Hop River State Park Trail
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[edit] Basic Info
This trail in eastern Connecticut is approx 19 miles 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. The eastern half of the trail, from Bolton Notch State Park to Willimantic is planned to be a segment of the Charter Oak Greenway, a cross-state bike route. This same segment is also a part of the East Coast Greenway. There is an interesting stream restoration project with good signage, about 4 miles 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.
The trail is owned and operated by the CT Department of Environmental Protection. Upgrades and basic maintenance are done by local town forces in coordination with the DEP and community volunteer groups.
[edit] Current Trail 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 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 are now only two crossings (Route 316 bridge and Hop River bridge near Kings Road) that remain unsafe and require short detours.
The following is a section by section description of the trail's current conditions, as of September 2006.
Colonial Drive, Manchester to Manchester/Vernon town line: This section of the trail is open to the public and has been cleared, but the surface has not yet been finished. The surface is hard pack dirt, which is suitable for all bikes and horses. Some landscaping work is also yet to be done.
Manchester/Vernon town line to Burnap Brook Road, Andover: This long section of the trail, including the entire section of trail in the towns of Vernon and Bolton, 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.
Burnap Brook Road, Andover to Center Street, Andover: This section has been cleared and had drainage improvements, but has not had the finished surface installed yet. It is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but not for street bikes.
Center Street, Andover to Merritt Valley Road, Andover: This section of trail has been cleared and had drainage improved, but there is no through trail traffic on this section as the trail bridge over Route 316 is missing, providing no safe crossing. The town of Andover is in the process of having a trail bridge built to complete this crossing, but has run into some snags with the bridge's design and its compatibility with DOT requirements.
Merritt Valley Road, Andover to Kings Road, Coventry: This section of trail has been cleared and had drainage improvements, but the surface has not been finished. This section is suitable for mountain bikes and horses, but not street bikes. Several bridges along this section are brand new and constructed by trail crews in the last two years.
Kings Road, Coventry to Flanders River Road, Columbia: This section is somewhat overgrown and not passable, due to a crossing of the Hop River that has not yet been replaced for trail use. The former railroad bridge at this crossing is still there, but is dilapidated and unsafe.
Flanders River Road, Columbia to Willimantic River: 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 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. It is still unknown if the bridge will be surfaced for trail use, or if the trail to Willimantic will be routed on-road along Route 66 across the river to downtown Willimantic.
[edit] Trail 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 - parking area
•Burnap Brook Road, Andover - parking area
•Wales Road, Andover
•Shoddy Mill Road, Andover
•Center Street, Andover
•Merritt Valley Road, Andover
•Lake Road, Andover
•Parker Bridge Road, Columbia
•Hop River Road, Coventry - parking area
•Kings Road, Coventry
•Flanders River Road, Columbia
•Route 66, Columbia
The following roads cross the trail via over- or under-passes and do not provide access:
•Route 316, Andover
•US Route 6, Andover
•Pucker Street, Coventry
The trail safely crosses the US Route 6 expressway in Coventry via an underpass.
