in Wallingford, Connecticut. The trail skirts Community Lake while traveling a heavily wooded corridor along the Quinnipiac River. It is one of...
CT 2.1 mi Asphalt, Gravel
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...
CT 1.7 mi Asphalt, Dirt, Grass
The Savin Rock Trail offers just over a mile of paved pathway along West Haven’s coastline. Along the way, you’ll enjoy picturesque views of Long Island Sound and access to its sandy beaches. The west...
CT 1.2 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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 4.1 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Rockville Spur, a section of Vernon Rails-to-Trails, is a stone-dust rail-trail stretching 4.1 miles into the heart of historical Rockville. The trail begins on Warren Avenue in Vernon, but you’ll...
CT 4.1 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
Overview 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...
CT 1.97 mi Asphalt, Dirt
Overview 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...
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
The Ridgefield Rail-Trail meanders for nearly 2.5 miles through the forested exburbs of Ridgefield, Connecticut. The trail passes among suburban acreages, along a creek at one point, and past a couple...
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
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...
CT 3.3 mi Dirt
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
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
Over 2 miles from start to finish, this U-shaped trail meets both the commuting and the recreational needs of local residents in Middletown. The trail begins on Middle St, marked by a trailhead with a...
CT 2.2 mi Asphalt

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Recent Trail Reviews

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!

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.

Accordion

Air Line State Park Trail

We had a great ride! 6.6 miles. Beautiful day!

September, 2024 by susanmazur13

We had a great ride! 6.6 miles. Beautiful day!

Moosup Valley State Park Trail

Horse

August, 2024 by janeyac1

Love the beautiful trail, but horseback riders should have a manure bag on the horses to catch their droppings. Not fair to others walking the trail.

Moosup Valley State Park Trail

It’s nice!

August, 2024 by revgil

When I first rode this trail in 2012, it was horrible, even though I had a mountain bike. My wife and I just settled on driving over to Coventry, RI to ride; Moosup was next to impossible. But several months ago work began to get it fixed up. What a nice job, with drainage, a new stone-dust surface, and nice fencing. We have ridden trails all over town country, and this is one of the nicest anywhere. Now, if RI will finish the Washington Secondary Trail from Summit to the state line, I could ride all the way to Providence without having to go on the road!

Mattabassett Trolley Trail

What's the point....

August, 2024 by jbarrett01

......of having a trail where there is nowhere to park???

Quinebaug River Trail

southern section has been lengthened a bit.

August, 2024 by seraph101

Southern end of the trail has had about .3-.5 miles of paved section added.
Along the river to Quandock Brook.

Moosup Valley State Park Trail

Open again.

August, 2024 by seraph101

There is still some work being done. mostly placing fencing. but, the surface is finished, and the trail is open. Public making use of it again.

Mostly stonedust, with a few paved sections. New signage/crosswalks for road intersections. signs, no blinking lights.

new parking. 3 new lots.
A new parking lot has been added to the corner of Railroad ave and Spring lake rd, just off 14 and 14a in sterling, towards the "end" of the trail, at the ct state line.

A parking lot has been added on industrial park rd, in sterling, up the big field, next to the trail.

Another small parking lot added to Barber hill road, off n main st, across the river next to the trail in Moosup.
the .7m paved section from the start to Barber hill rd is unchanged.


2 park bench locations.
one off Main street in sterling. the north west side, next to Weidele's pizza and pub. (which recently moved from rt 14 to here).
another next to the "rainbow bridge", off the new Babcock rd access.

The project was 3.85million.
Major work done to fix drainage. The vast majority of which does seem solved. Theres a couple places with some problems still. (particularly about .5miles east from rt 14 in sterling, towards babcock/providence rd). some runoff, and one large puddle still.

The bollards blocking the bridge over the moosup river between sterling and moosup, .3 from sterling have been removed. This section is now wheelchair/stroller/bike carriage friendly.

The bollards for the rainbow bridge over Providence road have not been removed. the clearance is 36". (note, the north east side of the trail is only 34". the right side, coming from the paved section. the left side is 36")
plan accordingly.
Bypass is not quick and easy. From moosup, turn up Babcock road access, then right/south onto Providence road, go under the bridge, down to 14A/plainfield pike. Turn left/east on 14a, continue to taking a left onto railroad ave. up to the new Railroad ave trail access.
14a is a fairly heavy use road with little to no shoulder.

The .5mile paved section from Spring lake rd, to the bridge over Providence rd has also been repaired, with pavement.

Official renovations end at 14a, and the state line.

Atvs and dirtbikes are already tearing up the trail... hoping regular foot/bike traffic gets them to stop. not sure who to call, state police, or deep.


The section from RI state border to paved Washington secondary bike path is getting worse.
from ct/ri State line to Lewis farm road its dirt.
heavy use from ATVS/dirt bike is creating moguls and puddles. its still possible to go around, but is getting less fun and manageable every year.
The levee/valley for Carbunkle pond is very soft sand. roadbikes/strollers/wheelchairs beware. get off and walk, and/or try to go on the grass to the north side of the trail. a huge washout at the trail to carbunkle pond.

from lewis farm road, to hopkins hollow rd is railroad grade gravel. perpetually wet. a very large puddle at the entrance of hopkins hollow rd.

from hopkins hollow rd, to log bridge road/summit general store/102. dirt/gravel, and moguls, moguls moguls. past the wind turbines, there is also a large puddle that can be bypassed by going up into the woods.
also a few trees down.

Best to just bypass this section, if on roadbike or all terrain. if coming from Washington secondary, head north up log bridge road, then west on 117. take the right in Green, staying on 117. at Lewis farm road(a dirt road), you have a choice, take it to the trail, and do the slightly rough section between lewis farm rd, and 14a. Or, just stay on 117, continue to 14, taking a left onto it, and continue to 14a, taking a left onto 14a. 14a to the trail again. Renovated section.

Norwalk River Valley Trail

Two Trails

July, 2024 by z4g9gshqpr

These are really 2 separate trails with a variety of surfaces and a bit of street riding. The Norwalk trail is mostly asphalt going north from the sound while the trail in Wilton has about half going through a wooded area with pea gravel. This is the most enjoyable spot to ride as the other half of the Wilton trail dies out north of town on Route 7 with nothing around. If they were ever able to connect the two routes you would have something.

Charter Oak Greenway

parts are great

July, 2024 by rn28wc7n8y

Manchester towards Hartford is great for a few miles. Then it gets a little dicey and unpleasant. You’re forced onto sidewalks through busy neighborhoods and alongside a highway with only a jersey barrier between you and reckless drivers.

Sue Grossman Still River Greenway

B bear aware

July, 2024 by willthegreat

Twice this week I saw a bear x the trail near the USA transfer station.
Also saw two women digging up poppies! That's a no no!
The extended trail that ends by the motor vehicle bldg has beautiful poppies and other ornamentals! Well done you guys!

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