Hop River State Park Trail
| 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, Windham |
| Towns | Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Manchester, Vernon, Windham |
| City | Willimantic |
| Coordinates | 41°43′22″N 72°14′49″W / 41.72278°N 72.24694°WCoordinates: 41°43′22″N 72°14′49″W / 41.72278°N 72.24694°W |
| Length | 20.8 mi (33 km) |
| Area | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| Established | Unspecified |
| Management | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
 Location in Connecticut
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| Website: Hop River State Park Trail | |
Hop River State Park Trail is a Connecticut rail trail that winds for 20.8 miles (33.5 km) eastward from Colonial Drive in the town of Manchester to the Air Line State Park Trail S. in the town of Windham. The trail parallels the Hop River for much of its length. It is owned and operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, with upgrades and maintenance done by town forces and community volunteer groups in coordination with the state. The trail is used for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing.
The trail was originally part of the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill line from Hartford to Willimantic which was completed in 1849. Freight trains used the line through the 1960s. The last train ran on September 29, 1970, by which time the line was part of the bankrupt Penn Central. The Willimantic section of the trail was built in 2015, unlike the rest of the trail.
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 few 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.
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Wikipedia