Hop River State Park Trail
Encyclopedia
The Hop River State Park Trail is a rail trail
in eastern Connecticut
.
The trail is approximately 19 miles (30.6 km) long and runs along a former railroad line from Colonial Drive in Manchester
to the Willimantic River
at the Columbia/Windham town line, just west to Willimantic, Connecticut
. The eastern half of the trail at Bolton Notch State Park will connect to the Charter Oak Greenway going towards Manchester and Hartford. The eastern terminus of the trail is planned to eventually connect to the Airline State Park
trail. The Charter Oak Greenway, Airline State Park Trail, and the Hop River State Park trail will be pieces of the East Coast Greenway
, (ECG) a trail linking major cities from Maine to Florida. The ECG in CT runs from Rhode Island across to Hartford, down to New Haven and over to New York.
There is an interesting stream restoration project with good signage, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Vernon trailhead. It is just north of where the trail goes under U.S. Route 44
at Bolton Notch, in Bolton Notch State Park.
The Hop River State Park Trail is owned and operated by the CT Department of Environmental Protection. Upgrades and basic maintenance are done by local town forces in coordination with the DEP and community volunteer groups.
Until recently there had been many obstructions along the trail in the form of missing or unsafe bridges, especially on the eastern end of the trail in Coventry and Columbia. Most of these bridges have been repaired or replaced in the last couple of years by the state, towns, and local volunteers. There are now only two crossings (Route 316 bridge in Andover and the Hop River bridge in Coventry) that are incomplete and requires a short detour.
The following is a section by section description of the trail's current conditions, as of June 2009.
Colonial Road, Manchester to Manchester/Vernon town line: A new parking lot and trailhead has been constructed at Colonial Road. The trail has been cleared but the surface has not yet been finished. The surface is hard pack dirt, which is smooth and suitable for all bikes and horses.
Manchester/Vernon town line to Burnap Brook Road, Andover: This long section of the trail, including the entire section of trail in the towns of Vernon and Bolton, has been completed. Drainage has been improved, signage installed, bridges built, parking lots built, and solid stone-dust surface installed. This is the best section of the trail to be completed so far and has long sections through parklands with no crossroads. The ECG section is from Bolton Notch East.
Burnap Brook Road, Andover to Center Street, Andover: (all ECG) This section has been cleared and had drainage improvements, but has not had the finished surface installed yet. It is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but not for street bikes.
Center Street, Andover to Lake Road, Andover: (all ECG)This section of trail has been cleared and had drainage improved, but there is no through trail traffic on this section as the trail bridge over Route 316 is missing, providing no safe crossing. The town of Andover was in the process of having a trail bridge built to complete this crossing, but has run into numerous legal obstacles with the state and the bridge contractor. The issue is currently in litigation and the bridge will not be built anytime in the foreseeable future. A smaller trail bridge has been completed to carry the trail over Merritt Valley Road.
Lake Road, Andover to Kings Road, Coventry: (all ECG)This section of trail has been cleared and had drainage improvements, but the surface has not been finished. This section is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but not street bikes. Several bridges along this section are brand new and constructed by trail crews in the last two years.
Kings Road, Coventry to Flanders River Road, Columbia: (all ECG)This section of trail is not passable due to a bridge over the Hop River that has not been renovated for trail use. The existing rail bridge is not safe to cross. Trail traffic can follow a short detour around this by following Kings Road to Flanders River Road and rejoining the trail after crossing the river on the road bridge.
Flanders River Road, Columbia to Willimantic River: (all ECG)This section is open, but has not yet been developed or improved. It is passable by hikers and mountain bikes, but not street bikes. This is a very short section, as the Willimantic River bridge is not passable due to a deteriorated deck and is blocked off. Trail traffic must leave the rail bed at the former roadside picnic area and come out on parallel Route 66. The other side of the bridge is an active railroad line, preventing a rail trail from extending into Willimantic. It is still unknown if the bridge will be surfaced for trail use, or if the trail to Willimantic will be routed on-road along Route 66 across the river to downtown Willimantic.
The following roads cross the trail via over- or under-passes and do not provide access:
The trail safely crosses the US Route 6 expressway in Coventry via an underpass.
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
in eastern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
The trail is approximately 19 miles (30.6 km) long and runs along a former railroad line from Colonial Drive in Manchester
Manchester, Connecticut
Manchester is a township and city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 58,241.- History :...
to the Willimantic River
Willimantic River
The Willimantic River is a tributary of the Shetucket River, approximately 25 mi long in northeastern Connecticut in the New England region of the United States....
at the Columbia/Windham town line, just west to Willimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 15,823 at the 2000 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum....
. The eastern half of the trail at Bolton Notch State Park will connect to the Charter Oak Greenway going towards Manchester and Hartford. The eastern terminus of the trail is planned to eventually connect to the Airline State Park
Airline State Park
The Airline State Park is a rail trail located in Connecticut.-History:It follows a rail line that was known as the Air Line. It was conceived as a high speed passenger rail line from Boston to New York City, shaving off the old route...
trail. The Charter Oak Greenway, Airline State Park Trail, and the Hop River State Park trail will be pieces of the East Coast Greenway
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation...
, (ECG) a trail linking major cities from Maine to Florida. The ECG in CT runs from Rhode Island across to Hartford, down to New Haven and over to New York.
There is an interesting stream restoration project with good signage, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Vernon trailhead. It is just north of where the trail goes under U.S. Route 44
U.S. Route 44
U.S. Route 44 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 237 miles through four states in the Northeastern region of the United States. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 209 and New York State Route 55 in Kerhonkson, a hamlet in the Hudson Valley region of New York...
at Bolton Notch, in Bolton Notch State Park.
The Hop River State Park Trail is owned and operated by the CT Department of Environmental Protection. Upgrades and basic maintenance are done by local town forces in coordination with the DEP and community volunteer groups.
Current Trail Conditions
Though open to the public for its entire length, different sections of the trail are in different stages of development. Some sections are complete and have a finished, stone-dust surface and signage. Other sections have been cleared and had drainage work done, but still have a somewhat rough, unfinished surface that is not suitable for road bikes.Until recently there had been many obstructions along the trail in the form of missing or unsafe bridges, especially on the eastern end of the trail in Coventry and Columbia. Most of these bridges have been repaired or replaced in the last couple of years by the state, towns, and local volunteers. There are now only two crossings (Route 316 bridge in Andover and the Hop River bridge in Coventry) that are incomplete and requires a short detour.
The following is a section by section description of the trail's current conditions, as of June 2009.
Colonial Road, Manchester to Manchester/Vernon town line: A new parking lot and trailhead has been constructed at Colonial Road. The trail has been cleared but the surface has not yet been finished. The surface is hard pack dirt, which is smooth and suitable for all bikes and horses.
Manchester/Vernon town line to Burnap Brook Road, Andover: This long section of the trail, including the entire section of trail in the towns of Vernon and Bolton, has been completed. Drainage has been improved, signage installed, bridges built, parking lots built, and solid stone-dust surface installed. This is the best section of the trail to be completed so far and has long sections through parklands with no crossroads. The ECG section is from Bolton Notch East.
Burnap Brook Road, Andover to Center Street, Andover: (all ECG) This section has been cleared and had drainage improvements, but has not had the finished surface installed yet. It is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but not for street bikes.
Center Street, Andover to Lake Road, Andover: (all ECG)This section of trail has been cleared and had drainage improved, but there is no through trail traffic on this section as the trail bridge over Route 316 is missing, providing no safe crossing. The town of Andover was in the process of having a trail bridge built to complete this crossing, but has run into numerous legal obstacles with the state and the bridge contractor. The issue is currently in litigation and the bridge will not be built anytime in the foreseeable future. A smaller trail bridge has been completed to carry the trail over Merritt Valley Road.
Lake Road, Andover to Kings Road, Coventry: (all ECG)This section of trail has been cleared and had drainage improvements, but the surface has not been finished. This section is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but not street bikes. Several bridges along this section are brand new and constructed by trail crews in the last two years.
Kings Road, Coventry to Flanders River Road, Columbia: (all ECG)This section of trail is not passable due to a bridge over the Hop River that has not been renovated for trail use. The existing rail bridge is not safe to cross. Trail traffic can follow a short detour around this by following Kings Road to Flanders River Road and rejoining the trail after crossing the river on the road bridge.
Flanders River Road, Columbia to Willimantic River: (all ECG)This section is open, but has not yet been developed or improved. It is passable by hikers and mountain bikes, but not street bikes. This is a very short section, as the Willimantic River bridge is not passable due to a deteriorated deck and is blocked off. Trail traffic must leave the rail bed at the former roadside picnic area and come out on parallel Route 66. The other side of the bridge is an active railroad line, preventing a rail trail from extending into Willimantic. It is still unknown if the bridge will be surfaced for trail use, or if the trail to Willimantic will be routed on-road along Route 66 across the river to downtown Willimantic.
Trail Access Points
The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:- Colonial Drive, Manchester - parking area
- Taylor Street, Vernon
- Elm Hill Road, Vernon
- Dobson Road, Vernon
- Church Street / Phoenix Street, Vernon - parking area
- Tunnel Road, Vernon - parking area
- Bolton Notch State Park (off US Route 44), Bolton - parking area
- Steeles Crossing Road, Bolton - parking area
- Bailey Road, Andover
- Burnap Brook Road, Andover - parking area
- Wales Road, Andover - parking area
- Shoddy Mill Road, Andover - parking area
- Center Street, Andover
- Lake Road, Andover- parking area
- Parker Bridge Road, Columbia
- Hop River Road, Coventry - parking area
- Kings Road, Coventry - parking area
- Flanders River Road, Columbia
- Old Route 66 rest area, Columbia - limited parking
The following roads cross the trail via over- or under-passes and do not provide access:
- Notch Road, Bolton
- Route 316, Andover
- US Route 6, Andover
- Merritt Valley Road, Andover
- Pucker Street, Coventry (Bike/walk in access)
The trail safely crosses the US Route 6 expressway in Coventry via an underpass.
External links
- Map of trail from CTXGuide.com