Vernon - Rails to Trails
Vernon Rails to Trails
| Location: | Vernon |
| Directions: | The Vernon Rails-to-Trails Park is on Church Street between Phoenix and Washington streets, a mile south of Interstate 84. From Hartford, take I-84 east to Exit 65 and follow signs to State Route 30 north. Turn right at the first traffic signal on Dobson Road and cross beneath the interstate. Dobson becomes Washington Street. A mile south, turn left on Church Street. Trailhead parking is ahead on the left. To reach the trailhead from Exit 66, bear right on Frontage Road, then turn left on Tunnel Road. After a quarter mile, turn right on Warren Avenue. Drive a half mile, take a left on Phoenix Street, then take an immediate right on Church Street. Trailhead parking is on the right. |
| Park at: | See above |
| Meet on: | Trailhead parking area |
| Human Items: | Suitable walking shoes Water |
| Canine Items: | Water Poop Bags |
| Practice: | Leave It Heel Proper Greetings |
Rails to Trails Conservancy transforms old rail lines across the country into routes for walking.
Thanks to skilled engineers with the former Hartford, Providence, & Fishkill Railroad, this pretty trail network overlooks ravines and streams and passes between rock walls verdant with ferns and lichen. Crossing a wooded terrain of hills and wetlands, it also provides a wonderful introduction to Vernon's varied neighborhoods. You may spot deer, and you'll surely notice the line of railroad-era telephone poles amid the trees. The Connecticut Army National Guard laid down the stone dust surface as a training exercise.
From the main trailhead hub on Church Street, the Vernon Rails-to-Trails Park offers three trail segments. Stretching west and then south, a 1.8-mile spur of the Hop River State Park Trail leads to the Manchester/Vernon town line. There is no formal trailhead at the end. The park also claims a 3.9-mile eastbound stretch of the Hop River State Park Trail. From Church Street, you'll quickly pass the turnoff for the Rockville Spur on your left. The first mile links residential neighborhoods. Beyond Tunnel Road, the Vernon section of the trail leads through thick woods to the Bolton town line. The 4-mile Rockville Spur negotiates a varied surface, sharing a sidewalk early on and crossing several roads. A half mile from the turnoff, you'll reach a trail highlight: a bridge crossing of the Tankerhoosen River. Just shy of Vernon Avenue, the spur comes to an abrupt halt at a large earthen mound atop an old bridge abutment.
Click here for a map of the trail.
Thanks to skilled engineers with the former Hartford, Providence, & Fishkill Railroad, this pretty trail network overlooks ravines and streams and passes between rock walls verdant with ferns and lichen. Crossing a wooded terrain of hills and wetlands, it also provides a wonderful introduction to Vernon's varied neighborhoods. You may spot deer, and you'll surely notice the line of railroad-era telephone poles amid the trees. The Connecticut Army National Guard laid down the stone dust surface as a training exercise.
From the main trailhead hub on Church Street, the Vernon Rails-to-Trails Park offers three trail segments. Stretching west and then south, a 1.8-mile spur of the Hop River State Park Trail leads to the Manchester/Vernon town line. There is no formal trailhead at the end. The park also claims a 3.9-mile eastbound stretch of the Hop River State Park Trail. From Church Street, you'll quickly pass the turnoff for the Rockville Spur on your left. The first mile links residential neighborhoods. Beyond Tunnel Road, the Vernon section of the trail leads through thick woods to the Bolton town line. The 4-mile Rockville Spur negotiates a varied surface, sharing a sidewalk early on and crossing several roads. A half mile from the turnoff, you'll reach a trail highlight: a bridge crossing of the Tankerhoosen River. Just shy of Vernon Avenue, the spur comes to an abrupt halt at a large earthen mound atop an old bridge abutment.
Click here for a map of the trail.