|
| CT State Parks and Forests Main Page |
|
| Park Location |
Hop River State Park Trail
20 mile linear trail passing through six towns in Eastern Connecticut
(Directions) |
|
| Park Contact Information |
Hop River State Park Trail
c/o DEEP Eastern District
209 Hebron Road
Marlborough, CT
06447
(860) 295-9523
|
|
|
 |
| ACCESSIBILITY |
| This park is not handicapped accessible. |
|
| HOURS: |
| The park is open from 8 am to sunset. |
|
| PETS: |
| Pets on a maximum seven foot leash are permitted. | |
|
| STATE PARKS CONTACT INFORMATION: |
| Email: |
| deep.stateparks@ct.gov |
| Telephone: |
(860) 424-3200
(866) 287-2757
(Toll Free in CT) |
| Fax: |
| (860) 424-4070 |
| |
|
Hop River State Park Trail
Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Manchester and Vernon |
 |
This former railroad line is now a trail that winds 20.2 miles through the towns of Manchester, Vernon, Bolton, Coventry, Andover, and Columbia. Like a pathway through time, this serpentine path passes among modern subdivisions and crosses roads, but mostly takes the trail user along a remote, quiet and long unused path through the eastern Connecticut countryside. | Notice: The trail bridge that crosses Route 316 in Andover has been replaced. Enjoy! |
|
|
|
|
 Biking |
 Hiking/Walking |
 Birding |
 Horseback Riding |
 Cross Country Skiing | |
|
|
| Various parking areas along the length of the trail. |
Hop River State Park Trail |
|
|
|
Many parking areas serve this trail.
Manchester
- At the western terminus where the trail meets Colonial Road
Vernon
Church Street has parking for several cars
Roadside parking south of the tunnel on Tunnel Road leads to a path up to the trail.
Valley Falls Park on Valley Falls Road; follow blue blazes to the south
Bolton
- At Bolton Notch State Park. At the junction of Route 44 and Route 6 in Bolton. Heading west on I-384 from Bolton Notch, turn right at end of guardrail and go downhill to parking lot.
- Steeles Crossing Road has parking for several cars
Andover
- Burnap Brook Road, Andover – small parking area
- Wales Road, Andover – small pull off parking area
- Shoddy Mill Road – small pulloff
- Lake Road – road side parking
Columbia/Coventry
Parker Bridge Road, Columbia - small pulloff
Hop River Road, Coventry - small pulloff
Kings Road, Coventry - small pulloff |
|
|
| There are no fees for visiting the trail. |
|
|
|
CT DOT - Pathways through Connecticut - Trail Descriptions/Maps:
|
|
|
|
Connecticut enjoyed a great railroad building era from the 1840s to the turn of the 20th century. This trail which began as the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill line from Hartford to Willimantic via Manchester was completed in 1849. Six years later in 1855 it was the longest the east-west line in the state. By 1884 the line had become the Eastern Division of the New York and New Haven Railroad and a ticket would get you from Hartford to Willimantic in 65 minutes.
|
| Hand labor, big time initiative, and bigger dreams led to the statewide pattern of rail beds that all but crisscrossed Connecticut. But with the increased proliferation of the automobile in the early 1910s and the increased personal mobility and growing road infrastructure that it brought, rails soon peaked with passenger flow, maintained themselves for a while with the freight trade and by the 1960s saw the end of what had been a vast rail based transportation era. |
| Today: As the railroad that once connected Hartford to Manchester, Vernon, Bolton, Andover and Willimantic became abandoned, weedy growth took over from lack of use. And as with so many rail lines, the war efforts demanded the steel of the rails and they were removed for scrap value. Fortunately for today’s trail users the rail beds are much more difficult to erase from the landscape than the rails and ties, and conservation efforts through the years have yielded the many rail-trail systems we have today. |
| The 20 plus miles of the Hop River Trail, like many trails of this length, passes through or abuts many preserved open areas. This is especially true for the western sections of the trail where development has put more pressure on the land and preservation efforts have maintained precious open space. Thus, in Vernon for a mile and a half the trail abuts the Belding Wildlife Area and passes through Valley Falls Park, and in Bolton the trail passes through both Bolton Notch and Hop River state parks along with some municipal open space for an additional mile and a half. |
East of these towns, in Andover and Columbia, the trail is more remote passing through woodlands, along the edges of fields and crossing and abutting the Hop River. Add to these attributes the workmanship of the stone cuts, the low land “fills” and the remaining stone work of water crossings, and for a quiet, scenic and historic outing, the Hop River State Park Trail is hard to beat.
|
|
| Other Nearby State Recreation Areas Include: |
Gay City State Park, HebronLocation: 3 miles south of Bolton on Route 85 Activities: Picnicking, Swimming, Hiking, Field Sports, Fishing, Youth Group Camping, Cross-Country Skiing, Historic Site, Mountain Biking Charge: Weekends and holidays |
Nathan Hale State Forest
Location: From the Route 44 Route 6 split at Bolton Notch follow Route 6 for 2.6 miles to South Road. Turn left (north) and follow for 3.4 miles to the Nathan Hale Homestead and trails which lead into the forest from there.
Activities: Hiking, Hunting, Letterboxing, Connecticut Antiquarian and Landmarks Society operates the nearby Nathan Hale Homestead
Charge: There is no parking fee at this forest. |
|
|
|
| Related Links |
|
|
 | |
