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Print Friendly MapThe 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 park also offers picnic areas, as well as fishing and swimming on its lake, created by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression when it dammed the brook. A covered bridge accesses the trail midpoint.
About the Route
From the covered bridge, the shaded rail-trail shoots northeast by southwest along the right-of-way of the former Connecticut Western Railroad. Head northeast to take in 1 mile of dense evergreen forest fragrant with pine and hemlock. Ferns carpet the forest floor, and the tree canopy creates a tunnel effect—especially beautiful in winter.
For another option, turn southwest from the covered bridge and cross Stratton Brook Road. From there, the old railroad grade is a paved, but seldom used, road for 1.7 miles, where it enters Massacoe State Forest. Crews once used this corridor to demonstrate fire-control techniques along rail lines.
Connections
At the intersection with Route 309, the trail connects to the 8-mile Farmington River Trail.
Parking for the Stratton Brook State Park Trail is available near the trail's midpoint.
Please see TrailLink Map for detailed directions.
I did this trail after coming up from the Framington River Trail. It is a nice little trail and if you are going to do a Picnic at Stratton Brook park make sure you put your bike on your car and take a nice short ride. Most of it is unpaved and a Street Bike might not work for you. It would be a great trail to take a family ride.
I used this trail to get from the Farmington River Trail to the Simsbury portion of the Farmington Canal Trail. As another reviewer pointed out, it's a little hard to find and not clearly marked. Most of the trail is not paved and I found the trail a tad too bumpy for road bikes. It would be nice if they could possibly pave it and make it a bit more clearly marked so that it could connect seamlessly with the River and Canal trails.
The trail starts on your left just before the school on Rt.309 and is dirt for about a mile and then becomes tar for another mile and after the dam and small pond on the right you can pick it up for almost another mile. The road turns into dirt just before the dam and baseball field. Seems like a house was built as you head west that will cause a detour in getting to Collinsville to make a loop of the two farmington rail trails.
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