Air Line State Park Trail

East Hampton/ Colchester/ Hebron/ Lebanon/ Windham/ Chaplin/ Hampton/ Pomfret/ Putnam/ Thompson

Park Hours

8:00 a.m. – sunset

Directions:

The trail can be accessed from numerous points in Eastern Connecticut. Besides its various road crossings, the points within the park and forest system are:

• Salmon River State Forest – the trail travels two blocks within the forest on River Road (for the Lyman Viaduct, walk west about 1.5 miles).
• James L. Goodwin State Forest – the trail runs up the west side of the lake.
• Beaver Brook State Park – the trail abuts the north boundary of the park, north of the pond.
• Natchaug State Forest – the trail cuts across the southeastern corner of the forest, then passes southeast of Hampton Reservoir.
• Mashamoquet Brook State Park – the trail comes with 250 yards of the park (across Route 44).

Photos courtesy of Martin Bartel, http://pages.cthome.net/mbartel/ARRhome.htm

Air Line State Park Trail

Stretching from East Hampton all the way to the Massachusetts border in East Thompson, the Air Line State Park Trail is mecca for hiking, biking and horseback riding in Eastern Connecticut. The trail was built along the old Air Line Railroad route, which offered a direct path from Boston to New York beginning in the late 1800’s. The route was heavily damaged in the mid 1950’s from the floods that ransacked Connecticut and was no longer operational. The state took over the line, and the more than 50 miles of trails that were constructed along the old railroad route are generally flat and broad. Perhaps the greatest point of interest along the trail is the Lyman Viaduct, the tallest railroad bridge in Connecticut that spanned 1,100 feet across a deep gorge above Dickinson Creek. The best access to the viaduct is through Salmon River State Forest in Colchester. If visitors happen to be looking for a nearby campground to spend a night out among nature, then the Salt Rock Campground is a great spot that is also located in New London County. Situated along Route 97 in Baltic, just off of Interstate 395, there are 71 tent and recreational vehicle (RV) sites. Utilities are available at some sites, along with bathrooms, dumping stations and showers. There is even an in-ground swimming pool and fishing access along the Shetucket River. Costs range from $25 to $30 per night plus a processing fee and reservations can be made by calling (860) 822-0884.

Activities

• Biking
• Hiking
• Horseback riding