March 16-17, 2024

March 16-17, 2024. Air Line State Park Trail South. East Hampton to the Willimantic River, CT. Around 22 miles, negligible elevation gain. National Recreation Trail.

Air Line State Park Trail extends 50 miles across eastern CT, but only the southern section is considered a National Recreation Trail. I broke this up into two days since I tweaked my knee on Sleeping Giant earlier in the week. I did five miles on the 16th, and 17 miles on the 17th.

This is a lovely, wide, multi-use rail trail of crushed gravel with no hard pavement, so it’s easy on the feet and knees. The trail runs past meadows, ponds, and marshes. Beautiful scenery. Signs here and there inform you of the railroad history. Saw a ton of happy and friendly locals walking, jogging, and biking. Truly an enjoyable and relaxed way to traverse a bunch of miles.