Moosup Valley State Park Trail

The Moosup Valley State Park Trail is a rail trail located on the railbed of a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line in the New England towns of Plainfield and Sterling in Windham County, Connecticut.[1] The line ran from 1898 until 1968.[2] 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 Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Moosup Valley State Park Trail
Brunswick Dam on Moosup River and North Main Street bridge
from the Moosup Valley State Park Trail
Length5.8 miles (9.3 km)
LocationPlainfield & Sterling, Connecticut
Established1987
DesignationConnecticut state park
TrailheadsMoosup (41°42′47″N 71°52′52″W)
State line in Sterling (41°41′44″N 71°47′19″W)
UseHiking, biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing
Hiking details
SightsWoodlands, Moosup River
SurfaceVarious: dirt with some grass, sand and gravel; old railroad ballast
Maintained byConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
WebsiteMoosup Valley State Park Trail
Sterling
Moosup
Location of trailheads in Connecticut

It runs for approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Main Street in the center of the village of Moosup to the Rhode Island state line in the town of Sterling, where the trail continues into Rhode Island as the Coventry Greenway.[2] The Moosup Valley Trail, together with the Quinebaug River Trail and the Air Line Trail, is "a critical link" in the Hartford to Providence section of the planned East Coast Greenway.[3]

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 Rhode Island as the Trestle Trail, a multi-use trail that is operated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Crossings

The whole trail is in Windham County, Connecticut.

Town Carrying Notes Coordinates
Plainfield Route 14 parking area/

terminus

41.7129°N 71.8812°W / 41.7129; -71.8812
Moosup River river crossing 41.7135°N 71.8800°W / 41.7135; -71.8800
River St. 41.7141°N 71.8790°W / 41.7141; -71.8790
Barber Hill Rd. 41.7171°N 71.8686°W / 41.7171; -71.8686
Brunswick Ave. 41.7165°N 71.8608°W / 41.7165; -71.8608
Route 14 overpass 41.7194°N 71.8587°W / 41.7194; -71.8587
Sterling Moosup River 41.7127°N 71.8364°W / 41.7127; -71.8364
Main St. 41.7101°N 71.8316°W / 41.7101; -71.8316
Industrial Park Rd. 41.7091°N 71.8293°W / 41.7091; -71.8293
Route 14 41.7069°N 71.8257°W / 41.7069; -71.8257
Providence Rd. underpass 41.6978°N 71.8093°W / 41.6978; -71.8093
Spring Lake Rd. 41.6968°N 71.8003°W / 41.6968; -71.8003
Route 14A 41.6967°N 71.7983°W / 41.6967; -71.7983
Sterling/

Coventry

 CT/ RI

State Border

 terminus 41.6956°N 71.7887°W / 41.6956; -71.7887

References
  1. "Moosup Valley State Park Trail". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  2. "Moosup Valley State Park Trail". TrailLink. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  3. "Connecticut National Recreational Trails Program Recreational Trails Plan" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. September 2011. p. 4. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
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