Farmington Canal Trail
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The Farmington Canal Trail is a multi-use rail trail located in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
It follows the abandoned right-of-way of the former New Haven and Northampton Railroad. This railroad was built along the route of the Farmington Canal in Connecticut and the Hampshire and Hampden Canal in Massachusetts.
[edit] Trail history
The rail trail began to be developed during the 1990s following railroad abandonment. The trail runs from downtown New Haven, Connecticut to Northampton, Massachusetts, closely following the path of Route 10.
In the sections where it has been completed, it provides thousands of people per day with bicycling, hiking and jogging opportunities. In many areas, the trail is lined with historic "lock houses" dating from the time of the original canal, as well as retaining walls, canal locks (elevators for boats), old sections of canal, and other features. In Cheshire, Connecticut, the only restored lock along the original Canal line has been incorporated into the Lock 12 Historical Park, which also comprises a small museum.
The entire route of the Farmington Canal Trail is not yet completed, but it is a major priority for most towns along its route. In August 2006, Yale University announced it would contribute towards the completion of the final two blocks of the trail through downtown New Haven, from Hillhouse Avenue to the Audubon Arts District. The City of New Haven has also recently completed a section of trail running from Yale University to the north end of the city, where it will connect with a very long section of completed trail that runs into the Hartford region.
