Hike the New England Trail

The New England Trail is a 215-mile hiking trail through Connecticut and Massachusetts.  This guide will focus on the 110 mile Connecticut portion largely maintained by volunteers of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association in cooperation with the National Park Service.

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It was designated a National Scenic Trail on March 30, 2009 and travels through classic New England landscape, rural vistas, farmland, large forests, and river valleys. The trail also travels through several colonial historical landmarks and highlights a range of diverse ecosystems and natural resources including mountain ridges and summits, forested glades, wetlands and vernal pools, lakes, streams and waterfalls.

I have only hiked sections of this trail so this guide is a work in progress.

Links

• New England Trail Official Website
• Guthook Guides – Official App/Guide
• National Park Service – New England Trail
• Connecticut Ultra Traverse (CUT) 112
• Fastest Known Time –  Sean Meehan – 1d 6h 13m 56s on 2020-06-07

Section List

Menunkatuck Trail

• Chittenden Park – Unexplored
• Road walk – Unexplored
• Timberland Preserve – Unexplored
• Road Walk – Unexplored

Mattabesett Trail

• Broomstick Ledges – 2.2 miles – (Bluff Head Parking) — Unexplored
  • Junction to Menunkatuck Trail
• Bluff Head – 3.9 miles (Parking) – Climb to an overlook view before traveling through deep woods
• 0.5 mile road walk Stagecoach Rd to Rt 17
• Tri-Mountain State Park – 4 miles (South Parking) – Unexplored
• 0.2 mile road walk on Rt. 68
  • Camping Area Cattails Shelter
• Black Pond –5.1 miles – (North Parking) (South Parking)– A long hike on the Beseck Mountain Ridge culminating in a cliff overlook of Black Pond
• Mt. Higby –3.7 miles – (Parking Note: if you use the Higby Mountain Trail Head on Google Maps it will direct you to the Black Pond parking area) – Rugged hike with many great views
• 1.2 mile road walk Country Club Rd over I-91 to Bell St
• Highland Pond – 0.5 miles – Unexplored
• 0.4 mile road walk on Atkins St.
• Giuffrida Park – 3.5 miles – (Parking) – A U shaped hike over Chauncey Peak, down to the reservoir and up towards the west ridge
• Lamentation Mtn State Park — 3.3 miles — (North Parking)
• 1.8 mile road walk to Metacomet Trail
  • Camping Area Lamentation Mtn Primitive Tentsite

Metacomet Trail

• 1.8 mile road walk from Mattabesett Trail
• Metacomet Southern Terminus — 3.4 miles — (Parking) Unexplored
• Hubbard Park / Castle Craig — 5.7 miles — (Parking) Enters the Hanging Hills and climbs to the castle tower on East Peak before turning north
• 1.5 mile road walk on Edgewood Rd
• Short Mountain / Timberlin Park — 1.7 miles — (Parking) Unexplored
• 0.2 mile road walk on Carey St
• Ragged Mountain — 5.2 miles — (Parking) One of the state’s most popular hikes with a handful of overlooks
• 0.8 mile road walk on Andrews St to Long Bottom Rd
• Sunset Rock State Park — 3.6 miles — (Parking)
• 1.2 mile road walk over I-84 on Wooster St to Rt. 372
• Will Warren’s Den – 4.1 miles – (North Parking) (South Parking) Highlights include Pinnacle Rock overlook, Rattlesnake Ledges, Will Warren’s Den, and Hospital Rock
• 0.6 mile road walk on Poplar Hill Dr and Mountain Rd
• Hill-Stead Museum — 0.6 miles — (Parking) Unexplored
• 2 mile mixed trail and road walk on Prattling Pond Rd, Metacomet Rd, and Old Mountain Rd
• Kilkenney Rock – 4.6 miles – (North Parking) (South Parking) Unexplored
• Reservoir Number #6 – 1.8 miles – (Parking) Brief flat interlude along the western side of the reservoir
• Talcott Mountain State Park — 2.9 miles — (Parking) Climbing back to the ridge past Heublein Tower to a steep descent
• Penwood State Park – 3.4 miles – (Parking) Quieter section with a fantastic view at Pinnacle overlook
• Wilcox Park — 2.3 miles — (Parking) Ridgeline with an old chimney and narrow overlooks
• 0.6 mile road walk on Rt. 189
• Tarrifville Gorge — 4.3 miles — (North Parking) (South Parking)
• 0.2 mile road walk on Newgate Rd
• Peak Mountain to West Suffield Mountain – 4.3 miles – (North Parking) (South Parking) Fantastic overlooks and a campsite through two towns
  • Camping Area Windsor Locks Primitive Tentsite
• Alcorn Preserve North Terminus – 2.3 miles – (Parking) Great views west along the ridges before descending to marshy areas to the Mass border
• Closest parking north of the MA border

Cross into Massachusetts for 100+ more miles of trail!