Moosup Valley State Park Trail
Encyclopedia
The Moosup Valley State Park Trail is a rail trail
in Windham County, Connecticut
.
The trail is located on the railbed of a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
line. The rail line was abandoned in the late 1960s, and was designated by the state as a multi-use trail in 1987. The trail is owned and operated by the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. It runs for 6 miles (9.7 km) from the center of the village of Moosup (41.713°N 71.881°W) to the Rhode Island state line (41.6956°N 71.7887°W), where the trail continues into Rhode Island as the Coventry Greenway.
The entire length of the trail is part of the East Coast Greenway
.
The following is a section-by-section description of current trail conditions.
Trailhead at Route 14 in Moosup to Barber Hill Road, Plainfield: This section of trail is completed. It has trailhead parking and starts by crossing the Moosup River on a refurbished railroad bridge. The trail is paved with a smooth, wide asphalt surface for this section. Most of this part was completed as part of the project to replace the Barber Hill Road bridge over the Moosup River.
Barber Hill Road, Plainfield to bridge over Providence Road, Sterling: This section of trail is mostly undeveloped. It was cleared and graded several years ago, and has a dirt, rocky surface. It is suitable for horses and mountain bikes, but not for street bikes. The bridge over the Moosup River in Sterling was repaired and given a new deck for trail use.
Bridge over Providence Road, Sterling to Spring Lake Road, Sterling: A brand new bridge was recently completed to carry the trail over Providence Road. This bridge replaces the original rail bridge which was removed when the rail line was first abandoned. As part of the new bridge project, a 3/4 mile section of trail from the new bridge east to Spring Lake Road was completed and paved with a wide, smooth asphalt surface. This is the first section in Sterling to be officially completed and the new bridge removes the last physical obstacle along the trail's route.
Spring Lake Road, Sterling to RI State Line: This section is open but is undeveloped. It has a rough dirt surface and is best traveled on foot or mountain bike.
The trail continues into RI as the Trestle Trail, a multi-use trail that is operated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
The trail crosses the following roads via over- or underpasses, and does not provide access:
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
in Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 118,428.The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.-History:Windham...
.
The trail is located on the railbed of a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
line. The rail line was abandoned in the late 1960s, and was designated by the state as a multi-use trail in 1987. The trail is owned and operated by the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. It runs for 6 miles (9.7 km) from the center of the village of Moosup (41.713°N 71.881°W) to the Rhode Island state line (41.6956°N 71.7887°W), where the trail continues into Rhode Island as the Coventry Greenway.
The entire length of the trail is part of the East Coast Greenway
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation...
.
Current trail conditions
The trail is a work in progress. It is open to the public for its entire length, and all major gaps and obstructions have been removed or filled in, but many sections are rough and unimproved.The following is a section-by-section description of current trail conditions.
Trailhead at Route 14 in Moosup to Barber Hill Road, Plainfield: This section of trail is completed. It has trailhead parking and starts by crossing the Moosup River on a refurbished railroad bridge. The trail is paved with a smooth, wide asphalt surface for this section. Most of this part was completed as part of the project to replace the Barber Hill Road bridge over the Moosup River.
Barber Hill Road, Plainfield to bridge over Providence Road, Sterling: This section of trail is mostly undeveloped. It was cleared and graded several years ago, and has a dirt, rocky surface. It is suitable for horses and mountain bikes, but not for street bikes. The bridge over the Moosup River in Sterling was repaired and given a new deck for trail use.
Bridge over Providence Road, Sterling to Spring Lake Road, Sterling: A brand new bridge was recently completed to carry the trail over Providence Road. This bridge replaces the original rail bridge which was removed when the rail line was first abandoned. As part of the new bridge project, a 3/4 mile section of trail from the new bridge east to Spring Lake Road was completed and paved with a wide, smooth asphalt surface. This is the first section in Sterling to be officially completed and the new bridge removes the last physical obstacle along the trail's route.
Spring Lake Road, Sterling to RI State Line: This section is open but is undeveloped. It has a rough dirt surface and is best traveled on foot or mountain bike.
The trail continues into RI as the Trestle Trail, a multi-use trail that is operated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Trail access
The trail crosses the following roads at-grade, providing access:- Main Street / Route 14, Plainfield - parking area
- River Street, Plainfield
- Barber Hill Road, Plainfield - parking area
- Brunswick Avenue, Plainfield - parking area
- Main Street, Sterling
- Industrial Park Road, Sterling
- Route 14, Sterling
- Babcock Road, Sterling - parking area
- Spring Lake Road, Sterling
- Route 14A, Sterling
The trail crosses the following roads via over- or underpasses, and does not provide access:
- Route 14, Plainfield
- Providence Road, Sterling