The New England Trail Guide

    New England Trail at a Glance

    The New England Trail is a 235-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.

    Designated a National Scenic Trail on March 30, 2009, it travels through classic New England landscape from the shores of Long Island Sound and along the spine of the Metacomet Ridge exploring 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, summits, forested glades, wetlands and vernal pools, lakes, streams, and waterfalls. The trail is most often completed by section hiking.

    Thru-Hiking

    While the trail can be thru-hiked, there are only four camping areas making backpacking next to impossible to do legitimately. Water is also scarce along the ridge making resupply an issue. Amenities are underdeveloped and most hikers don’t know that it is a trail on par with the Appalachian Trail. There is about 11,000 ft of elevation gain in the Connecticut portion making this a moderate challenge that can feasibly be completed in about 5 days.

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    Tri Mountain New England Trail Overlook
    Castle Craig Winter
    Castle Craig Past West Peak
    Chittenden Park Trailhead
    Outcrops above the Reservoir
    Mount Higby View Towards Beseck
    Black Pond to Mt Higby
    Highland Pond Preserve
    Bluff Head Overlook

    Highlights

    Links

    Section List

    (North to South) Distances may be slightly off due to reroutes. 

    Metacomet Trail

    Mattabesett Trail

      • (North parking closed)
      • Alice Fern Bruce Preserve – Last of the ridge before descending to a mixed road and trail
      • Lamentation Mtn State Park – 3.3 miles – (North Parking)
      • Giuffrida Park – 3.5 miles – Parking – A U shaped hike over Chauncey Peak, down to the reservoir and up towards the west ridge
      • Wilcox Woods – 0.8 miles – (Parking) Pleasant walk through pines and beginning to climb into Giuffrida
      • 0.4 mile road walk on Atkins St.
      • Highland Pond – 0.5 miles – CLOSED 6/1 – Fall 2025 Easy flat stretch with views of the pond and two short bridges
      • 1.2 mile road walk Country Club Rd over I-91 to Bell St
      • Wesleyan Woods Conservation Area – 1.7 miles – (Parking) Down off the ridge on a long abandoned old woods road
      • Mt. Higby – 2 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
      • 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
      • 0.2 mile road walk on Rt. 68
      • Tri-Mountain State Park – 4.1 miles (South Parking) – Climbing steeply again into this scenic reserve, a descent, and another very steep climb to a viewpoint
      • Pistapaug Mountain – 1.9 miles – Very long gradual climb to a nice viewpoint and an uneventful summit before a long rocky descent
      • 0.5 mile road walk Stagecoach Rd to Rt 17
      • Bluff Head – 3.9 miles (Parking) – Climb to overlook views before traveling through deep rolling woods
      • Broomstick Ledges – 2.8 miles – (Bluff Head Parking) – Beautifully rocky winding trail over and between the ledges
      • Junction with the Menunkatuck Trail

    Menunkatuck Trail

      • Junction with the Mattabesett Trail
      • Broomstick Ledges – 0.2 miles – Beautifully rocky winding trail over and between the ledges
      • Genesee Recreation Area – 3.6 miles – Gently rolling trail skirts the edge of this Water Authority property but doesn’t touch its history
      • Cockaponset: Guilford North Parcel – 1.6 miles – (Parking) – Fairly standard old woods road with a “cave” passing the local Sportman’s Club
      • Timberland Preserve – 2.6 miles – Crosses Iron Stream, passes Paradise Pool and the upper reaches of Upper Guilford Lake
      • 0.2 mile road walk
      • Nut Plain Woods – 1.7 miles – (Parking) – Long wetland board walk and unassuming woods between private property
      • East River Preserve – 3.2 miles – (Parking) – Rocky along the East River to the open fields and through the woods
      • 3.9 mile road walk
      • Chittenden Park – 0.2 miles – (Parking) – From Long Island Sound, over a boardwalk, through the field, and onto the road

    The New England Trail was designated a National Scenic Trail on March 30, 2009. It was formerly known as the M-M-M Trail (Mattabesett, Metacomet, and Monadnock) and in Connecticut was comprised of the entire lengths of the Mattabesett and Metacomet blue blaze trails.

    However the goal was always for it to reach Long Island Sound which was developed and completed with the Menunkatuck Trail officially opening in 2014. This made the eastern most section (Rockland Preserve and east) of the Mattabesett superfluous though it still retains its federal designation and signage as part of the trail which occasionally causes some confusion.

    The trail has largely remained unchanged in Connecticut since it was completed in 2014-15.

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    Hi, I’m Matt.

    I’m building ExploreCT to be the guide for all your outdoor adventures. All the trails, views, and waterways this great state has to offer.

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