CT Bike Paths - Hartford area

[ac29593]

Hi,

I am new to CT and living in the Hartford area.

Does anyone know of any paved bike paths within a reasonable distance from Hartford that is around 12-15 miles one way at the very least?

The only path I found near me was in Manchester, but I believe that was mostly dirt.

Thanks for any input.

[AmishSexy]

Have you tried riverside park? I'm pretty sure there's a bike path there.

[steveCT]

Manchester has a paved bike path near the Manchester Community college. Also Simsbury has a nice one along Rt 10/202.

Steve

[carpediemracing]

I live in Simsbury and there is a rails to trails thing next to Route 10. Apparently it's supposed to be 10 or more miles long. I couldn't tell you but I know it starts south of the Avon border and they finished paving bits and pieces of it into Granby.

It crosses roads and such and is separate from the road. But sometimes it's right next to the road (resembles a sidewalk).

I couldn't tell you where to get more info on it.

cdr

[grsmith]

From CT DOT: http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1390&q=259656
They do have some other maps on their site which isn't very well organized.

West Hartford Reservoir one, on Farmington Ave, has allot of trails and paved roads not open to vehicles.

Welcome to the neighborhood,
Greg

[grsmith]

It looks like CT DEP handles the sale of Bike maps here:

http://www.ctdepstore.com/category.sc?categoryId=2

[ac29593]

Thanks for the help.

I think I am going to try and find the one in Manchester and see how that goes.

I have a link to the CT DEP but I do not think the information for the bike paths have been updated in years. I did not see one path that was paved and longer than a few miles at best.

I heard that there was a 30 mile paved path in Newington, does anyone know if that is true?

I cant wait until the East Coast Greenway extends down into CT.

The idea of a path going down the entire East coast is awesome.

[Ya Tu Sabes]

The Farmington Valley Greenway (http://www.fvgreenway.org/) is really nice and close. It's an easy ride out Farmington Avenue, or a hard ride over Avon Mountain on Albany Avenue.

[bktourer1]

There is also the section between Chesire & Hamden (farmington canal)

[bktourer1]

there is a free statewde map but its not always in stock or up to date.
There are some inonsistancies when it comes to crossing certain bridges.
I response is never forthcoming from Mr Blazer who you write to to get the map,
about the problems

[murbike]

I live in Newington, and there are no bike paths here.

Your best bet is to go to Farmington and start there, going North.
They have a very well maintained MUT that goes almost to the Mass line, and will supposedly connect to other paths leading to Northampton, Ma. That would be brilliant.

Anyway, here are links that I've used in the past to go riding with my kids (7 and 9 - I'm not real comfortable taking them on extended road trips yet):

http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1390&q=259684
I've ridden most of them in the central and Eastern part of the state, and can say they are mostly in great shape.

Here's another link that I've never used before, but it looks pretty robust:
http://www.traillink.com/Search.aspx?q=ALL&st=CT

I've ridden the following trails:

*Airline State Park Trail - dirt, very rural, few if any resources. Bring your own water/snacks.
*Charter Oak Greenway - decent shape, a little hilly, several chances to stop and get snacks, drinks, etc...
*Farmington Canal Heritage Trail - good shape, a little crowded with walkers/dogs/babies/kids on nice days. Crosses lots of roads, but well marked and well maintained. Good resources for nourishment.
*Vernon Rails to Trails - dirt, easy to get to, crosses some roads, but most is pretty isolated. Can get a little busy on nice weekends. Not many chances for sustinence.

I prefer to ride on the road, but there are plenty of paved paths in the state, and most are pretty easy to get to. Seems like there are more dirt trails than paved, but either way, they are mostly very well maintained.

I'm new to BikeForums, but not to cycling, and have ridden all over the state of Connecticut and lots of New England. Let me know if you have questions about riding in specific parts of the state.

Have fun.

[cdale56]

Hi,


Does anyone know of any paved bike paths within a reasonable distance from Hartford that is around 12-15 miles one way at the very least?


.

Try this site, maps are on pages 41 to 48

http://www.crcog.org/publications/BicycleDocs/bp_plan2008/bp_draft_plan200803full.pdf

If link doesn't work this is the Capitol Regions Council of Governments Draft Pedestrian Bicycle Plan

[fprintf]

I live within 1 mile of the Cheshire - Hamden portion of the East Coast Greenway. With a little planning on some quiet back roads, you can ride a nice quiet route all the way from Hamden to the MA state border. As others have mentioned, you can get to the northern portion (Avon to Granby) driving down Farmington Ave.

With that said, even though I am close to the path, it is a disaster to ride it anytime there are people on it. There is a 10 mph limit, mostly ignored, and multiple road crossings to slow down and navigate. It is fine for a quiet pedal with the kids, but anything more it is out of the question. I use the path to avoid riding over a section of road that has no shoulder and limited sight distances.

You are living in a state that has some of the nicest bicycling routes around - on regular roadways. Scenic, hills if you want them, flats if you'd prefer (just stay in the river valleys going mostly North to South), not a lot of cars depending on the route etc. etc. Heck, even if you live right *in* Hartford, it is only a 10 minute drive to a commuter lot if West Hartford, where you can kick off any number of suburban, car-free rides. North and West of Hartford are particularly rural. If you check out the local bicycle shops I bet they can share a number of preferred routes.

[murbike]

You can get the map by contacting this person.
I've gotten them in the past just by emailing the contact person.

http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1380&Q=259662&PM=1&dotPNavCtr=|40767|#40769

[bktourer1]

There are no more CT maps and no plan to create more. The Coordinator for CT never answers mail. The maps are not 100% correct. the map states rt190 is a cross state route but when you get to the rt 159/190 bridge the sign states no bikes. There is a walkway on the eastern side but the only way to get to it is use a dirt path on the northern side (outside the guardrail). CT DOT is supposed to be working on the problem

[mcccxxv]

Here is where you can find an electronic copy of CT statewide bicycle map:

http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1390&q=292876&PM=1

I requested a copy a few months back and got it only last month. May be there is a backlog.

The map does indicate bike paths in green lines.

[cdale56]

There are no more CT maps and no plan to create more. The Coordinator for CT never answers mail.




I emailed the CT bicycle person a few weeks ago asking about bicycle accommodation (if any) on the new Mashuntucket Rte 2 freeway but never got a reply.