Hop River State Park Trail
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| Hop River State Park Trail | |
| Connecticut State Park | |
 The trail through Bolton Notch Tunnel
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| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Connecticut |
| Counties | Hartford, Tolland |
| Towns | Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Manchester, Vernon |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | 50 acres (20 ha) [1] |
| Established | Unspecified |
| Management | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
  Location in Connecticut
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| Website: Hop River State Park Trail | |
The Hop River State Park Trail is a rail trail in eastern Connecticut.[2] The trail is approximately 19 miles (31 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. It is owned and operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Upgrades and basic maintenance are done by local town forces in coordination with the DEEP and community volunteer groups.
Contents
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[when?] 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 is now only one crossing (the eastern Hop River bridge in Columbia, CT ) that is incomplete and requires a short detour.
The following is a section by section description of the trail's current conditions, as of July 2014.
Colonial Road, Manchester to the western Hop River bridge at Columbia/Coventry town line: This long section of the trail, including the entire section of trail in the towns of Manchester, Vernon, Bolton and Andover 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 East Coast Greenway (ECG) section is from Bolton Notch East.
Western Hop River bridge at Columbia/Coventry town line to Kings Road, Coventry (all ECG): This section has been cleared and had drainage improvements, and has some finished surface installed. It is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but a bit rough for street bikes.
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. There are no plans or funds to improve this bridge. 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. The bridge was structurally evaluated by DOT, as noted in a Hartford Courant article (11/4 2014), but no funds are currently available to re-surface it for trail use. Te ECG trail to Willimantic is routed on-road along Route 66 across the river to downtown Willimantic.
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
- Monument Lane, Andover - parking at Andover History Museum
- 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, Columbia - 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 (access via Monument Lane adjacent to trail, 300 feet up, instead)
- 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.
Features
A stream restoration project with signage is located 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.
Development
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 Air Line State Park Trail. The Charter Oak Greenway, Air Line 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 Connecticut runs from Rhode Island across to Hartford, down to New Haven and over to New York.
See also
References
External links
- Hop River State Park Trail
- Map of trail from CTXGuide.com
